Exhibit 31.1

               CERTIFICATION OF CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER PURSUANT
                          TO RULE 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a)

I, R. Richard Bastian, III, certify that:

1. I have reviewed this quarterly report on Form 10-QSB for the quarter ended
September 30, 2003 of Blackhawk Bancorp, Inc.;

2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a
material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements
made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not
misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial
information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the
financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the small business
issuer as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

4. The small business issuer's other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible
for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined
in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for the small business issuer and
have:

a)  Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such  disclosure
    controls and  procedures to  be designed  under our  supervision, to  ensure
    that material information relating  to the small business issuer,  including
    its consolidated subsidiaries,  is made known to  us by others within  those
    entities, particularly  during the  period  in which  this report  is  being
    prepared;

b)  Evaluated  the  effectiveness of  the  small  business  issuer's  disclosure
    controls and procedures and  presented in this report our conclusions  about
    the effectiveness of the disclosure  controls and procedures, as of the  end
    of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

c)  Disclosed in this report any change in the small business issuer's  internal
    control over  financial reporting that  occurred during  the small  business
    issuer's most  recent fiscal  quarter (the  small business  issuer's  fourth
    fiscal  quarter in  the  case  of an  annual  report)  that  has  materially
    affected, or is reasonably  likely to materially affect, the small  business
    issuer's internal control over financial reporting; and

5. The small business issuer's other certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed,
based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial
reporting, to the small business issuer's auditors and the audit committee of
the small business issuer's board of directors (or persons performing the
equivalent functions):

a) All  significant  deficiencies  and material  weaknesses  in  the  design  or
   operation of internal  control over financial reporting which are  reasonably
   likely  to adversely affect  the small business  issuer's ability to  record,
   process, summarize and report financial information; and

b) Any  fraud,  whether or  not  material,  that involves  management  or  other
   employees  who  have  a  significant role  in  the  small  business  issuer's
   internal control over financial reporting.

Date: November 7, 2003

                                                      /s/R. Richard Bastian, III
                                           -------------------------------------
                                                         R. Richard Bastian, III
                                           President and Chief Executive Officer