County of park: Harding County
Location of park: Canam Hwy (US-85/SD-20), Centennial Park, Buffalo
Marker erected: July 3, 2009
Marker erected by: Harding County Chamber of Commerce
"The Tri-State area around Buffalo and Camp Crook has long supplied top horses and cowboys for ranch work or rodeo thrills, and that is part of the tale to be told of Harding County history during the Buffalo Centennial, scheduled for Labor Day weekend, Sept. 4-7, in the sparsely-populated town in the northwestern corner of South Dakota.
"Buffalo's new Centennial Park will be unveiled at 11 a.m. Monday, Sept. 7, during a long weekend of class reunions, dances, a rodeo, a golf tournament, a horseshoe tournament, an exhibit of Stan the T. Rex, and a general celebration of the history of a true ranch community.
"Tipperary, the bucking horse that spilled a generation of top cowboys and helped mark the Black Hills Roundup in Belle Fourche as one of the great rodeos, is honored in a bronze in Centennial Park by Belle Fourche sculptor Tony Chytka.
"Chytka, Rexene Till and others in the Buffalo community planned a project to sell miniature versions of the big Tipperary bronze to pay for the art. Engraved paving bricks to surround the statue were sold, with Diane Haivala, Gene Von Bickerdyke and others involved in that project.
"The idea for the park in Buffalo was sparked several years ago when Larry and Ann Parfrey bought a painted buffalo at the Custer State Park Buffalo Roundup.
"The Harding County Chamber of Commerce and Town of Buffalo bought the painting, and plans were to display it at Tipperary Park on the south side of town.
"A few years later, Till met with the chamber about planning for the centennial. That brought about the project with Chytka and plans for a centennial park.
"Landscape architect Randy Lyons, a Harding County High School graduate, volunteered ideas for the new park, and Deb Brown donated land.
"Celebration activities include an all-school reunion, a T. Rex exhibit, a golf tournament, a horseshoe tournament, art exhibits, a rodeo, and a street dance.
"A tentative schedule of events and information on the centennial is available online at www.hardingcountysd.com." ~ Butte County Journal, by Milo Dailey, August 31, 2009