Spearfish (Lakota: Hočhápȟe[5]) is a city in Lawrence County, South Dakota, United States.

[6] Spearfish is the largest city in Lawrence County and the home of Black Hills State University.

Even today, a significant amount of truck farming and market gardening still occurs in the vicinity.

In 1887, the accepted history of gold mining in the Black Hills was thrown into question by the discovery of what has become known as the Thoen Stone.

[8] Discovered by Louis Thoen on Lookout Mountain, the stone purports to be the last testament of Ezra Kind who, along with six others, entered the Black Hills in 1833, "got all the gold we could carry" in June 1834, and were subsequently "killed by Indians beyond the high hill."

Architect Frank Lloyd Wright, who visited Spearfish Canyon in 1935, later called the area "unique and unparalleled elsewhere in our country," and wondered, "How is it that I've heard so little of this miracle and we, toward the Atlantic, have heard so much of the Grand Canyon when this is even more miraculous?

It runs roughly south to north through the center of town (parallel to Canyon Street), year round.

This unusual phenomenon occurs due to the very fast rate at which the creek flows.

This speed prevents ice from forming except along the bottom of the creek bed where friction and turbulence allow the water to slow down long enough to freeze.

Since the creek continues to flow atop this ice, the water level of the creek gradually rises as more ice accumulates on the bottom, in some cases causing flooding on the north side of town where the channel is not as deep.

[16][17][18] The sudden change in temperatures caused glass windows to crack and windshields to instantly frost over.

Founded as Spearfish Normal School in 1883, it is still largely a teacher training institution, although its mission has expanded far beyond to include masters programs in Integrative Genomics and Business Administration.

It also hosts a summer arts institute, with Spearfish native and international opera star Johanna Meier (daughter of the Black Hills Passion Play founder Joseph Meier) serving as Artistic Director.

[23] Spearfish is the headquarters and hometown of two bus and coach transport services, Dakota Trailways and Prairie Hills Transit.