County in South Dakota
| Ziebach County | |
|---|---|
| County | |
 Ziebach County Courthouse | |
 Location within the U.S. state of South Dakota | |
 South Dakota's location within the U.S. | |
| Coordinates: 44°59′N 101°40′W / 44.98°N 101.67°W / 44.98; -101.67 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  South Dakota |
| Founded | 1911 |
| Named for | Frank M. Ziebach |
| Seat | Dupree |
| Largest city | Dupree |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1,971 sq mi (5,100 km) |
| • Land | 1,961 sq mi (5,080 km) |
| • Water | 9.3 sq mi (24 km) 0.5% |
| Population | |
| • Total | 2,413 |
| • Estimate | 2,322  |
| • Density | 1.2/sq mi (0.47/km) |
| Time zone | UTC−7 (Mountain) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−6 (MDT) |
| Congressional district | At-large |
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 Indian 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 2,582 ft (787 m) ASL. The county has a total area of 1,971 square miles (5,100 km), of which 1,961 square miles (5,080 km) is land and 9.3 square miles (24 km) (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 Indian 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 2,474 feet (754 m)
- Eagle Butte 2,484 feet (757 m)
- Gray Butte 2,316 feet (706 m)
- High Elk Hill 2,395 feet (730 m)
- Joshua Butte 2,165 feet (660 m)
- Marple Butte 2,484 feet (757 m)
- Mud Butte 2,500 feet (760 m)
- Mud Butte 2,365 feet (721 m)
- Rattlesnake Butte 2,411 feet (735 m)
- Saint Patrick Butte 2,356 feet (718 m)
- Squaw Teat Butte 2,365 feet (721 m)
- Thunder Butte 2,733 feet (833 m)
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
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 | 3,718 | — | |
| 1930 | 4,039 | 8.6% | |
| 1940 | 2,875 | −28.8% | |
| 1950 | 2,606 | −9.4% | |
| 1960 | 2,495 | −4.3% | |
| 1970 | 2,221 | −11.0% | |
| 1980 | 2,308 | 3.9% | |
| 1990 | 2,220 | −3.8% | |
| 2000 | 2,519 | 13.5% | |
| 2010 | 2,801 | 11.2% | |
| 2020 | 2,413 | −13.9% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 2,322 | −3.8% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2020 | |||
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, there were 2,413 people, 732 households, and 528 families in the county. The population density was 1.2 inhabitants per square mile (0.46/km). 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/km). There were 987 housing units at an average density of 0.5 per square mile (0.19/km). 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
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.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2024 | 388 | 49.68% | 366 | 46.86% | 27 | 3.46% |
| 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
- ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
- "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- Merchant, N. (February 13, 2011). "A look inside America's poorest county". Associated Press. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
- History of SD Counties/Ziebach (accessed 9 February 2019)
- South Dakota's Ziebach County, History of the Prairie. Dupree SD: Ziebach County Historical Society. 1982. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
- ^ "Ziebach County · South Dakota". Google Maps. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
- ""Find an Altitude" Google Maps (accessed February 9, 2019)". Archived from the original on May 21, 2019. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
- "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved March 28, 2015.
- 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
- 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.
- "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2023". Retrieved March 17, 2024.
- "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 28, 2015.
- "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved March 28, 2015.
- Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 28, 2015.
- "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.
- "US Census Bureau, Table P16: Household Type". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
- 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
| Places adjacent to Ziebach County, South Dakota | ||||||||||||||||
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Ziebach County, South Dakota
| Municipalities and communities of Ziebach County, South Dakota, United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| County seat: Dupree | ||
| Cities |  | |
| Unorganized territories | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Other communities | ||
| Indian reservations | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
