Wessington Springs is a town and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

Jerauld County, South Dakota Jerauld County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,663. Its county seat is Wessington Springs. History In 1873, the area occupied by the present Jerauld County was organized into Wetmore ...

, United States. The population was 956 at the 2010 census.

History

The Wessington Springs townsite was founded in 1880 and platted in 1882, early in the era of agricultural settlement in the region. The town's boom era began in 1903, when a branch line of the

Milwaukee Road The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMStP&P), better known as the Milwaukee Road , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States, Midwest and Pacific Northwest, Northwest of the United States from 1847 ...

railroad was constructed into the town from the east. The town was the home of Wessington Springs College, an institution of higher learning that existed from 1887 until 1968. There is a baseball field in town that hosts an amateur baseball team named the Wessington Springs Owls.

2014 tornado

On June 18, 2014 the town of Wessington Springs was hit by a tornado. At approximately 7:45 PM the tornado tore through the heart of Wessington Springs and 50+ homes were destroyed, and 77 people were left homeless. Many other buildings and properties were damaged significantly. No fatalities were reported but several injuries were sustained. The town's emergency sirens gave residents significant advance notice to the threat, allowing residents to flee to the town's fallout shelter avoiding injury and death. The town was on lockdown for several hours to prevent further injuries and blockages.

Geography

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 town has a total area of , all land.

Climate

Demographics

2010 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 2010, there were 956 people, 465 households, and 266 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 . There were 526 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 99.0%

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 ...

, 0.3% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 0.2% 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 0.6% of the population. There were 465 households, of which 16.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.3% 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, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.8% were non-families. 38.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 26.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.97 and the average family size was 2.57. The median age in the city was 57 years. 16.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 14.7% were from 25 to 44; 27.2% were from 45 to 64; and 37.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 43.4% male and 56.6% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,011 people, 505 households, and 285 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 580 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 99.01%

, 0.40% Native American, 0.20% Asian, and 0.40% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.30% of the population. There were 505 households, out of which 16.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.3% were

living together, 5.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.4% were non-families. 39.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 26.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.92 and the average family size was 2.50. In the city, the population was spread out, with 15.4% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 15.6% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 40.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 55 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $31,736, and the median income for a family was $40,962. Males had a median income of $28,929 versus $18,333 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 $23,108. About 3.4% of families and 7.2% 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 11.0% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over.

Media

The area is served by the ''

True Dakotan The ''True Dakotan'' is a weekly newspaper in South Dakota. The paper services the cities of Lane In road transport, a lane is part of a roadway that is designated to be used by a single line of vehicles to control and guide drivers and r ...

'' weekly newspaper.

Notable people

Kyle Evans Kyle Evans (born 26 September 1993) is a British former BMX rider from Hindley, Greater Manchester, who represented Great Britain in international competitions. He competed in the men's time trial event at the 2015 UCI BMX World Championships. ...

, country and western singer/songwriter *

Emma Louise Lowe Emma Louise Lowe was an American musician, educator, former First Lady of American Samoa and former First Lady of Guam. Early life In 1902, Lowe was born in Ottumwa, Iowa. Education Lowe earned a degree from Drake University Conservatory ...

- Musician, educator, former First Lady of American Samoa and former First Lady of Guam * Robert Vessey, seventh

Governor of South Dakota The governor of South Dakota is the head of government of South Dakota. The governor is elected to a four-year term in even years when there is no presidential election. The current governor is Larry Rhoden, a member of the Republican Party ...

References

External links

* {{Authority control Cities in Jerauld County, South Dakota Cities in South Dakota County seats in South Dakota