South Dakota
South Dakota
Abbr. SD or S.D. or S.Dak.South Dakota
South′ Dako′ta
n.
| Noun | 1. |  South Dakota - a state in north central United States |
n.
South Dakota
See also: National Parks and Monuments (table)National Parks and Monuments
National Parks
Name Type1 Location Year authorized Size
acres (hectares)
Description
Acadia NP SE Maine 1919 48,419 (19,603) Mountain and coast scenery.
..... Click the link for more information.
South Dakota
(dəkō`tə), state in the N central United States. It is bordered by North Dakota (N), Minnesota and Iowa (E), Nebraska (S), and Wyoming and Montana (W).Facts and Figures
Area, 77,047 sq mi (199,552 sq km). Pop. (2010) 814,180, a 7.9% increase since the 2000 census. Capital, Pierre. Largest city, Sioux Falls. Statehood, Nov. 2, 1889 (40th state), simultaneously with North Dakota. Highest pt., Harney Peak, 7,242 ft (2,209 m); lowest pt., Big Stone Lake, 962 ft (293 m). Nicknames, Rushmore State; Coyote State. Motto, Under God the People Rule. State bird, ring-necked pheasant. State flower, pasqueflower. State tree, Black Hills spruce. Abbr., S.Dak.; SD
Geography
South Dakota shows some of the earliest geologic history of the continent in the rock formations of the ancient Black Hills and in the Badlands. In the area between the White River and the south fork of the Cheyenne, the Badlands display in their deeply eroded clay gullies not only colorful, fantastic shapes, but also a wealth of easily accessible marine and land fossils (the Badlands National Monument preserves the area for its startling scenery and geologic interest). From east to west the state rises some 6,000 ft (1,829 m) to Harney Peak (7,242 ft/2,207 m) in the Black Hills, highest point in the United States E of the Rockies.
Through the center of the state the Missouri River cuts a wide valley southward; other principal rivers include the James and the Big Sioux to the east, and the Cheyenne, the Belle Fourche, the Moreau, the Grand River, and the White River to the west. The whole of South Dakota has a continental climate; summer brings a succession of hot, cloudless days, and in winter blizzards sweep across bare hillsides, filling the coulees with deep snow. The average annual rainfall is low, and declines from east to west across the state, and in years of drought summer winds blow away acres of top soil in "black blizzards."
Among the state's attractions are Badlands and Wind Cave national parks, Jewel Cave National Monument, and the famous gigantic carvings of the Mount Rushmore National Memorial (see National Parks and MonumentsNational Parks and Monuments
National Parks
Name Type1 Location Year authorized Size
acres (hectares)
Description
Acadia NP SE Maine 1919 48,419 (19,603) Mountain and coast scenery.
..... Click the link for more information. , table). PierrePierre
, city (1990 pop. 12,906), state capital (since 1889) and seat of Hughes co., central S.Dak., on the east bank of the Missouri River, opposite Fort Pierre; inc. 1883. Its economy is centered around agriculture (chiefly grains and cattle), tourism, and the state government.
..... Click the link for more information. is the capital; the largest cities are Sioux FallsSioux Falls,
city (1990 pop. 100,814), seat of Minnehaha co., SE S.Dak., on the Big Sioux River; settled 1856, inc. as a village 1877, as a city 1883. Settlers abandoned the site in 1862 because of Native American raids, but with the establishment (1865) of Fort Dakota it was
..... Click the link for more information. and Rapid CityRapid City,
city (1990 pop. 54,523), seat of Pennington co., SW S.Dak., on Rapid Creek, in an irrigated farm region served by the Bureau of Reclamation's Rapid Valley project; founded 1876 after the discovery of gold nearby, inc. 1882.
..... Click the link for more information. .
