Sioux Indians lived in the Black Hills before white settlers arrived there. Prospectors founded Rapid City in 1876, during the Black Hills gold rush. They named it after Rapid Creek, which flows through the city. In 1972, Rapid Creek overflowed. Other projects included a civic center, opened in 1977 and expanded in 1985, and the Rushmore Mall, a shopping mall completed in 1978.
Rapid City has a mayor-council form of government.
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