Lake County, South Dakota

Lake County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 11,059. Its county seat is Madison. The county was formed in 1873.

History

Lake County, South Dakota, was inhabited by the Sisseton Sioux when explorers, including Joseph Nicollet and John C. Fremont, first mapped the region in 1838–39 and noted its numerous lakes.Robinson, Doane, History of South Dakota (B.F. Bowen & Co., 1904), 136.History of Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth (Sioux City, Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881), 190–192. The 1851 Treaty of Mendota with the Santee Sioux and 1858 Yankton Treaty opened the area for American settlement. The 1857 rescue of Mrs. Marble from among the captives of the Spirit Lake Massacre brought early non-Sioux attention to the area.

Permanent settlement began in 1870 when William Lee and Charles Walker established homesteads near Lake Madison, naming the town Madison after Madison, Wisconsin. Lake County was created on January 8, 1873, named for its many lakes, and organized on September 1, 1873, with Old Madison as the county seat. Brisk settlement followed in 1878 amidst the Dakota Boom, and the railroad’s arrival in 1881 spurred growth, with towns like Ramona, Wentworth, and Winfred emerging. By 1880, the county’s population reached 2,657.

Agriculture drove economic progress in the 1870s and 1880s, and Madison became a commercial hub with businesses like the Lake County Flouring Mill (opened 1881), newspapers such as the Madison Sentinel (1879), and the Madison Normal School (1883).

Geography

The terrain of Lake County consists of rolling hills, with the area devoted to agriculture. A tributary of the East Fork Vermillion River flows south-southeastward through the lower western part of the county, and Buffalo Creek flows southeastward from the central part of the county, leaving the county near its southeast corner. The terrain generally slopes to the south, although high points (ca. 1,814' ASL) are found on the north and south boundary lines and points between.

Lake County has a total area of , of which is land and (2.1%) is water.

Lakes

Source:

* Buffalo Slough
* Brant Lake
* Davis Slough
* Gilman Lake
* Green Lake
* Lake Badus
* Lake Herman
* Lake Madison
* Long Lake
* Mud Lake
* Pelican Lake
* Round Lake
* Spring Lake

Protected areas

Source:
* Lake Herman State Park
* Walker's Point State Recreation Area

Major highways

* U.S. Highway 81
* South Dakota Highway 19
* South Dakota Highway 34

Adjacent counties

* Brookings County - northeast
* Moody County - east
* Minnehaha County - southeast
* McCook County - southwest
* Miner County - west
* Kingsbury County - northwest

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 11,059 people, 4,576 households, and 2,804 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 5,658 housing units.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 11,200 people, 4,483 households, and 2,814 families in the county. The population density was . There were 5,559 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 96.2% white, 0.7% Asian, 0.7% American Indian, 0.5% black or African American, 0.8% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.6% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 50.7% were German, 20.6% were Norwegian, 12.4% were Irish, 6.6% were English, 6.2% were Dutch, 5.0% were Danish, and 5.0% were American.

Of the 4,483 households, 26.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.0% were married couples living together, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 37.2% were non-families, and 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.88. The median age was 39.9 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $45,606 and the median income for a family was $57,753. Males had a median income of $36,370 versus $25,898 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,447. About 6.5% of families and 12.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.8% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

City

* Madison (county seat)

Towns

* Brant Lake
* Nunda
* Ramona

Village

* Wentworth

Census-designated places

* Brant Lake South
* Chester
* Graceville Colony
* Lake Madison
* Rustic Acres Colony
* Winfred

Other unincorporated communities

Source:
* Franklin
* Junius
* Rutland

Townships

*Badus
*Chester
*Clarno
*Concord
*Farmington
*Franklin
*Herman
*Lake View
*Le Roy
*Nunda
*Orland
*Rutland
*Summit
*Wayne
*Wentworth
*Winfred

Historical townsite

* Saranac

Politics

Lake County voters have voted for Republican Party candidates in 62 percent of national elections since 1964.

Education

School districts include:
Text list
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* Chester School District 39-1
* Colman-Egan School District 50-5
* Madison Central School District 39-2
* McCook Central School District 43-7
* Oldham-Ramona School District 39-5
* Rutland School District 39-4
* Sioux Valley School District 05-5

See also

* National Register of Historic Places listings in Lake County, South Dakota

References

External links

Lake County official website

{{Coord, 44.02, -97.12, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-SD_source:UScensus1990

1873 establishments in Dakota Territory
Populated places established in 1873