Running Water is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

(CDP) in

Bon Homme County Bon Homme County ( ; french: Comté de bon homme) is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,003. Its county seat is Tyndall. History Bon Homme County was created in 1862. "Bon Homme" was first u ...

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...

, United States. The population was 47 at the 2020 census. The community's name Running Water is a former variant name of the nearby

Niobrara River The Niobrara River (; oma, Ní Ubthátha khe, , literally "water spread-out horizontal-the" or "The Wide-Spreading Water") is a tributary of the Missouri River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. Many early settlers, such as Mari Sando ...

. The current mayor of Running Water is L.A. Cameron.

Geography

Running Water is located on the north side of the Missouri River in southern Bon Homme County along the South Dakota-

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

state line.

South Dakota Highway 37 } South Dakota Highway 37 (SD 37) is a state route that runs across eastern South Dakota. It begins at the Nebraska border northeast of Niobrara, Nebraska, as a continuation of Nebraska Highway 14. It runs to the North Dakota border north of Hec ...

crosses the Missouri at Running Water, becoming

Nebraska Highway 14 Nebraska Highway 14 (N-14) is a highway in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It has a southern terminus at the Kansas border, where it continues south as K-14, southwest of Superior and a northern terminus east of Niobrara at the South Dakota border. ...

on the opposite shore. SD 37 leads north and east to

Springfield Springfield may refer to: * Springfield (toponym), the place name in general Places and locations Australia * Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast) * Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council) * Springfield, Queenslan ...

, and NE 14 leads south and west to Niobrara. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the Running Water CDP has a total area of , all of it land. Running Water is located along the upper portion of

Lewis and Clark Lake Lewis and Clark Lake is a 31,400 acre (130 km²) reservoir located on the border of the U.S. states of Nebraska and South Dakota on the Missouri River. The lake is approximately in length with over of shoreline and a maximum water depth ...

, a Missouri River reservoir. The South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks operates a small recreational area for lake and river access including a boat ramp at Running Water. Running Water is famous for having a ferry boat operating during spring-fall, off and on, from 1874 to 1984. This boat would haul people and vehicles across the Missouri River, between Running Water SD and Niobrara NE. The fare at one time was $1 per vehicle. The need for such a service was reduced or eliminated by the construction of the modern Chief Standing Bear Bridge over the river for SD Highway 37 and NE Highway 14.

Demographics

References

{{Authority control Census-designated places in Bon Homme County, South Dakota Census-designated places in South Dakota