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Hot Springs National Cemetery
VA Medical Center
Hot Springs, SD 57747
Phone: (605) 347-3830
FAX: (605) 720-7298
To schedule burials: See General Information
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Office Hours:
Contact Black Hills National Cemetery
Monday thru Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Closed federal holidays.
Visitation Hours:
Open daily from sunrise to sunset.
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Burial Space: This cemetery is closed to new interments. However, space may be available in the same gravesite for eligible family members.
Acreage: 8.7
Number of Interments
Thru Fiscal Year 2007: 1,484
General Information Kiosk on Site? No
Floral/Ground Regulations
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Directions from nearest airport:
From Rapid City Regional Airport, travel State Highway 44 West nine miles to Rapid City. Then travel south on state Highway 79 for 52 miles to junction of 79 and 385. Turn right on Highway 385 and travel five miles to Hot Springs. Turn right on fifth Street and travel 10 blocks to the VA Medical Center. Take first right beyond the main parking lot into the cemetery.
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GENERAL INFORMATION
To schedule a burial: Fax all discharge documentation to the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 1-866-900-6417 and follow-up with a phone call to 1-800-535-1117.
This cemetery is managed by the Director of the Black Hills National Cemetery, 20901 Pleasant Valley Drive, Sturgis, S.D.
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HISTORICAL INFORMATION
Hot Springs National Cemetery is located in Fall River County, S.D., on the northeast edge of Hot Springs, S.D.
In 1902, a National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers was approved for the Hot Springs area and construction was completed in 1907. The home was originally named the Battle Mountain Sanitarium after a nearby mountain peak. The cemetery was established for the interment of veterans who died while residing at the home. In 1930, the home became part of the Veterans Administration and, in 1973, the cemetery was one of 21 cemeteries transferred to what was then known as the National Cemetery System.
Hot Springs National Cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.
Monuments and Memorials
The Battle Mountain Monument is a 32-foot tall obelisk tower situated on the cemetery’s highest point. The monument was dedicated in 1914 in memory of the men who gave their lives in defense of the country.
The Squire Monument is a granite block memorial erected in 1940 to honor Army Chaplain Guy P. Squire. He served in the Spanish-American War and World War I, and later served as chaplain at the Hot Springs VA Medical Facility. The monument was erected by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, District 10.
Bivouac of the Dead erected 2004.
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NOTABLE PERSONS
Medal of Honor Recipients
Lieutenant Charles Russell, (Civil War), Company H, 93rd New York Infantry. Spotsylvania, Va., May 12, 1864 (Section 3, Row 1, Grave 12).
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FLORAL/GROUNDS REGULATIONS
Natural cut flowers may be placed on graves at any time of the year. They will be removed when they become unsightly or when it becomes necessary to facilitate cemetery operations.
Artificial flowers and potted plants will be permitted on graves during periods when their presence will not interfere with grounds maintenance. As a general rule, holiday decorations and potted plants will be allowed on graves for a period extending 10 days before through 10 days after Easter Sunday and Memorial Day. Artificial flowers are allowed on graves starting on the 2nd Saturday in October and must be removed by the 2nd Sunday in April.
Christmas wreaths, grave blankets and other seasonal adornments may be placed on graves from Dec. 1 through Jan. 20. They may not be secured to headstones or markers.
Permanent plantings, statues, vigil lights, breakable objects and similar items are not permitted on the graves. The Department of Veterans Affairs does not permit adornments that are considered offensive, inconsistent with the dignity of the cemetery or considered hazardous to cemetery personnel. For example, items incorporating beads or wires may become entangled in mowers or other equipment and cause injury.
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