South Dakota
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State flag
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SOUTH DAKOTA,
one of the West North Central states of the U.S., bounded
on the N by North Dakota, on the E by Minnesota and Iowa, on the
S by Nebraska, and on the W by Wyoming and Montana. The Missouri
R. forms part of the SE boundary.
South Dakota entered the Union on Nov. 2, 1889, as the
40th
state. With fertile soils and extensive grazing lands, South Dakota
has always had an economy dominated by farming and ranching. In
the early 1990s tourism and other services were of increasing
importance
to the state; visitors are attracted by the great scenic landscapes and
caverns of the Black Hills. The name Dakota is derived from
a Sioux Indian term. It was first applied to a U.S. territory in
1861, and when North and South Dakota were formed, the people of both
areas chose to keep the name. South Dakota is called the Coyote
State and the Sunshine State.
| SOUTH DAKOTA STATE FACTS |
| DATE OF STATEHOOD: |
November 2, 1889; 40th state |
| CAPITAL: |
Pierre |
| MOTTO: |
Under God the people rule |
| NICKNAMES: |
Coyote State; Sunshine State |
| STATE SONG: |
“Hail, South Dakota” (words and music by Deecort Hammitt) |
| STATE TREE: |
Black Hills spruce |
| STATE FLOWER: |
American pasqueflower |
| STATE BIRD: |
Ring-necked pheasant |
| POPULATION (2000 census): |
754,844; 46th among the states |
| AREA: |
199,745 sq km (77,122 sq mi); 17th largest state; includes 3169 sq km (1224 sq mi) of inland water |
| HIGHEST POINT: |
Harney Peak, 2207 m (7242 ft) |
| LOWEST POINT: |
294 m (966 ft), along the shore of Big Stone Lake |
| ELECTORAL VOTES: |
3 |
| U.S. CONGRESS: |
2 senators; 1 representative |
| GOVERNOR: |
Mike Rounds (Rep.) Took office January 2003 |
South Dakota, with an area of 199,745 sq km (77,122 sq mi),
is the 17th largest state in the U.S.; 5.5% of the land
area is owned by the federal government. The state is roughly rectangular
in shape, and its extreme dimensions are about 395 km (about 245
mi) from N to S and about 610 km (about 379 mi) from E to W. Elevations
range from 294 m (966 ft) at Big Stone Lake in the NE to 2207 m
(7242 ft) atop Harney Peak in the Black Hills. The approximate mean
elevation is 671 m (2200 ft).
The E third of South Dakota lies within the Central Lowland region
of the midwestern U.S. It is an area of rolling glacial plains,
with numerous lakes and ponds. A higher zone, lying between the
James and Big Sioux rivers, is covered with loess, a wind-deposited
silt. The dark, fertile loess soil makes this area the state’s
most productive agricultural region. The Central Lowland is bordered
on the W by an escarpment about 90 to 120 m (about 300 to 400 ft)
high. To the W of the escarpment and incorporating central and W
South Dakota is the Great Plains. The portion of the Great Plains lying
E of the Missouri R. was smoothed by glaciers and resembles the
rolling plains of the Central Lowland. In the portion not affected
by glaciers, to the W, deep valleys of the tributaries of the Missouri
R. interrupt the plains, and flat-topped buttes may rise as much
as 150 m (500 ft) above them. In the extreme W are the Black Hills,
granite peaks that rise almost 1220 m (about 4000 ft) above the
surrounding plains. Encircling the granite core of the Black Hills
are sharp ridges formed of upturned sedimentary rock.
The Missouri R. and its W tributaries—the Grand,
Moreau, Cheyenne, Bad, and White rivers—drain the W and
central parts of the state. Drainage of the E is through the James and
Big Sioux rivers S to the Missouri R., except for the extreme
NE corner, where drainage is to the Red and Minnesota rivers. The
NE abounds in glacial lakes, the largest being Lake Traverse and
Big Stone Lake. The state’s largest lakes, however, are
artificial. The most important of these are Lake Oahe, Lake Francis
Case, and Lewis and Clark Lake, all of which are formed behind dams on
the Missouri R.
