Sioux Rapids is a city in Buena Vista County,

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

, United States. The population was 748 at the time of the 2020 census.

History

Two early surveyors, Lane and Ray, found the area so attractive for settlement that in 1855 they illegally laid a claim and built a cabin in section 12 of Barnes Township and over-wintered there. William S. Lee was a wealthy New Yorker who came to Sioux Rapids in 1858, staked a very early claim, and soon controversially acquired around 60,000 acres of “swamp land” at 16¢ per acre. For this he was contracted to build a courthouse and construct a bridge over the Little Sioux River, but never did. He sold large amounts of this land, but after years of legal action, Lee and his purchasers lost all their claims in 1882 in a final case against them. Lee returned to New York in 1863 to educate his children, returning in 1868 to find his early claim had been “jumped” by a William Fuller. In 1870, after reversal of an earlier decision, Fuller was allowed to keep his land, in a protracted case finally decided by the US Secretary of the Interior. In 1868, Fletcher Americus Blake he built the first frame house in Sioux Rapids, and with T.W. Twiford the first flour mill in the county, using the Little Sioux River for water power. His mill also operated as a saw mill. In the 1870 census he is listed as a manufacturer with real estate worth $4,500. Blake was the first postmaster in Sioux Rapids and the first person from the county to be elected to the Iowa House, serving in the 1872 session. That year he sold his mill and moved to Denver for health reasons. In 1869 David Evans and lawyer D. C. Thomas bought out the Ridgeway homestead and the present town of Sioux Rapids was platted out. On the Lee 1870 census, David is a substantial landowner and also blacksmith. He was in this business with his son-in-law H. W. Mayne until 1881. In 1889 he sold his remaining town lots to buy a farm in Clay County near Linn Grove. During the 50th anniversary for Sioux Rapids, on July 4, 1905, Evans rode together in the “Historic Parade” with his 89 year old, long time buddy, Johnny Burr, another ex-soldier pioneer hunter-trapper and faithful attendant at Abner Bell’s deathbed in 1895. The Evans and their wives are buried at Linn Grove, with many other Welsh pioneers. Sioux Rapids was named from the Rapids on the

Little Sioux River The Little Sioux River is a river in the United States. It rises in southwestern Minnesota near the Iowa border, and continues to flow southwest for U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Ma ...

. In 1869, Sioux Rapids was designated the county seat of Buena Vista County. In 1876, the courthouse at Sioux Rapids burned, and in 1878, the county seat was transferred to Storm Lake.

Geography

Sioux Rapids is located on the

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , all land. Gustafson Lake, as well as Gabrielson Park, are located south of the town.

Climate

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2020, there were 748 people, 317 households, and 192 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was 912.7 inhabitants per square mile (352.4/km²). There were 363 housing units at an average density of 442.9 per square mile (171.0/km²). The

racial Race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 16th century, when it was used to refer to groups of va ...

makeup of the city was 88.0%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.7% Black or African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.0% Asian, 0.0%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 5.1% from other races and 5.9% from two or more races.

Hispanic or Latino ''Hispanic'' and '' Latino'' are ethnonyms used to refer collectively to the inhabitants of the United States who are of Spanish or Latin American ancestry (). While many use the terms interchangeably, for example, the United States Census Bureau ...

persons of any race comprised 10.8% of the population. Of the 317 households, 30.3% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.5% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 5.7% were cohabitating couples, 26.2% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 24.6% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 39.4% of all households were non-families. 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals, 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older. The median age in the city was 40.7 years. 27.5% of the residents were under the age of 20; 4.5% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 25.4% were from 25 and 44; 23.1% were from 45 and 64; and 19.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 52.8% male and 47.2% female.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 775 people, 325 households, and 196 families residing in the city. The

was . There were 367 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.3%

, 0.6%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.1% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 3.9% from other races, and 0.6% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 8.4% of the population. There were 325 households, of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.2% were

living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.7% were non-families. 36.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 3.02. The median age in the city was 40.8 years. 26.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.2% were from 25 to 44; 25.2% were from 45 to 64; and 19.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.8% male and 50.2% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 720 people, 306 households, and 201 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 338 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.75%

, 0.14% Asian, 0.28% from other races, and 0.83% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.39% of the population. There were 306 households, out of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.6% were

living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.0% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.84. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.9% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 22.5% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 23.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $33,250, and the median income for a family was $40,417. Males had a median income of $35,000 versus $18,929 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $16,759. About 5.8% of families and 6.4% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 7.4% of those under age 18 and 4.6% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

Sioux Rapids hosts its "Tall Corn Days" festival every year near the end of July. In the past, this has included a parade, street dance, sweet corn feed, a 5k run/walk, a kids fire fight game, a lunch at the city park, and various sports tournaments. The town is home to several churches, including a Lutheran, Baptist, and Methodist denominations. Sioux Rapids also has an historical museum/theater, a swimming pool, an American Legion Post, a community center, and various local businesses.

Education

Sioux Central Community School District Sioux Central Community School District is a rural public school district headquartered in unincorporated Buena Vista County, Iowa, south of Sioux Rapids. The district covers portions of Buena Vista and Clay counties, as well as small secti ...

serves the community;REORGANIZATION & DISSOLUTION ACTIONS SINCE 1965-66
"

Iowa Department of Education The Iowa Department of Education sets the standards for all public institutions of education in Iowa and accredits private as well as public schools. It is headquartered in Des Moines. Organization As of 2020, the Iowa Department of Education c ...

. Retrieved on July 20, 2018. it operates a K-12 school south of Sioux Rapids on Highway 71. Before the consolidation, Sioux Rapids had its own school near the center of the town. Sioux Rapids was a part of the Sioux Rapids Community School District until July 1, 1979, when it merged with the

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (; ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), mononymously known as Rembrandt was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker, and Drawing, draughtsman. He is generally considered one of the greatest visual artists in ...

school district to form the Sioux Rapids-Rembrandt School District. That district consolidated with the Sioux Valley School District into Sioux Central on July 1, 1993.

Transportation

U.S. Route 71 U.S. Route 71 or U.S. Highway 71 (US 71) is a major north–south United States highway that extends for over 1500 miles (2500 km) in the central United States. This original 1926 route has remained largely unchanged by encroaching Intersta ...

(concurrently with

Highway 10 Route 10, or Highway 10, can refer to routes in the following countries: International * European route E10 * European route E010 Argentina * Provincial Route 10 (La Pampa), La Pampa Provincial Route 10 Australia Queensland * Smith Street ...

) runs north–south through Sioux Rapids, with Spencer situated approximately 18 miles north on 71 and Storm Lake approximately 20 miles south. Sioux Rapids is also about 45 minutes south of Okoboji.

Notable people

* Guy Gabrielson (1891–1976) New Jersey Republican politician. *

Ira Noel Gabrielson Ira Noel Gabrielson (September 27, 1889 – September 7, 1977) was an American naturalist and ornithologist. Personal life Ira Gabrielson was born on September 27, 1889, in Sioux Rapids, Iowa, in which he attended and later graduated from Morning ...

(1889–1977) American

naturalist Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...

and

entomologist Entomology (from Ancient Greek ἔντομον (''éntomon''), meaning "insect", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study") is the branch of zoology that focuses on insects. Those who study entomology are known as entomologists. In ...

. * Fleta Jan Brown Spencer (1882-1938), composer and songwriter, born near Sioux Rapids.

References

External links

Sioux Rapids, Iowa city website
Comprehensive Statistical Data and more about Sioux Rapids {{authority control Cities in Buena Vista County, Iowa Cities in Iowa