# The New International Encyclopædia/South Dakota

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​ SOUTH DAKO′TA. Popularly called the ‘Coyote State.’ A north central State of the United States, lying on either side of the middle Missouri, between latitudes 42° 28′ and 45° 57′ north and between longitudes 90° 26′ and 104° 3′ west. It is bounded on the north by North Dakota, on the east by Minnesota and Iowa, on the south by Nebraska, and on the west by Wyoming and Montana. With the exception of an irregular salient angle in the southeast between the Missouri and Big Sioux Rivers, and a reëntering angle in the northeast formed by Lakes Bigstone and Traverse, the boundaries of the State are straight lines running along meridians and parallels, and forming a rectangle 200 miles wide and 380 miles long. The area is 77,650 square miles, of which 76,850 square miles, or 49,184,000 acres, are land surface. South Dakota ranks twelfth in size among the States.
Topography. The State lies within the region of the Great Plains, and, broadly considered, consists of a rolling upland plain sloping gradually from an altitude of 3500 feet in the west to about 1400 feet in the southeast. The entire State lies above 1000 feet, with the exception of a very narrow belt along the shores of Lakes Bigstone and Traverse in the extreme northeastern corner. The eastern half is smooth, with the broad, gently sloping valley of the James River traversing it from north to south. In the western half denudation by running water has been very active compared with atmospheric erosion, so that numerous buttes and ridges remain to show the former level of the plateau. In the southwestern part the effect of denudation is especially shown in the remarkable region known as the Bad Lands. They consist of a labyrinth of deep ravines, steep hills, and precipitous bluffs of white clay carved out by rapid erosion, and are in parts almost destitute of vegetation. The most prominent diversifying feature of the State, however, is the elliptical, dome-like uplift of the Black Hills, rising near the western boundary between the two forks of the Cheyenne River, and covering about 5000 square miles. The highest point is Harney Peak, with an altitude of 7216 feet.
* COPYRIGHT, 1891 AND 1903, BY DODD, MEAD & COMPANY.
AREA AND POPULATION OF SOUTH DAKOTA BY COUNTIES.
Population. :
| County | Map Index. | County Seat. | Area in square miles. | 1890. | 1900. |
| *Armstrong | D 5 | ... | 1,460 | ..... | ..... |
| Aurora | G 6 | Plankinton | 724 | 5,045 | 1,011 |
| Beadle | G 5 | Huron | 1,270 | 9,586 | 8,081 |
| Bonhomme | H 7 | Tyndall | 569 | 9,057 | 10,379 |
| *Boreman | D 4 | ... | 1,231 | ..... | ..... |
| Brookings | J 5 | Brookings | 817 | 10,132 | 12,561 |
| Brown | G 4 | Aberdeen | 1,745 | 16,855 | 15,286 |
| Brule | F 6 | Chamberlain | 808 | 6,737 | 5,401 |
| Buffalo | F 5 | Gannvalley | 483 | 993 | 1,790 |
| Butte | B 5 | Bellefourche | 7,834 | 1,037 | 2,907 |
| Campbell | E 4 | Mound City | 765 | 3,510 | 4,527 |
| Charles Mix | G 6 | Wheeler | 1,123 | 4,178 | 8,498 |
| Choteau | .... | Now belongs to Butte Co. | ..... | 8 | ..... |
| Clark | H 5 | Clark | 973 | 6,728 | 6,942 |
| Clay | H 7 | Vermilion | 408 | 7,509 | 9,316 |
