The
D.C. Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery in Spearfish, South Dakota is a fun, free place for kids to visit. It's conveniently located next to
City Park, which has a large wooden playground and creek access. To visit the Fish Hatchery, you'll park at the City Park and then cross a bridge over Spearfish Creek.
The Fish Hatchery has several ponds and two hiking trails. The trails offer scenic overlooks of the grounds and take you to historic sites such as reservoirs and the mort pit.
The Fish Hatchery displays the only federal fisheries railcar exhibit in the country, showcasing a replica of Fish Car No. 3. It's from a time when railcars were needed to quickly move fish from hatcheries to lakes and rivers around the country.
It was fun to see someone portraying D.C. Booth who was strolling the grounds. He asked my boys to help him feed the fish and gave them tokens to exchange for fish food.
