Belle Fourche sits north of the Black Hills, where cattle country begins to feel larger and drier than the tourist towns around Deadwood and Custer. Its name is French for "beautiful fork," a nod to the rivers that helped make this a ranching and railroad town.
Most travellers stop because Belle Fourche claims the ceremonial Center of the Nation Monument, marking the geographic centre of the 50 United States. The actual survey point is on private land some distance away, but the town's monument is accessible, photogenic, and refreshingly honest about the distinction.
Do not expect a full Black Hills resort town. Belle Fourche is more useful and understated: a rodeo town, a supply stop, and a good northern gateway if you are looping between Sturgis, Spearfish, Devils Tower, and the open ranchland beyond South Dakota's western edge.