Economy
Almost one third of the region west of the Missouri River, a semiarid, treeless plain, belongs to Native Americans, most of whom live on reservations such as Cheyenne River, Pine Ridge, Rosebud, and Standing Rock. Much of the remaining area is occupied by large ranches; there cattle and sheep ranching provide the major source of income, with soybean and wheat farming second in the production of revenue. In the more productive region east of the Missouri, livestock and livestock products are the primary sources of income. Corn, soybeans, oats, and wheat are South Dakota's chief cash crops; sunflowers, sorghum, flaxseed, and barley are also grown. Although there is a certain amount of diversified industry, including electronics manufacturing, in Sioux Falls and Rapid City, meatpacking and food processing are by far the major industries of the state.
Gold is South Dakota's most important mineral, and the town of Lead in the Black Hills is the country's leading gold-mining center. Tourism, focusing especially on Mt. Rushmore and other Black Hills sites, and gambling are also major sources of income.
Government and Higher Education
South Dakota is governed under its 1889 constitution. The legislature consists of 35 senators and 70 representatives, all elected for two-year terms. The governor is elected for four years. William Janklow, a Republican who had previously held the office from 1979 to 1987, was elected governor in 1994 and reelected in 1998. He was succeeded by fellow Republican Mike Rounds, elected in 2002 and reelected four years later. In 2010 and 2014, Dennis Daugaard, and in 2018, Kristi Noem, both Republicans, were elected governor. Noem became the first woman to be elected to the office. The state sends one U.S. representative and two senators to the U.S. Congress and has three electoral votes.
Institutions of higher learning in South Dakota include Augustana Univ., at Sioux Falls; Northern State Univ., at Aberdeen; the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, at Rapid City; South Dakota State Univ., at Brookings; and the Univ. of South Dakota, at Vermillion.
History
Early Inhabitants, European Exploration, and Fur Trading
At the time of European exploration, South Dakota was inhabited by Native Americans of the agricultural Arikara and the nomadic Sioux (Dakota). By the 1830s the Sioux had driven the Arikara from the area. Part of the region that is now South Dakota was explored in the mid-18th cent. by sons of the sieur de la Vérendrye. The United States acquired the region as part of the Louisiana PurchaseLouisiana Purchase,
1803, American acquisition from France of the formerly Spanish region of Louisiana. Reasons for the Purchase
The revelation in 1801 of the secret agreement of 1800, whereby Spain retroceded Louisiana to France, aroused uneasiness in the United
..... Click the link for more information. , and it was partially explored by Lewis and Clark in their Missouri River expedition of 1804–6. Later explorers became well acquainted with the warlike Sioux, who continued to dominate the region from the period of the fur trade until to the middle of the 19th cent. Individual traders from the time of Pierre Dorion in the late 18th cent. made the region their home, and the posts founded by Pierre Chouteau and the American Fur Company were the first bases for settlement. (Fort Pierre was established in 1817.)
Settlement
It was not until land speculators and farmers moved westward from Minnesota and Iowa in the 1850s that any significant settlements developed in South Dakota. Two land companies were established at Sioux Falls in 1856, and in 1859 Yankton, Bon Homme, and Vermillion were laid out. A treaty with the Sioux opened the land between the Big Sioux and the Missouri, and in 1861 Dakota Territory was established, embracing not only present-day North and South Dakota but also E Wyoming and E Montana. Yankton was the capital. Settlers were discouraged by droughts, conflicts with the Native Americans, and plagues of locusts; however, by the time the railroad pushed to Yankton in 1872, the region had received the first of the European immigrants who later came in great numbers, contributing significant German, Scandinavian, and Russian elements to the Dakotas.
Gold Fever and the End of Sioux Resistance
Rumors of gold in the Black Hills, confirmed by a military expedition led by George A. Custer in 1874, excited national interest, and wealth seekers began to pour into the area. However, much of the Black Hills region had been granted (1868) to the Sioux by treaty, and when they refused to sell either mining rights or the reservation itself, warfare again broke out. The defeat (1876) of Custer and his men by Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, and Gall in the battle of the Little Bighorn (in what is now Montana) did not prevent the whites from gradually acquiring more and more Native American land, including the gold-lined Black Hills.
The near extinction of the buffalo herds, Sitting Bull's death (1890) at the hands of army-trained Native American police, and the subsequent massacre of Big Foot's band at Wounded KneeWounded Knee,
creek, rising in SW S.Dak. and flowing NW to the White River; site of the last major battle of the Indian wars. After the death of Sitting Bull, a band of Sioux, led by Big Foot, fled into the badlands, where they were captured by the 7th Cavalry on Dec.
