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Veteran-Owned Heavy Civil Contractor

Excavation & Site Work Contractors Serving Western South Dakota

Black River Contracting provides excavation, grading, utility, and long-reach services for commercial, residential, and infrastructure projects across Western South Dakota.

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Call (605) 600-6045

Built for the ground we work

Excavation, grading, utility, and long-reach services for commercial, residential, agricultural, and infrastructure projects across Western South Dakota.
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Black River Cat 309 excavator with a thumb attachment at work on a jobsite

Mission-driven. Locally rooted. Built to perform.

  • Veteran-Owned & Operated (SDVOSB)

    Mission-driven company culture focused on discipline, accountability, and jobsite professionalism.

  • Modern Equipment

    Well-maintained heavy equipment and specialty long-reach assets to handle complex work efficiently.

  • Right-Sized Crews

    Lean crews, direct communication, and fast mobilization without big-company drag.

  • Regional Focus

    Built for Western South Dakota conditions, soil, weather, and logistics.

Two Black River crew members at the company booth at a career fair

From a classroom to the field

Sam Crittenden and Ethan Peterson first met in an explosives engineering class at South Dakota School of Mines & Technology. In 2020 they founded Black River, starting with farm and ranch work and a single long-reach excavator that could reach silted-in ponds and drainages conventional machines couldn't.

Today Black River is a full-service civil operation with an in-house repair shop and an office team, still run by the people who built it.

Meet the team

What our customers say

The Black River crew on a creek restoration jobsite

  • Estimated costs are spot on.

    They have cleaned stock dams for me for 2 years now. Sam and Ethan are clean and efficient. Estimated costs are spot on. Small price to pay for Increased water capacity and mitigated drought issues.

    Moritz Espy

  • Very professional, very skilled.

    Sam came out and cut a slope and filled/prepped my site for a large shop, very professional, very skilled. 10/10 would recommend!!

    Brian Bormes

  • Ethan and his crew are amazing to work with.

    Ethan and his crew are amazing to work with. They upgraded one of our properties septic system and had a very fast turnaround. Fair pricing and we will continue to give them business for years to come!

    Jordan

  • I would absolutely use them again.

    Sam and the crew were great! Professional Veteran owned business, they were quick and easy to work with throughout the process. Willing to do a small project on time at a fair price. I would absolutely use them again.

    Christopher Van Delist

  • They did a phenomenal job for us.

    They did a phenomenal job for us. They were on time, worked hard, did the job correctly, and finished in very reasonable time. I would highly recommend them!!

    Jim Pardee

  • You were a huge blessing to Teri in her time of need.

    We as a church (Hills View Evangelical Free in Piedmont) want to extend a HUGE thank you to Sam Crittenden at Black River Contracting for donating his time, expertise and excavating equipment in removing a mobile home in Piedmont that was severely damaged in the windstorm back on December 18th. The owner of the home did not have the financial ability to cover the costs of tearing down and removal of the house to the landfill. Sam was professional, wise, and invested his entire day (and part of the following Monday) in clearing the house, the debris and surrounding site – to prepare the way for the next mobile home for Teri this spring. He also had one of his employees cut up the mobile home trailer frame so it could be easily removed from the site at the end of the night. On behalf of the body here at Hills View – Thank you Black River Contracting! You were a huge blessing to Teri in her time of need.

    Wes RothHills View Evangelical Free Church, Piedmont

Proudly serving Western South Dakota

Based in Summerset and working across the Black Hills region. We know the terrain, soil, and logistics here, and we don't send in outside crews.
  • Rapid City
  • Spearfish
  • Sturgis
  • Deadwood
  • Hot Springs
  • & surrounding areas

Ready to break ground?

Every site is different. We'll walk it with you and give you a straight answer, with a clear scope and an honest estimate.

Request a quote(605) 600-6045