A continental climate, with hot summers and harsh
winters,
prevails in South Dakota. The average annual temperature varies
from 5° C (41° F) in the NE to 9.4° C
(49° F) in the SW. The recorded temperature has ranged
from –50° C (–58° F) in 1936
to 48.9° C (120° F), also in 1936. The E half
of the state is relatively humid, but semiarid conditions dominate
in the W. Annual precipitation averages 635 mm (25 in) in the SE and
decreases to 368 mm (14.5 in) in the NW. Three-fourths of the
precipitation
comes in the warm half of the year. The average annual snowfall
in South Dakota is light, but blizzards are frequent in winter.
| SOUTH DAKOTA AVERAGE CLIMATE |
| |
Rapid City |
Sioux Falls |
| Average January temperature range |
–12.2° to 1.1° C |
10° to 34° F |
–15.6° to –3.9° C |
4° to 25° F |
| Average July temperature range |
15° to 30° C |
59° to 86° F |
16.7° to 29.4° C |
62° to 85° F |
| Average annual temperature |
8.3° C |
47° F |
7.2° C |
45° F |
| Average annual precipitation |
432 mm |
17 in |
635 mm |
25 in |
| Average annual snowfall |
991 mm |
39 in |
991 mm |
39 in |
| Mean number of days per year with appreciable precipitation |
97 |
92 |
| Average daily relative humidity |
50% |
70% |
| Mean number of clear days per year |
110 |
105 |
When South Dakota was originally settled, most of the region was
covered by grass, with tall bluestem prairies found in the humid
E, and short-grass steppes, dominated by grama and needlegrass,
found in the dry W. Today, forest covers only approximately 3% of
the state’s land area. Streams are bordered by strips of
deciduous woodlands, mostly cottonwood and willow. The greatest extent
of the forestland in South Dakota, however, is found in the Black
Hills, where the dominant species are pine, spruce, and juniper.
A century ago, great herds of American bison grazed on the
vast prairies of South Dakota; today, a few bison remain in a protected
herd in Custer State Park. White-tailed deer abound in the Black
Hills and in the forested river valleys throughout the state, and
antelope and mule deer are found W of the Missouri R. Common smaller
mammals include coyote, badger, lynx, raccoon, prairie dog, and
jackrabbit. The state is famous for its upland game birds, particularly
the ring-necked pheasant; migrating waterfowl are also numerous.
The Homestake Mine, at Lead in the Black Hills, is one of
North America’s principal gold mines. Other minerals found
in the Black Hills include uranium, copper, lead, and silver. Petroleum
is extracted in the W, and large reserves of lignite coal are found
in the NW. Sand and gravel, granite, and quartzite are quarried
in various parts of the state.
According to the 2000 census, South Dakota had 754,844 inhabitants,
an increase of 8.5% over 1990. The average population density
in 2000 was 9.9 people people per sq mi of land area. Whites made
up 88.7% of the population and blacks 0.6%. In
2000, South Dakota had 62,283 American Indians; the Sioux formed
the largest Indian group in the state. South Dakota also had 4378
Asians and 261 Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islanders. (These
figures do not include the 1.3% of the population who reported
more than one race.) A total of 10,903 persons reported being of
Hispanic background. The state’s largest cities and towns
were Sioux Falls, Rapid City, Aberdeen, Watertown, and Brookings.
Pierre is the capital.