| Codington | H 4 | Watertown | 786 | 7,037 | 8,770 |
| Custer | B 6 | Custer | 1,612 | 4,891 | 2,728 |
| Davison | G 6 | Mitchell | 486 | 5,449 | 7,483 |
| Day | H 4 | Webster | 1,077 | 9,168 | 12,254 |
| Deuel | J 5 | Clearlake | 621 | 4,574 | 6,656 |
| *Dewey | D 4 | ... | 2,219 | ..... | ..... |
| Douglas | G 6 | Armour | 445 | 4,600 | 5,012 |
| Edmunds | F 4 | Ipswich | 1,176 | 4,399 | 4,916 |
| Ewing | .... | Now belongs to Butte Co. | ..... | 16 | ..... |
| Fall River | B 6 | Hot Springs | 1,757 | 4,478 | 3,541 |
| Faulk | F 4 | Faulkton | 1,010 | 4,062 | 3,547 |
| Grant | J 4 | Millbank | 694 | 6,814 | 9,103 |
| Gregory | F 6 | Fairfax | 1,004 | 295 | 2,211 |
| Hamlin | H 5 | Castlewood | 543 | 4,625 | 5,945 |
| Hand | F 5 | Miller | 1,418 | 6,546 | 4,525 |
| Hanson | H 6 | Alexandria | 486 | 4,267 | 4,947 |
| Hughes | E 5 | Pierre | 765 | 5,044 | 3,684 |
| Hutchinson | H 6 | Olivet | 817 | 10,469 | 11,897 |
| Hyde | F 5 | Highmore | 875 | 1,860 | 1,492 |
| *Jackson | D 6 | ... | ... | 30 | ..... |
| Jerauld | G 5 | Wessington Springs | 548 | 3,605 | 2,798 |
| Kingsbury | H 5 | Desmet | 834 | 8,562 | 9,866 |
| Lake | H 5 | Madison | 549 | 7,508 | 9,137 |
| Lawrence | B 5 | Deadwood | 814 | 11,673 | 17,897 |
| Lincoln | J 6 | Canton | 579 | 9,143 | 12,161 |
| *Lugenbeel | D 6 | ... | 1,066 | ..... | ..... |
| Lyman | F 6 | Oacoma | 3,456 | 233 | 2,632 |
| McCook | H 6 | Salem | 575 | 6,448 | 8,682 |
| McPherson | F 4 | Leola | 1,146 | 5,940 | 6,327 |
| Marshall | H 4 | Britton | 880 | 4,544 | 5,942 |
| Meade | B 5 | Sturgis | 3,003 | 4,640 | 4,907 |
| *Meyer | E 6 | ... | 1,407 | ..... | ..... |
| Miner | H 6 | Howard | 569 | 5,165 | 5,864 |
| Minnehaha | J 6 | Sioux Falls | 802 | 21,879 | 23,926 |
| Moody | J 6 | Flandreau | 517 | 5,941 | 8,326 |
| Pennington | B 5 | Rapid City | 2,596 | 6,540 | 5,610 |
| Potter | E 4 | Gettysburg | 900 | 2,910 | 2,988 |
| *Pratt | .... | ... | ..... | 23 | ..... |
| Presho | .... | ... | ..... | 181 | ..... |
| *Pratt | .... | ... | ..... | 34 | ..... |
| Roberts | J 4 | Sisseton Agency | 1,102 | 1,997 | 12,216 |
| Sanborn | G 5 | Woonsocket | 576 | 4,610 | 4,464 |
| Schnasse | D 4 | ... | 1,563 | ..... | ..... |
| *Shannon | C 6 | ... | 1,066 | ..... | ..... |
| Spink | C 5 | Redfield | 1,518 | 10,581 | 9,487 |
| Stanley | E 5 | Fort Pierre | 4,882 | 1,028 | 1,319 |
| *Sterling | D 5 | ... | ..... | 96 | ..... |
| Sully | E 5 | Onida | 1,052 | 2,412 | 1,715 |
| Todd | .... | ... | ..... | 188 | ..... |
| *Tripp | E 6 | ... | 1,480 | ..... | ..... |
| Turner | H 6 | Parker | 624 | 10,256 | 13,175 |
| Union | J 7 | Elkpoint | 447 | 9,130 | 11,163 |
| Walworth | E 4 | Bangor | 745 | 2,153 | 3,839 |
| *Washabaugh | .... | ... | 1,228 | ..... | ..... |
| *Washington | C 6 | ... | 1,540 | 40 | ..... |
| Yankton | H 7 | Yankton | 515 | 10,414 | 12,649 |
| Ziebach | C 5 | ... | .... | 510 | ..... |
| Cheyenne River Indian reservation | D 4 | ... | .... | ..... | 2,357 |
| Pine Ridge Indian reservation | C 6 | ... | .... | ..... | 6,827 |
| Rosebud Indian reservation | E 6 | ... | .... | ..... | 5,201 |
| Standing Rock Indian reservation | D 3 | ... | .... | ..... | 1,658 |
*Counties as yet not fully organized; parts of Indian reservations.
