Belle Fourche, South Dakota town site was selected by the railroad in 1890 and named for the river on which it is situated. Belle Fourche was at one time the capital of a far-flung cattle empire, and for several years it was the greatest primary cattle shipping point in the world. The young town of Belle Fourche, SD served a really immense territory. The railroad had not yet built through to the coast and the nearest railroad to the North was the Northern Pacific, running through the center of North Dakota. One of the largest deposits of bentonite in the world is found along the banks of Middle Creek, a small stream that flows past the Belle Fourche stockyards. Belle Fourche is also considered the center of the nation.