Major General James G. Blunt

Triceratops skull from Corson County. Collections of Houston Museum of Natural Science.

Corson County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,902.[1] Its county seat is McIntosh.[2] The county was named for Dighton Corson, a native of Maine, who came to the Black Hills in 1876, and in 1877 began practicing law at Deadwood.

The county is encompassed within the Standing Rock Indian Reservation, which extends into North Dakota. The Lakota people reside primarily in the South Dakota part of the reservation; the Yanktonai and Dakota live in that part in North Dakota. The Grand River, a tributary of the Missouri River, runs through the reservation.

Geography

Corson County lies on the north line of South Dakota. Its north boundary line abuts the south boundary line of the state of North Dakota. The Missouri River flows south-southeastward along its eastern boundary line. The county terrain consists of semi-arid rolling hills. A portion of the land is dedicated to agriculture.[3] The Grand River flows eastward through the central part of the county to discharge into the river, and Standing Cloud Creek flows eastward through the county's lower SW area. The terrain generally slopes to the east and south; its highest point is near its NW corner, at 2,582 ft (787 m) ASL.[4]

Corson County has a total area of 2,530 square miles (6,600 km2), of which 2,470 square miles (6,400 km2) is land and 60 square miles (160 km2) (2.4%) is water.[5] It is the fifth-largest county in South Dakota by area. The entire county lies within the Standing Rock Indian Reservation, which also includes Sioux, Ziebach, and Dewey counties.

The eastern portion of South Dakota's counties (48 of 66) observe Central Time; the western counties (18 of 66) observe Mountain Time. Corson County is the easternmost of the SD counties to observe Mountain Time.[6]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Protected areas

Lakes

  • Mallard
  • McGee
  • McIntosh
  • Morristown East
  • Morristown West
  • Lake Oahe (part)
  • Pudwell
  • Trail City

[3]

Rivers and Streams

Peaks

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
19102,929
19207,249147.5%
19309,53531.5%
19406,755−29.2%
19506,168−8.7%
19605,798−6.0%
19704,994−13.9%
19805,1964.0%
19904,195−19.3%
20004,181−0.3%
20104,050−3.1%
20203,902−3.7%
2023 (est.)3,782[7]−3.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]
1790-1960[9] 1900-1990[10]
1990-2000[11] 2010-2020[1]

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 3,902 people, 1,196 households, and 825 families residing in the county.[12] The population density was 1.6 inhabitants per square mile (0.62/km2). There were 1,362 housing units.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 4,050 people, 1,260 households, and 939 families in the county. The population density was 1.6 inhabitants per square mile (0.62/km2). There were 1,540 housing units at an average density of 0.6 per square mile (0.23/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 67.0% American Indian, 29.7% white, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% black or African American, 0.3% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.6% of the population. In terms of ancestry,

Of the 1,260 households, 45.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.6% were married couples living together, 21.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 25.5% were non-families, and 22.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 3.21 and the average family size was 3.73. The median age was 29.7 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,877 and the median income for a family was $36,500. Males had a median income of $32,037 versus $23,167 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,359. About 24.1% of families and 35.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 46.7% of those under age 18 and 16.9% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Entering Corson County along Highway 63

Cities

Town

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Townships

  • Custer
  • Delaney
  • Lake
  • Mission
  • Pleasant Ridge
  • Prairie View
  • Ridgeland
  • Rolling Green
  • Sherman
  • Wakpala
  • Watauga

Unorganized territories

  • Central Corson
  • Lemmon No. 2
  • Northeast Corson
  • West Corson

Politics

In the 2020 presidential election, Corson County was the county or equivalent with the highest percentage of Native Americans which Donald Trump won, after Joe Biden flipped Ziebach County.

United States presidential election results for Corson County, South Dakota[14]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 647 50.43% 622 48.48% 14 1.09%
2016 588 50.04% 535 45.53% 52 4.43%
2012 515 42.92% 648 54.00% 37 3.08%
2008 535 38.05% 837 59.53% 34 2.42%
2004 720 41.76% 972 56.38% 32 1.86%
2000 629 50.60% 549 44.17% 65 5.23%
1996 533 41.00% 539 41.46% 228 17.54%
1992 483 38.61% 444 35.49% 324 25.90%
1988 710 49.03% 722 49.86% 16 1.10%
1984 955 54.48% 792 45.18% 6 0.34%
1980 1,233 66.47% 522 28.14% 100 5.39%
1976 846 46.41% 967 53.04% 10 0.55%
1972 975 58.28% 689 41.18% 9 0.54%
1968 1,108 55.15% 821 40.87% 80 3.98%
1964 1,034 43.78% 1,328 56.22% 0 0.00%
1960 1,290 54.13% 1,093 45.87% 0 0.00%
1956 1,394 55.63% 1,112 44.37% 0 0.00%
1952 1,757 69.01% 789 30.99% 0 0.00%
1948 1,154 49.63% 1,154 49.63% 17 0.73%
1944 1,008 56.19% 786 43.81% 0 0.00%
1940 1,709 56.27% 1,328 43.73% 0 0.00%
1936 1,408 42.73% 1,781 54.05% 106 3.22%
1932 946 27.15% 2,403 68.97% 135 3.87%
1928 1,847 56.92% 1,374 42.34% 24 0.74%
1924 1,364 56.50% 140 5.80% 910 37.70%
1920 1,448 60.89% 484 20.35% 446 18.76%
1916 503 42.20% 641 53.78% 48 4.03%
1912 0 0.00% 455 44.26% 573 55.74%

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ^ a b Corson County SD Google Maps (accessed February 1, 2019)
  4. ^ ""Find an Altitude" Google Maps (accessed February 1, 2019)". Archived from the original on May 21, 2019. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
  5. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
  6. ^ Map of Time Zone Line through South Dakota (accessed January 30, 2019)
  7. ^ "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2023". Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  8. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
  9. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Archived from the original on August 11, 2012. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
  10. ^ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
  11. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
  12. ^ "US Census Bureau, Table P16: Household Type". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  13. ^ Miscol SD Google Maps (accessed February 1, 2019)
  14. ^ Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 13, 2018.

45°43′N 101°11′W / 45.72°N 101.18°W / 45.72; -101.18