​ Hydrography. The Missouri River traverses the State in a winding course from the middle of the northern boundary to the southeastern corner, forming for some distance a part of the southern boundary. Its valley is comparatively narrow, and rises in terraces (which are more abrupt on the eastern bank) to the general level of the plain, which lies 200 to 300 feet above the stream. The western tributaries, chief of which are the Grand, Moreau, Big Cheyenne, and White Rivers, flow nearly due east in similar narrow terraced valleys. On the other hand, the two eastern tributaries, the James and the Big Sioux, flow southward parallel with the main stream, and their valleys are broad and gently sloping. In the eastern half of the State there are numerous glacial lakes, none of which, however, are of great size except the above mentioned Lakes Bigstone and Traverse on the northeastern boundary.
Climate, Soil, and Vegetation. South Dakota, occupying almost the very centre of the continent, has, of course, a continental climate with great extremes of temperature. The mean annual temperature is 44.3° F. The mean for January is 15° and for July 72.2°, while the absolute extremes may rise to more than 115° above or fall to more than 40° below zero. But the heat of summer and the cold of winter are much more endurable than the more moderate temperatures of the Eastern States, owing to the dryness of the atmosphere, which renders the climate bracing and pleasant. The winter is often tempered by the dry and warm chinooks, but occasionally, though fortunately not often, the State is visited by blizzards—severe northern gales laden with fine floating snow. The snowfall is less than that of New York or New England. The average annual rainfall for the State is 20 inches, being 30 to 40 inches in the eastern third, 20 to 30 inches in ​the centre, and 15 to 20 inches in the west, where it is insufficient for agriculture. The other parts of the State also suffer occasionally from drought. The soil in the greater part of the State is of excellent quality, and when sufficiently watered is rendered highly productive. In the east there is a subsoil of glacial till covered with a dark alluvial loam rich in nitrogen and again covered with many inches of black vegetable mold. A large part of the west has also a fine alluvial soil, but large areas here are stony and barren. The bottomlands of the Missouri and the terraced floors of its valley are very fertile. The State is as a whole a treeless prairie country. Forests are found only in the Black Hills above an altitude of 4000 feet, where there is a good growth of pine. Here and there along the river valleys there are more or less extensive groves of cottonwood, ash, elm, and maple.
Geology. Although the geological structure of the State is nearly homogeneous over the greater part of its area, there is nevertheless found represented every age from the Archæan to the Pleistocene except the Devonian. There are two Archæan nuclei, one in the east and one in the west. The former is a broad tongue of Sioux quartzite belonging to the Huronian system and extending westward to the James River from the neighborhood of Sioux Falls. To the north near Bigstone Lake is a smaller area of Laurentian granite. In the centre of the Black Hills is exposed the core of schists, slates, and granite. This is surrounded by narrow bands forming the denuded sections of the upturned Paleozoic strata, successively Potsdam sandstone of the Cambrian, Silurian limestone, and a broader band of Carboniferous limestone. Around this appear the sand and limestones, clays and marls of the Jura-Trias, and the whole is enveloped in the Cretaceous strata which cover four-fifths of the area of the State. The principal members are the Colorado marls, clays, and limestones covering nearly the whole of the eastern half, the Laramie formation occupying the northwestern quarter, and the Dakota sandstone underlying the valley of the James. The southwestern quarter of the State is covered with Miocene clays and conglomerates. Igneous rocks in the form of dikes of diabase and porphyry occur in both the eastern and western Archæan areas. The Pleistocene age is represented by the immense sheet of glacial drift covering the eastern half of the State to a line nearly coinciding with the Missouri River, and veiling the older formations. West of this line the Pleistocene deposits consist of aqueous drift.