..... Click the link for more information. Creek were among the factors leading to the permanent end of Native American resistance in South Dakota. Tribal organization was weakened by the Dawes ActDawes Act
or General Allotment Act,
1887, passed by the U.S. Congress to provide for the granting of landholdings (allotments, usually 160 acres/65 hectares) to individual Native Americans, replacing communal tribal holdings. Sponsored by U.S. Senator H. L.
..... Click the link for more information. of 1887. Although the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 attempted to restore tribal ownership of repurchased lands, younger generations have moved to the cities in increasing numbers. During the 1870s the gold fever mounted; Deadwood had its day of gaudy glory, Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane created frontier legends, and the town of Lead began its long, productive history.
The Dakota Land Boom, Statehood, and Agrarian Reform
Although gold did not make the fortune of South Dakota, it laid the foundation by stimulating cattle ranching—herds of cattle were first brought to the grasslands of W South Dakota partly to supply food for the miners. Settlement in the east also increased and the period from 1878 to 1886, following the resumption of railroad building after the financial depression earlier in the decade, was the time of the great Dakota land boom, when the region's population increased threefold.
Agitation for statehood developed; in 1888 the Republican party adopted the statehood movement as a campaign issue, and in 1889 Congress passed an enabling act. The Dakotas were separated; South Dakota became a state with Pierre as capital. Disasters, however, rocked its security. The unusually severe winter of 1886–87 had destroyed huge herds of cattle in the west, ruining the great bonanza ranches and promoting among the ranchers the trend—dominant ever since—of having smaller herds with provisions for winter shelter and feeding. Cattle grazed on public land and were rounded up only for branding and shipment to market.
Recurrent droughts added to the difficulties of the farmers, who sought economic relief in the cooperative ventures of the Farmers' Alliance and political influence in the Populist partyPopulist party,
in U.S. history, political party formed primarily to express the agrarian protest of the late 19th cent. In some states the party was known as the People's party.
..... Click the link for more information. , which won a resounding victory in 1896. Initiative and referendum were adopted (1898; South Dakota was the first state to adopt them) and other progressive measures of the day were enacted. However, prosperity resumed, and with it South Dakota quickly returned to political conservatism and the Republican party.
Railroads, Droughts, and the Great Depression
The extension of railroads (particularly the Milwaukee, which was the only transcontinental line passing through South Dakota) encouraged further expansion of agriculture, but new droughts (especially that of 1910–11) brought a brief period of emigration. Many new farmsteads were abandoned, and a turn toward political radicalism developed. The Progressive party, led by Peter Norbeck (governor 1917–21) and operating as a branch of the Republican party, revived the attempts of Populist reform programs to regulate railroad rates and raise assessments of corporate property. The Progressives also entered into experiments in state ownership of business.
Prosperity-depression cycles again affected the state after the boom of World War I. The combination of droughts and the Great Depression brought widespread calamities in the late 1920s and early 30s, and the state's population declined by 50,000 between 1930 and 1940. Vigorous relief measures were instituted under the New Deal, and higher farm prices during World War II and the ensuing years brought a new era of hopefulness.
Postwar Changes
The 1950s began a period of Democratic strength in state politics. George McGovern was elected to the House of Representatives in 1956 and to the Senate in 1962, 1968, and 1974. In 1972 McGovern ran unsuccessfully for president. In 1973 the American Indian MovementAmerican Indian Movement
(AIM), Native American civil-rights activist organization, founded in 1968 to encourage self-determination among Native Americans and to establish international recognition of their treaty rights.
..... Click the link for more information. led a 71-day occupation of Wounded Knee that included gun battles with federal marshals; the occupation was in part a protest over the issue of broken treaties.
