Population: 417

City of Faith Website: https://faith.govoffice.com/

Welcome to Faith, Est. 1910.

Welcome to Faith, South Dakota

The City of Faith (pop. 421) is located in Meade County, South Dakota about 100 miles west of the Missouri River along Highway 212.  Faith is known as the “Prairie Oasis” because it offers many of the big city comforts in a small town atmosphere.

Agriculture, in particular the raising of livestock and dryland farming, is the basic industry of the area.  Faith serves as the trade center to many of these farmers and ranchers.

The area surrounding Faith offers many recreational activities including hunting, fishing, boating, and golfing.  Faith is also known for its annual celebration, “Faith Stock Show and Rodeo,” which is held the second weekend in August each year.  The event is kicked off with the Dakota Championship Dally Team Roping and Calcutta and continues with four days of livestock shows, rodeos, parade, wild bronc rides, and exhibits.

So if you have an interest in sampling the lifestyle of a small cowboy community, come and visit Faith, “The Prairie Oasis”.  And by all means, stay a while.

History

Founded as the town at the end of the railroad, Faith was originally the hub of a South Dakota homestead boom from 1910-1920.

Local residents have been known to say the town got its name from the faith it took to live out on the prairie during harsh winters and hot, dusty and drought-stricken summers.

However, the town was named for Faith Rockefeller. She was the daughter of a major railroad investor who founded the prairie town. Faith was the permanent end of the railroad, a local spur off the Milwaukee Road.

Although a small community, Faith is well known in the livestock and rodeo industries.

This is a sculpture of “Sue” The largest and most complete T-Rex ever found in the Faith area. Sculpted by John Lopez

Did you Know?

The most complete Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton known, Sue, was discovered about 15 miles northeast of Faith in August 1990.

On the Map