Ziebach County, South Dakota

Ziebach County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,413. Its county seat is Dupree. It is the last county (or county equivalent) in the United States alphabetically.

Ziebach County consists entirely of Indian reservations. Most of the county is within the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation and the remainder is within the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. The county's per-capita income makes it the fourth-poorest county in the United States.

History

A county named Ziebach was created in Dakota Territory in 1877. However, after South Dakota became a state, this county was dissolved in 1898 and its areas absorbed by Pennington and Stanley counties. The present Ziebach County was created by the SD Legislature on February 1, 1911, and was fully organized by April 22. The 1911 Ziebach County encompassed parts of the former counties of Schnasse, Armstrong and Sterling, which were the last three extinct counties of South Dakota to cease to exist. It was named for Frank M. Ziebach, a political figure in the Dakota Territory during the territorial period from 1861 to 1889. Previously the area had been used by trappers and in 1907 part was briefly a reservation for Ute Indians displaced from Utah and Wyoming. Early in the 20th Century cattle were raised in substantial numbers, but when the railroad bypassed the area this industry declined. Limited homesteading also occurred on the more fertile lands.

Geography

The Cheyenne River flows east-northeastward along the southern boundary of Ziebach County. The Moreau River flows eastward through the upper portion of the county, and Cherry Creek flows southeastward through the lower portion, draining the area into the Cheyenne River. The terrain is composed of semi-arid rolling hills interrupted by buttes and carved by drainages and gullies, partly devoted to agriculture and cattle. The terrain slopes to the south and the east; its highest point (except for the isolated Thunder Butte, at 2,733') is near its NW corner at ASL. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.5%) is water. Almost the entire county lies within the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation. The balance of the county, along its extreme northern county line, lies within the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. It is one of five South Dakota counties that are composed entirely of land that is within the boundaries of Indian reservations.

Buttes

Ziebach County is part of the Great Plains and is characterized by rolling grasslands and numerous buttes. The buttes form the highest points of elevation in Ziebach County:

* Bessie Butte
* Eagle Butte
* Gray Butte
* High Elk Hill
* Joshua Butte
* Marple Butte
* Mud Butte
* Mud Butte
* Rattlesnake Butte
* Saint Patrick Butte
* Squaw Teat Butte
* Thunder Butte

Major highways

* U.S. Highway 212
* South Dakota Highway 20
* South Dakota Highway 34
* South Dakota Highway 63
* South Dakota Highway 65
* South Dakota Highway 73

Adjacent counties

* Corson County - north
* Dewey County - east
* Stanley County - southeast
* Haakon County - south
* Pennington County - southwest
* Meade County - west
* Perkins County - northwest

Protected areas

* Bednor Lake State Game Production Area
* Cheyenne State Game Production Area (part)
* Grand River National Grassland (part)

Lakes and reservoirs

* Bedners Dam
* K C Dam
* Rattlesnake Lake

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 2,413 people, 732 households, and 528 families in the county. The population density was . There were 882 housing units.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 2,801 people, 836 households, and 638 families in the county. The population density was . There were 987 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 74.9% American Indian, 21.8% white, 0.2% black or African American, 0.1% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 3.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.1% of the population.

Of the 836 households, 53.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.0% were married couples living together, 29.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 23.7% were non-families, and 20.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 3.35 and the average family size was 3.82. The median age was 25.4 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $27,578 and the median income for a family was $22,857. Males had a median income of $28,954 versus $24,327 for females. The per capita income for the county was $11,069. About 41.9% of families and 46.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 56.1% of those under age 18 and 22.9% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

* Dupree (county seat)
* Eagle Butte (partial)

Census-designated places

* Bridger
* Cherry Creek

Unincorporated communities

* Chase
* Glad Valley
* Iron Lightning
* Red Elm
* Red Scaffold
* Thunder Butte

Unorganized territories

Ziebach County government does not include subdivision into townships. The county is divided into three areas of unorganized territory: Dupree, North Ziebach, and South Ziebach.

Politics

Ziebach County has traditionally been a swing county. Only Ronald Reagan in 1980 and Barack Obama in 2008 have topped sixty percent for either major party in the past six decades. Donald Trump won 48% of the vote in 2016, being the county or equivalent he won with the highest percentage of Native Americans. Joe Biden won 53% of the vote in 2020. It flipped back to Donald Trump in 2024.

Education

School districts include:
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* Dupree School District 64-2
* Eagle Butte School District 20-1
* Faith School District 46-2
* Lemmon School District 52-4
* Timber Lake School District 20-3

See also

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

References

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1911 establishments in South Dakota
Populated places established in 1911