According to the 1990 census, Lutherans made up the single
largest religious group (30.3%), followed by Roman Catholics
(25.7%), Methodists (10.5%), Baptists (6.1%), and Presbyterians (2.9%). In 1990 about 50% of
all people in South Dakota lived in areas defined as rural, and
the rest lived in urban areas. The major area of population concentration
was in the E.
| POPULATION OF SOUTH DAKOTA SINCE 1870 |
| Year of Census |
Population |
Classified As Urban |
| 1870 |
12,000 |
0% |
| 1880 |
98,000 |
7% |
| 1890 |
349,000 |
8% |
| 1900 |
402,000 |
10% |
| 1920 |
637,000 |
16% |
| 1940 |
643,000 |
25% |
| 1960 |
681,000 |
39% |
| 1980 |
691,000 |
46% |
| 1990 |
696,004 |
50% |
| 2000 |
754,844 |
-- |
| POPULATION OF TEN LARGEST CITIES IN SOUTH DAKOTA |
| |
2000 Census |
1990 Census |
| Sioux Falls |
123,975 |
100,814 |
| Rapid City |
59,607 |
54,523 |
| Aberdeen |
24,658 |
24,927 |
| Watertown |
20,237 |
17,592 |
| Brookings |
18,504 |
16,270 |
| Mitchell |
14,558 |
13,798 |
| Pierre |
13,876 |
12,906 |
| Yankton |
13,528 |
12,703 |
| Huron |
11,893 |
12,448 |
| Vermillion |
9,765 |
10,034 |
Because South Dakota encompasses a rugged land with some relatively
unpopulated areas, a statewide system of education was slow to develop.
These conditions also tended to restrict the establishment of cultural
facilities to the state’s major cities.
The first school in South Dakota was built in 1860 in
Bon
Homme Co. In 1862 the territorial government established a school
code and a common school district, and two years later the first
superintendent of public instruction was appointed. In the late
1980s South Dakota had 799 public elementary and secondary schools
with a combined annual enrollment of about 93,600 elementary pupils and
33,700 secondary students. About 8100 students attended private
schools. In the same period South Dakota had 19 institutions of
higher education with a total yearly enrollment of about 32,700
students. Among the most notable of these schools were Yankton College
(1881), in Yankton; Huron University (1883), in Huron; Augustana
College (1860), in Sioux Falls; South Dakota State University (1881),
in Brookings; South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (1885) and
National College (1941), in Rapid City; the University of South
Dakota (1862), in Vermillion; and Dakota Wesleyan University (1885),
in Mitchell.
A number of South Dakota’s museums exhibit art and
artifacts of the state’s Indian groups. These include the
Siouxland Heritage Museums, in Sioux Falls; Dacotah Prairie Museum,
in Aberdeen; Sioux Indian Museum and Crafts Center, in Rapid City;
W. H. Over Museum, at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion; and
the Robinson Museum, in Pierre. Also of note are the Museum of
Geology, which displays rocks and minerals from the Black Hills and
fossils from the Badlands, in Rapid City; the South Dakota Memorial
Art Center, in Brookings; and the Pioneer Auto Museum and Antique
Town, in Murdo.
Many of South Dakota’s historical sites commemorate
early pioneer life. Among these are Prairie Homestead, in Badlands;
Fort Pierre, in Pierre; Fort Yankton, in Yankton; and Prairie Village,
in Madison. The state’s most famous sites, however, are
gigantic sculptures carved out of mountain sides: Mount Rushmore
National Memorial, near Rapid City, and Crazy Horse Memorial, near Custer.
South Dakota’s lakes, hills, and parks offer ample opportunities
for hunting, fishing, hiking, swimming, boating, horseback riding,
golfing, skiing, and snowmobiling. The state’s two major
recreational areas are the Black Hills in the W and the Lake Region
in the NE.
In the early 1990s South Dakota had 37 AM and 47 FM radiobroadcasting
stations and 22 television stations. The state’s first
radio station, WCAT in Rapid City, was licensed in 1922. KELO in
Sioux Falls, South Dakota’s first commercial television
station, began operation in 1953. The Dakota Democrat, the
state’s first newspaper, was initially published in Sioux
Falls in 1859. In the early 1990s South Dakota had 12 daily newspapers
with a combined daily circulation of about 168,000. Influential
dailies included the Argus Leader, in Sioux Falls, and the Rapid City Journal, in Rapid City.
