FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2010

CONTACT: Wanda Goodman, (605) 773-3301, wanda.goodman@state.sd.us

South Dakota’s Great Faces: DeWitt Booth

PIERRE, S.D. – Dewitt Clinton (D.C.) Booth arrived in Spearfish, S. D., in July 1899, as the youngest superintendent in the U.S. Fishery Corps. During his 40 years of government service, Booth established the historic D.C. Booth Fish Hatchery in Spearfish, as well as hatcheries in other states and foreign countries, making him one of South Dakota’s great faces.

Booth was born Aug. 5, 1893, and received his education from Colgate University in New York. He was the first Federal Fisheries Civil Service Employee and started his career at Cape Vincent, N.Y., and continued with assignments at Woods Hole, Mass., and Leadville, Colo., before moving to Spearfish.

While under primitive conditions at Spearfish, Booth established the Yellowstone hatchery in Yellowstone National Park. Booth harvested, shipped and stocked millions of eggs from the Yellowstone stocks and introduced new species of trout to South Dakota over a 10-year period. He fought for new programs throughout his career, tried new ideas, trained culturists and expanded fishing opportunities.

Booth retired from the hatchery in 1933. A home built by Booth still stands on the grounds. The D.C. Booth History Fish Hatchery is open from mid-May to mid-September, and no fee is required to tour the hatchery.   

South Dakota’s Great Faces weekly press release series is a project of the South Dakota Office of Tourism, designed to highlight those who have had a significant impact on South Dakota, particularly within the visitor industry. Click on the special “South Dakota’s Great Faces” link at www.MediaSD.com to access the complete list of articles. 

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Media Notes:

• Information for this release was obtained from the South Dakota Hall of Fame.