It covers Mount Rushmore, the Black Hills, the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, and the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.
The newspaper also publishes two special supplements: the Sturgis Rally Daily, which is published during the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally; and Compass, which is the weekly shoppers tab.
Publisher Joseph P. Gossage produced the first edition of the Black Hills Journal, which was four pages and had 250 subscribers.
It has acted as a historical record for western South Dakota, covering major events like the 1972 Black Hills flood, the annual Buffalo Roundup and auction in Custer State Park, Crazy Horse Memorial's annual volksmarch, and the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.
Starting June 13, 2023, the print edition of the newspaper will be reduced to three days a week: Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.