In the postwar period the adoption of improved farming techniques resulted in a steady increase in agricultural and livestock production. This was accompanied, however, by the consolidation of small farms into large units and the displacement of many small farmers. Irrigation projects, extension of hydroelectric power, and protective measures against wind and water erosion have been implemented, avoiding the threat of new disasters. In 1981 a major New York bank relocated its credit-card operations to Sioux Falls, marking the beginning of the state's shift toward service, finance, and trade industries that, in turn, has resulted in significant economic growth. Some casino gambling was legalized in 1989 and tourism continues to be one of the state's top sources of income.
Bibliography
See H. S. Schell, South Dakota: Its Beginnings and Growth (1960) and History of South Dakota (3d ed. 1975); J. R. Milton, South Dakota (1977); F. M. Berg, South Dakota: Land of Shining Gold (1982).
South Dakota State Information
www.state.sd.us
Area (sq mi):: 77116.49 (land 75884.64; water 1231.85) Population per square mile: 10.20
Population 2005: 775,933 State rank: 0 Population change: 2000-20005 2.80%; 1990-2000 8.50% Population 2000: 754,844 (White 88.00%; Black or African American 0.60%; Hispanic or Latino 1.40%; Asian 0.60%; Other 10.10%). Foreign born: 1.80%. Median age: 35.60
Income 2000: per capita $17,562; median household $35,282; Population below poverty level: 13.20% Personal per capita income (2000-2003): $25,720-$28,856
Unemployment (2004): 3.80% Unemployment change (from 2000): 1.10% Median travel time to work: 16.60 minutes Working outside county of residence: 16.30%
List of South Dakota counties:
South Dakota Parks
- US National Parks
Badlands National Park
Jewel Cave National MonumentMinuteman Missile National Historic Site
Mount Rushmore National MemorialWind Cave National Park - State Parks
Adams Homestead & Nature Preserve
Angostura Recreation Area
Bear Butte State Park
Beaver Creek Nature Area
Big Sioux Recreation Area
Big Stone Island Nature Area
Burke Lake Recreation Area
Buryanek Recreation Area
Chief White Crane Recreation Area
Cow Creek Recreation Area
Custer State Park
Farm Island Recreation Area
Fisher Grove State Park
Fort Sisseton State Historical Park
George S. Mickelson Trail
Hartford Beach State Park
Indian Creek Recreation Area
LaFramboise Island Nature Area
Lake Alvin Recreation Area
Lake Cochrane Recreation AreaLake Herman State Park
Lake Hiddenwood Recreation Area
Lake Louise Recreation Area
Lake Poinsett Recreation Area
Lake Thompson Recreation Area
Lake Vermillion Recreation Area
Lewis & Clark Recreation Area
Little Moreau Recreation Area
Llewellyn Johns Recreation Area
Mina Lake Recreation Area
Newton Hills State Park
North Point Recreation Area
North Wheeler Recreation Area
Oahe Downstream Recreation Area
Oakwood Lakes State Park
Okobojo Point Recreation Area
Palisades State Park
Pease Creek Recreation Area
Pelican Lake Recreation Area
Pickerel Lake Recreation AreaPierson Ranch Recreation Area
Platte Creek Recreation Area
Randall Creek Recreation Area
Revheim Bay Recreation Area
Richmond Lake Recreation Area
Rocky Point Recreation Area
Roy Lake State Park
Sandy Shore Recreation Area
Shadehill Recreation Area
Sica Hollow State Park
Snake Creek Recreation Area
Spirit Mound Historic Prairie
Spring Creek Recreation Area
Springfield Recreation Area
Swan Creek Recreation Area
Union Grove State Park
Walkers Point Recreation Area
West Bend Recreation Area
West Pollock Recreation Area
West Whitlock Recreation Area - Parks and Conservation-Related Organizations - US
International Association of Wildland Fire (IAWF) International Society for the Protection of Mustangs & Burros (ISPMB) Mount Rushmore National Memorial Society - National Wildlife Refuges
Lacreek National Wildlife Refuge
Lake Andes National Wildlife RefugeSand Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Waubay National Wildlife Refuge - National Scenic Byways
Native American Scenic Byway - South Dakota Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway - National Forests
Black Hills National Forest
South Dakota
a state in the central USA. Area, 199,500 sq km. Population, 680,000 (1976), of which 45 percent is urban. The capital is Pierre.