Mining. The mineral wealth of the State appears chiefly in the Archæan area of the Black Hills, where there are more or less extensive deposits of copper, gold, silver, argentiferous lead, iron ores, manganese, nickel, tin, mica, and some graphite. The Triassic clays contain beds of gypsum, and beds of lignite as well as reservoirs of natural gas have recently been found. The Archæan and Paleozoic areas also yield a great variety of building and ornamental stone such as the red quartzite or jasper in the east. The Dakota sandstone of the James Valley is especially noticeable as a water-bearing stratum supplying powerful artesian wells. The mining activities consist mainly of quartz gold mining carried on in the southwest corner of the State. Difficulties in securing water have operated against the development of gold-mining, but elaborate and expensive schemes have been undertaken to secure adequate water supplies, and the output of gold is becoming larger. The value of the product increased from $4,006,400 in 1893 to $6,479,500 in 1901. The granite production in 1901 was valued at $99,941. Limestone and sandstone are also quarried. Portland cement was produced in 1900 to the value of $76,000, and clay products in the following year represented a value of $59,365.
Agriculture. Agriculture is almost wholly confined to the eastern half of the State. Facilities for irrigation are not extensive. In 1899, 43,676 acres were irrigated, principally from the tributaries of the Cheyenne River. In 1900, the total farm area was 19,070,616 acres, or 38.8 per cent. of the State's land area. Of the farm land 59.2 per cent. was improved, and about two-fifths of this amount was brought under improvement in the decade 1890-1900. South Dakota is one of the few States in which the size of farms is increasing, the average size in 1890 being 227.2 acres, and in 1900, 362.4 acres. In 1900, 3.4 per cent. of the farms were rented on the cash system, and 18.4 per cent. on shares. South Dakota is in the great wheat belt, and the cultivation of this crop has rapidly advanced until the State ranks among the first wheat States in the Union. The acreage in corn is also rapidly increasing, but the production of this crop is largely confined to the southeastern section. Oats are grown throughout the farming region, as is also barley, the latter crop being three times as great in 1900 as in 1890. The State stands third in the area devoted to flax. The acreage in hay and forage increased 47.1 per cent. in the decade 1890-1900. Potatoes are the principal vegetable grown. The following table embraces the leading crops:
1890 :
| Wheat | 3,984,659 | 2,259,846 |
| Corn | 1,196,381 | 753,309 |
| Oats | 691,167 | 580,289 |
| Barley | 299,510 | 97,370 |
| Rye | 39,253 | 9,229 |
| Flaxseed | 302,010 | 354,951 |
| Hay and forage | 2,287,875 | 1,554,913 |
| Potatoes | 33,567 | 35,440 |
Stock-Raising. The state has excellent grazing facilities. The number of cattle in 1900 was more than twice as great as in 1890, and there was a large increase in the number of horses, sheep, and swine, as shown in the following table:
1890 :
| Dairy cows | 270,634 | 210,240 |
| Other cattle | 1,276,166 | 477,679 |
| Horses | 480,768 | 250,305 |
| Mules and asses | 6,999 | 7,671 |
| Sheep | 507,338 | 238,448 |
| Swine | 823,120 | 590,465 |
Manufactures. Manufactures are limited mainly to neighborhood industries. In 1900, $7,578,895 was invested as capital and 3121 persons were engaged as wage-earners in the manufactures of the State.