South Dakota is governed under its original constitution adopted
in 1889, as amended. An amendment to the constitution may be proposed
by the state legislature, by initiative, or by a constitutional
convention. To become effective, an amendment must be approved by
a majority of the persons voting on the issue in an election.
The chief executive of South Dakota is a governor, who is
popularly elected to a 4-year term and is limited to a maximum of
two consecutive terms. The same regulations apply to the lieutenant
governor, who succeeds the governor should the latter resign, die,
or be removed from office. Other elected officials include the secretary
of state, attorney general, treasurer, auditor, and commissioner
of school and public lands.
The bicameral South Dakota legislature is made up of a senate and a house of representatives. The 35 members of the senate and
70 members of the house are elected to 2-year terms.
South Dakota’s highest tribunal, the supreme court,
is made up of five justices. The major trial courts are the circuit
courts, which have a total of 36 judges. Supreme court justices are
initially appointed by the governor and subsequently run for retention
to 8-year terms; circuit court judges are elected to 8-year terms
by nonpartisan ballot.
In the early 1990s South Dakota had 66 counties, typically governed
by an elected board of three or five commissioners. Most of the
state’s cities employed the mayor-council form of government.
South Dakota elects two senators and one representative to the
U.S. Congress. The state has three electoral votes in presidential
elections.
In both state and national elections South Dakota has
traditionally been a Republican stronghold, but there have been
exceptions; a liberal Democrat, George S. McGovern, represented the
state in the U.S. Senate from 1963 to 1981. As the Democratic candidate
for president in 1972, McGovern failed to carry his own state, which
has rarely strayed from the Republican fold in presidential elections.
Another Democrat, Thomas A. (Tom) Daschle (1947- ), became a U.S.
senator in 1986 and Senate minority leader in 1999. Two years later he
became majority leader when Vermont Senator James M. (Jim) Jeffords
(1934- ) left the Republican party to become an independent, tipping
the balance in the Senate to the Democrats. Daschle was demoted to
minority leader again after Republicans gained control of the Senate in
the November 2002 election.
Since the area’s early settlement in the mid-19th
century, South Dakota’s economy has been based on cultivating
the fertile soils in the E and ranching on the abundant grazing
lands of the W. Mining first became important in the 1870s with
the discovery of the Homestake Lode in the Black Hills. Although
manufacturing has increased in importance, it is largely dominated
by the processing of primary products, such as foodstuffs and lumber.
Tourism and other service industries, transportation, and commerce
also play important parts in the state’s economy.
| SOUTH DAKOTA STATE ECONOMY (early 1990s) |
| STATE BUDGET |
| General revenue |
$1.3 billion |
| General expenditure |
$1.3 billion |
| Accumulated debt |
$1.8 billion |
 |
| STATE AND LOCAL TAXES, PER CAPITA |
$1447 |
| PERSONAL INCOME, PER CAPITA |
$10,661 |
| POPULATION BELOW POVERTY LEVEL |
15.9% |
| ASSETS, INSURED COMMERCIAL BANKS (129) |
$20.1 billion |
|
| LABOR FORCE (CIVILIAN NONFARM) |
275,000 |
| Employed in wholesale and retail trade |
27% |
| Employed in services |
24% |
| Employed in government |
22% |
| Employed in manufacturing |
12% |
|
| MAJOR INDUSTRIES |
% CONTRIBUTED TO GSP* |
| Commercial, financial, and professional services |
49% |
| Agriculture, forestry, and fisheries |
14% |
| Manufacturing and construction |
14% |
| Government |
13% |
| Transportation, communications, and public utilities |
9% |
| Mining |
1% |
Gross State Product = total value of goods and services produced in a year.
