Fort Towson

Ziebach County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,413.[1] Its county seat is Dupree.[2] It is the last county (or county equivalent) in the United States alphabetically.

The county's per-capita income makes it the fourth-poorest county in the United States.[3]

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.[4] 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.[5]

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.[6] 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 2,582 ft (787 m) ASL.[7] The county has a total area of 1,971 square miles (5,100 km2), of which 1,961 square miles (5,080 km2) is land and 9.3 square miles (24 km2) (0.5%) is water.[8] 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 Indian Reservation. It is one of five South Dakota counties that lie entirely on Indian reservations.[9]

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:

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Protected areas

Lakes and reservoirs[6]

  • Bedners Dam
  • K C Dam
  • Rattlesnake Lake

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
19203,718
19304,0398.6%
19402,875−28.8%
19502,606−9.4%
19602,495−4.3%
19702,221−11.0%
19802,3083.9%
19902,220−3.8%
20002,51913.5%
20102,80111.2%
20202,413−13.9%
2023 (est.)2,322[11]−3.8%
U.S. Decennial Census[12]
1790-1960[13] 1900-1990[14]
1990-2000[15] 2010-2020[1]

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 2,413 people, 732 households, and 528 families in the county.[16] The population density was 1.2 inhabitants per square mile (0.46/km2). 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 1.4 inhabitants per square mile (0.54/km2). There were 987 housing units at an average density of 0.5 per square mile (0.19/km2). 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

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities[6]

  • 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.

United States presidential election results for Ziebach County, South Dakota[17]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 404 44.59% 481 53.09% 21 2.32%
2016 368 47.98% 353 46.02% 46 6.00%
2012 314 41.26% 439 57.69% 8 1.05%
2008 312 35.02% 554 62.18% 25 2.81%
2004 447 40.05% 641 57.44% 28 2.51%
2000 384 53.26% 314 43.55% 23 3.19%
1996 375 40.32% 483 51.94% 72 7.74%
1992 328 44.93% 280 38.36% 122 16.71%
1988 362 45.53% 427 53.71% 6 0.75%
1984 429 54.17% 359 45.33% 4 0.51%
1980 523 65.05% 246 30.60% 35 4.35%
1976 369 48.49% 370 48.62% 22 2.89%
1972 486 55.86% 378 43.45% 6 0.69%
1968 449 52.58% 350 40.98% 55 6.44%
1964 447 44.66% 554 55.34% 0 0.00%
1960 568 52.59% 512 47.41% 0 0.00%
1956 627 57.05% 472 42.95% 0 0.00%
1952 779 67.68% 372 32.32% 0 0.00%
1948 463 47.24% 503 51.33% 14 1.43%
1944 331 48.32% 354 51.68% 0 0.00%
1940 691 50.15% 687 49.85% 0 0.00%
1936 561 42.53% 737 55.88% 21 1.59%
1932 462 31.36% 982 66.67% 29 1.97%
1928 759 55.00% 615 44.57% 6 0.43%
1924 659 55.01% 153 12.77% 386 32.22%
1920 507 65.42% 177 22.84% 91 11.74%
1916 275 54.89% 211 42.12% 15 2.99%
1912 0 0.00% 349 45.56% 417 54.44%

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ^ Merchant, N. (February 13, 2011). "A look inside America's poorest county". Associated Press. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
  4. ^ History of SD Counties/Ziebach (accessed 9 February 2019)
  5. ^ South Dakota's Ziebach County, History of the Prairie. Dupree SD: Ziebach County Historical Society. 1982. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
  6. ^ a b c Ziebach County SD Google Maps (accessed February 9, 2019)
  7. ^ ""Find an Altitude" Google Maps (accessed February 9, 2019)". Archived from the original on May 21, 2019. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  8. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved March 28, 2015.
  9. ^ The other four are Corson, Dewey, Oglala Lakota, and Todd. In addition, Bennett County lies completely within the boundaries of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation
  10. ^ Squaw Teat Butte is the given name of this prominence on the following topographic map of the US Geological Survey: USGS Rattlesnake Butte Quad, South Dakota, Trails.com for the portion of USGS Rattlesnake Butte Quad, with Squaw Teat Butte.
  11. ^ "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2023". Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  12. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 28, 2015.
  13. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved March 28, 2015.
  14. ^ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 28, 2015.
  15. ^ "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 28, 2015.
  16. ^ "US Census Bureau, Table P16: Household Type". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  17. ^ Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 15, 2018.

44°59′N 101°40′W / 44.98°N 101.67°W / 44.98; -101.67