Transportation. The railroads are confined to the region east of the Missouri River and to the mining region in the southwest corner, there ​being no line crossing the State from east to west. Railway construction was greatest in the decade 1880-1890. The mileage in the latter year was 2610, which figure had increased in 1900 to 2961 miles. The Chicago, Milwaukee and Saint Paul, the Great Northern, and the Chicago and Northwestern have the greatest mileage.
Banking. In 1872 the first national bank was organized in Yankton. In the following twenty years banks multiplied, and in 1889, when division came and the Territory was organized as a State, South Dakota had 33 national and over one hundred private banks, which figures included also the banks organized under the general incorporation law. This rapid organization of small banks was due to the high rate of interest on mortgages, often amounting to 14 per cent. and 15 per cent. The bad crops of 1889-91 reduced the value of real estate, made foreclosure of many mortgages necessary, and caused the failure of many banks. The necessity of some regulation of the banking business became evident, and in 1891 the first banking law of the State was passed, making the shareholders responsible for an amount equal to their stock in addition to their actual investment, allowing dividends on net profits only, etc. Between 1890 and 1900 the national banks diminished both in number and in the volume of transactions, and the State banks have now the larger part of the business. The condition of the banks in 1902 is shown in the following table:
State and private banks :
| Number | 47 | 229 |
| Capital | $1,958,000 | $2,579,000 |
| Surplus | 253,000 | 398,000 |
| Cash, etc. | 791,000 | 1,552,000 |
| Deposits | 10,899,000 | 17,089,000 |
| Loans | 8,409,000 | 12,574,000 |
Government. The State Constitution was adopted by popular vote in October, 1889. Proposed amendments must secure the approval of a majority of the members elected to each House, and a majority of the electors voting at a popular election. Upon the approval of two-thirds of the members elected to each House and a majority of the people voting at a popular election the Legislature shall call a constitutional convention. Voters must be citizens, or foreigners who have declared their intention of becoming citizens and have resided in the United States one year, in the State six months, in the county thirty days, and in the election precinct ten days, Pierre is the capital.
Legislative. The Legislature convenes on the first Tuesday after the first Monday of January in the odd years. It consists of a Senate of 45 members and a House of 87 members. The people have the right to propose measures, which the Legislature must submit to a vote of the electors. The people may further require that, with certain exceptions, any laws enacted must be submitted to the people, and not more than five per cent. of the electors are required to invoke these initiative or referendum rights. The Governor's veto does not extend to matters referred to the people.
Executive. The executive power is vested in a Governor and Lieutenant-Governor, elected for two years, the latter being, ex officio, president of the Senate. The Governor has a veto power on legislation, which may be overridden by a two-thirds vote of both Houses. He may veto items of an appropriation bill and approve the rest. The other officers are a Secretary of State, Auditor, Treasurer, Snperintendent of Instruction, Commissioner of School and Public Lands, and Attorney-General—all holding office for two years.
Judicial. There are five Supreme Court judges, elected for four years. The State is divided into judicial court districts, in each of which a judge is elected for four years.
Finances. The larger part of the public debt was incurred in 1883-89, before the admission to Statehood, and for the construction of hospitals, normal schools, and college buildings. At the time of admission the debt amounted to $710,200 in 4½ per cent. and 5½ per cent. bonds, but in addition South Dakota was obliged to pay to North Dakota in settlement of accounts more than $150,000. The Constitution limited the borrowing power of legislation to $100,000, but this limit was soon reached. In 1892 the debt was more than one million dollars, and in 1895 $1,562,800, of which $424,000 were in warrants. In 1902 the bonded indebtedness was $417,500 and the outstanding warrants were $250,000, making a total debt of $667,500. The income in the beginning came mainly (almost 85 per cent.) from a State tax. Later the sale and lease of public lands developed into an important source of income, which by a special provision of the Constitution must go into the permanent school fund, while the interest on deferred payments must be devoted to current school expenses. During the fiscal year 1901-02 the total income was $2,174,257, and the total expenditure $2,098,620, almost 60 per cent. of which was for school purposes. There was a balance of $840,525 in the treasury, of which $633,000 lay in the school fund.