Sources: U.S. government publications |
| PRINCIPAL PRODUCTS OF SOUTH DAKOTA (early 1990s) |
| |
Quantity Produced |
Value |
| FARM PRODUCTS |
|
$3.9 billion |
|
| CROPS |
|
$1.6 billion |
| Corn |
5.9 million metric tons |
$468 million |
| Hay |
5.7 million metric tons |
$394 million |
| Wheat |
3.5 million metric tons |
$327 million |
| Soybeans |
1.5 million metric tons |
$304 million |
| Oats |
772,000 metric tons |
$56 million |
|
| LIVESTOCK AND LIVESTOCK PRODUCTS |
|
$2.3 billion |
| Cattle |
808,000 metric tons |
$1.6 billion |
| Hogs |
342,000 metric tons |
$410 million |
| Milk |
772,000 metric tons |
$223 million |
| Sheep, lambs |
25,000 metric tons |
$27 million |
|
| MINERALS |
|
$317 million |
| Gold |
16,100 kg |
$198 million |
| Stone |
3.5 million metric tons |
$32 million |
| Petroleum |
1.6 million barrels |
$28 million |
| Sand, gravel |
5.8 million metric tons |
$21 million |
| Natural gas |
124 million cu m |
$5 million |
|
| |
|
Annual Payroll |
| MANUFACTURING |
|
$560 million |
| Food and kindred products |
|
$131 million |
| Industrial machinery and equipment |
|
$97 million |
| Electronic equipment |
|
$54 million |
| Printing and publishing |
|
$41 million |
| Lumber and wood products |
|
$32 million |
| Instruments and related products |
|
$27 million |
| Transportation equipment |
|
$23 million |
| Fabricated metal products |
|
$23 million |
| Rubber and plastics products |
|
$22 million |
| Stone, clay, and glass products |
|
$19 million |
|
| OTHER |
|
$3.8 billion |
| Government |
|
$1.2 billion |
| Services |
|
$900 million |
| Retail trade |
|
$487 million |
| Wholesale trade |
|
$303 million |
| Finance,insurance, and real estate |
|
$292 million |
| Transportation, communications, and public utilities |
|
$280 million |
| Construction |
|
$181 million |
| Sources: U.S. government publications |
Farming accounts for 13% of the annual gross state
product. South Dakota has some 35,000 farms, which average 511 ha
(1263 acres) in size. About 59% of the state’s
yearly farm income is derived from sales of livestock and livestock
products. Beef cattle, hogs, milk, and sheep and lambs account for
almost all the total. Cattle and sheep are raised primarily in the
W. Hog raising is concentrated in the SE, and dairy farming is important
in the E.
Crops account for 41% of South Dakota’s
annual agricultural income; the main crops are corn, wheat, and
hay (alfalfa). South Dakota leads the nation in the production of
oats and rye. Most of the crops are grown in the E half of the state.
Although forests cover only about 3% of South Dakota’s
land area, forestry is a significant industry in the state, employing
about 1300 people and producing wood for lumber, pulp, and posts.
The annual value of wood production exceeds $100 million.
Commercial timber reserves are concentrated in the Black Hills.
Ponderosa pine makes up about 94% of the net volume of
growing stock; cottonwood is the next most important commercial
species.
The mining industry accounts for 1% of the annual
gross state product in South Dakota. One of the nation’s
largest gold mines, the Homestake, is located in Lead; sand and
gravel deposits are worked in all parts of the state. Stone production
is greatest at Milbank, where granite is quarried. Petroleum has
been extracted in the W counties since the 1950s. Of several uranium
deposits in the W, the most important is at Edgemont.
Enterprises engaged in manufacturing account for 10% of
the annual gross state product in South Dakota and employ about
32,000 workers. The leading industry is the manufacture of food
products. Other major manufactures include industrial machinery,
lumber and wood products, electronic goods, metal items, precision
instruments, and transportation equipment. Printing and publishing
are also important. Sioux Falls is the state’s major industrial
center. Manufacturing activity is also significant in Rapid City,
Aberdeen, Watertown, Huron, Brookings, Mitchell, and Yankton.
Each year several million visitors spend at least $380
million in South Dakota. After agriculture, tourism is the most
important source of income for the private sector. Tourism is most
developed in the Black Hills, which offer beautiful scenery, Wind
Cave National Park, Badlands National Park, Jewel Cave National
Monument, and the historic mining town of Deadwood. Mount Rushmore National
Memorial, also located in the Black Hills region, is South Dakota’s
leading tourist attraction. In addition, South Dakota maintains
a statewide system of 41 parks and recreation areas.
