Badlands Petrified Gardens

In 1910, 34 year old Hugh Fugate moved his family from Wisconsin to the Nemo, SD area where he took employment as a logger for the Homestake Lumber Company until 1918. From 1918 until 1946 he was employed in Rapid City, SD by Warren Lamb Lumber Company and Buckingham Lumber Company. During his life as a logger, lumber man, and carpenter Hugh developed an avid interest in petrified wood. Hugh and a friend named Black purchased some land near Piedmont, SD that had an abundance of petrified wood. In 1938, Hugh and his son Ed, who was also working at Warren Lamb, purchased Black’s portion of the land and started the Black Hills Petrified Forest as a part time business that relied on donations for its operation. Ed enlisted in the US Army during WWII and served in the South Pacific Theatre. When Ed returned from the war, he and his wife Floy purchased Hugh’s interest in the business and operated the Petrified Forest at Piedmont, SD until 1955 when construction of I-90 removed access to their business. In 1956, Ed and Floy along with their three small children Bob, Bill, and Patty moved their business to its present location 1 ½ miles east of Kadoka, SD. They chose the name Badlands Petrified Gardens because of the proximity to the Badlands and “Gardens” rather than “Forest” because the petrified wood was gathered and placed at its present location rather than having been found at that site. In 1976 Ed and Floy incorporated their business to include their three children.In 1986 Ed and Floy returned to Rapid City, SD to live. Bill has managed the Gardens since that time. Bob and his wife Kathy have faithfully worked during the summer months when they were on break from teaching school. Since their retirement from teaching they have continued to help operate the Gardens during the summer months.