Militia. In 1900 there were 87,505 men of militia age. The organized militia in 1901 numbered 949.
Population. The population in 1890, according to the first State census, was 328,808, and the figure increased in 1900 to 401,570. In the latter year South Dakota ranked thirty-seventh in population. The foreign-born population was 88,508, among whom the Norwegians, Germans, Russians, and Swedes were the most numerous. There were 9293 Indians taxed and 10,932 not taxed. There were only 5.2 persons to the square mile in the State. There are five towns having (1904) more than 5000 inhabitants each. In 1900 Sioux Falls had a population of 10,206, Lead City 6210, Yankton 4125, Aberdeen 4087, and Mitchell 4055. South Dakota sends two members to the National House of Representatives.
Religion. The Catholic Church includes about one-thirteenth of the inhabitants. The Lutherans are the strongest Protestant denomination.
Education. In 1900 only five per cent. of the population over ten years of age were illiterate. There were then 129 days in the school year. Owing to the large scattered rural population, the educational difficulties have been extreme. In 1900 there were only 176 graded schools, as against 3191 ungraded, the former being almost wholly in the towns. Only the towns have high ​schools. In 1900 there were 96,822 pupils enrolled, of whom 68,000 were in average attendance. There were in that year 1172 male and 3630 female teachers. The average monthly wage received was $33 for the male teacher and $30.25 for the female teacher. The cost of the public schools was $1,598,757, of which $1,026,126 was paid as salaries to teachers and superintendents. The most important source of financial support is the district tax. The State has the advantage of large Congressional land grants, which aggregated 2,823,320 acres. There are three State normal schools located respectively at Madison, Spearfish, and Springfield. Higher education is provided at the State University, situated at Vermillion, and at the following denominational co-educational institutions: Huron College (Presbyterian), at Huron; Dakota University (Methodist Episcopal), at Mitchell; Redfield College (Congregational), at Redfield; and Yankton College (Congregational), at Yankton. There are a school of mines at Rapid City and an agricultural college at Brookings.
Charitable and Penal Institutions. A State insane asylum is situated at Yankton, a school for the deaf at Sioux Falls, an institution for the blind at Gary, and a soldiers' home at Hot Springs. The State penitentiary is at Sioux Falls, and the Reform School at Plankinton.
History. The State was formed on the division of Dakota Territory and was admitted to the Union November 3, 1889. (For early history, see North Dakota.) The convention which met July 4th adopted the ‘Sioux Falls Constitution,’ framed in 1885, with a few necessary changes. A prohibitory amendment was adopted at the first election in October, 1889, but, on account of the ‘original package decision’ of the United States Supreme Court, did not go into effect. The Sioux Indians by treaty ceded large tracts of land, which were opened for settlement in February, 1890. Other reservations were opened in 1892 and 1895.
GOVERNORS OF SOUTH DAKOTA :
| Arthur C. Mellette | Republican | 1889-93 |
| Charles H.Sheldon | “ | 1893-97 |
| Andrew E. Lee | Populist | 1897-1901 |
| Charles N. Herreid | Republican | 1901— |
Bibliography. Child, South Dakota: Resources, People, Statehood (New York, 1888); Hagerty, The State of South Dakota; a Statistical, Historical, and Political Abstract (Aberdeen, S. D., 1889); Beadle, Dakota (Saint Paul, 1889); Finerty, War Path and Bivouac (2d ed., Chicago, 1890); Todd, “Hydrographic History of South Dakota,” in Geological Society of America Bulletin, vol. xiii. (Rochester, 1902).