South Dakota has a well-developed transportation system. The
state is served by about 120,210 km (about 74,695 mi) of federal,
state, and local roads, including 1093 km (679 mi) of interstate
highways that cross the state from E to W and (in the E section)
from N to S. As in many states, railroad service has declined since
the 1940s. South Dakota now has a network of about 1905 km (about 1185
mi) of Class I railroad track. The state has no passenger railroad
service. South Dakota has 150 airports and 8 heliports. Joe Foss
Field in Sioux Falls is the busiest airport in the state.
Electricity generating plants in South Dakota have a total
capacity of about 2.7 million kw and produce some 6.4 billion kwh
of electricity each year. More than 60% of the state’s electricity
is produced by waterpower. The four large dams on the Missouri R.
in the state generate most of the total. Thermal coal-burning plants
generate almost all the rest of the electricity. Natural gas and
petroleum for energy are limited to cities in the E and W edges
of the state.
The first authenticated European exploration of the region
comprising present-day South Dakota was made by François
(1715-94) and Louis Joseph (1717–61) de La VÉrendrye,
sons of the French Canadian explorer Pierre Gaultier de Verennes,
sieur de La VÉrendrye, in 1743. A lead marker designating
the region as a French possession was planted on the site of present-day
Fort Pierre. Toward the end of the 1700s the region was visited
by fur trappers and traders working on the Missouri River. In 1803
territory now occupied by the Dakotas became part of the U.S. as
a result of the Louisiana Purchase. The Lewis and Clark expedition
passed through the region in 1804 and in 1806.
The first permanent settlement in South Dakota was established
in 1817 opposite the site of modern Pierre. In 1832, Fort Pierre
Chouteau was constructed by the American Fur Co. of the German-American
merchant John Jacob Astor, which also operated steamboats on the
Missouri River. In 1855 the company sold the fort to the federal
government. In 1849 the region east of the Missouri River became
part of the territory of Minnesota, and in 1854 the region west
of the river became part of the territory of Nebraska. In 1861 the
entire region, including present-day Wyoming, Montana, and a part
of eastern Idaho, was established as the territory of Dakota, with
Yankton as the capital. Settlement of the region was slow until
1874, when gold was found in the Black Hills, in the great Sioux
Indian reservation, and large numbers of whites began to flock to
the region, hoping to strike it rich. The federal government halted
the settlers and tried to keep them out of the Black Hills until
an agreement could be reached with the Sioux.
In 1875, after the refusal of the Indians to cede their land,
the government made no further attempts to stop the gold seekers.
In 1876 other gold lodes were discovered, including the famous Homestake
Lode at the Homestake Mine, near Lead, in the southwestern part
of the state. The Great Dakota Boom, a period of rapid settlement,
occurred between 1879 and 1886. A statehood movement began, and
in 1889 the Dakotas were separated. On Nov. 2, 1889 South Dakota
was admitted to the Union as a state; Pierre was made the capital.
The Sioux Indians ceded parts of their reservation west of the Missouri, which
were opened for settlement in 1890.
Beset by repeated and long-lasting droughts, South Dakota’s
farming economy suffered greatly during the next few decades. The
problem was alleviated in the 1940s by the construction of massive
dam projects on the Missouri River. Four artificial lakes provided
flood control, irrigation, hydroelectric power, and the start of a
flourishing tourist industry. With increased farm mechanization
came unemployment, however, and many young people left the state.
To reverse this trend, dozens of community development groups were
formed in the 1960s to attract new industry. As the 1990s began,
state leaders were confident that favorable tax laws and plentiful
water would continue to stimulate the economy, although poverty
on South Dakota’s Indian reservations remained a chronic
problem. The state’s agricultural economy suffered a setback
with the severe flooding of the Missouri and other rivers of the
Midwest in 1993.