The eastern part of South Dakota lies in the Central Plains, and the western part, in the Great Plains. Elevations range from 300 m in the east to 1,000 m or more in the west, with the maximum being 2,207 m. The terrain is deeply dissected by river valleys and ravines. South Dakota has a temperate, continental climate. The average January temperature ranges from −10°C to –15°C, and the average July temperature, from 20°C to 23°C. Annual precipitation totals 350–500 mm; droughts are frequent. The Missouri River and several of its tributaries flow through the state, and there are numerous reservoirs.
Agriculture is the basis of South Dakota’s economy. In 1975 the economically active population totaled 270,000, with 55,000 employed in agriculture, 22,000 in industry, and 12,000 in transportation. Livestock raising accounts for more than 75 percent of agricultural commodity production. There are 4.5 million head of cattle, 2.1 million swine, and 900,000 sheep. The chief crops are wheat (in the west), Indian corn (in the southeast), oats, barley, and forage grasses.
South Dakota leads the USA in gold mining, which is centered in the Black Hills region. Uranium is also mined. Other industries include meat-packing, flour milling, cheesemaking, buttermaking and the manufacture of agricultural equipment. In 1974 the state’s electric power plants had a total capacity of 1.7 gigawatts, including 1.4 gigawatts from hydroelectric power. South Dakota has 6,100 km of railroad lines.
South Dakota
Fortieth state; admitted on November 2, 1889
State capital: Pierre Nickname: Mount Rushmore State State motto: Under God the People Rule State animal: Coyote (Canis latrans) State bird: Ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) State dessert: Kuchen State fish: Walleye (Stizostedion vitreum) State flower: American pasque or May Day flower (Pul
satilla hisutissima) State fossil: Triceratops State gem: Fairburn agate State insect: Honeybee (Apis mellifera) State jewelry: Black Hills gold State mineral: Rose quartz State soil: Houdek soil State song: “Hail, South Dakota” State sport: Rodeo State tree: Black Hills spruce (Picea glauca densata)
More about state symbols at:
www.state.sd.us/state/sdsym.htm
www.travelsd.com/about/facts.asp
SOURCES:
AmerBkDays-2000, p. 750 AnnivHol-2000, p. 184
STATE OFFICES:
State web site: www.sd.gov/
Office of the Governor
500 E Capitol
Pierre, 57501-5070
605-773-3212
www.state.sd.us/governor
sdgov@state.sd.us
Secretary of State
500 E Capitol, Ste 204
Pierre, 57501-5070
605-773-3537
fax: 605-773-6580
www.sdsos.gov
sdsos@state.sd.us
State Library
Mercedes MacKay Bldg
800 Governors Dr
Pierre, 57501-2294
800-423-6665
605-773-3131
fax: 773-6962
library.sd.gov
library@state.sd.us
Legal Holidays:
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South Dakota
South Dakota
- noun
Synonyms for South Dakota
noun a state in north central United States
Synonyms
- Coyote State
- Mount Rushmore State
- SD
Related Words
- Bad Lands
- Badlands
- Badlands National Park
- Wind Cave National Park
- U.S.A.
- United States
- United States of America
- US
- USA
- America
- the States
- U.S.
- Dakota
- Aberdeen
- capital of South Dakota
- Pierre
- Rapid City
- Sioux Falls
- Black Hills
- Big Sioux River
- James River
- James
- Little Missouri
- Little Missouri River
- Moreau River
- Mount Rushmore
- Mt. Rushmore
- Rushmore
- interp
- inter pacific bar association
- interpack
- inter packet gap
- inter-packet gap
- interaxis
- inter bank
- inter-bank
- interbank
- inter bank agency agreement
- inter-bank bid rate
- interbank bid rate
- inter-bank bid rates
- interbank bid rates
- interbank clearing interest rate
- inter bank credit advise
- inter bank data exchange
- inter bank dealing
- inter-bank dealing
- interbank dealing
- inter bank dealings
- inter-bank dealings
- interbank dealings
- interbank file transfer
- interbank foreign exchange market