SOUTH DAKOTA HISTORICAL COUNTIES
Map Guide to the US Federal Census, 1790-1920, William Thorndale and William Dollarhide.
1890 South Dakota Map with current counties overlay
1900 South Dakota Map with current counties overlay
| COUNTY |
DATE CREATED |
PARENT COUNTY |
NOTES |
| Armstrong | 8 Mar 1883 | Cheyenne, Rusk, Stanley | Formerly Pyatt Co. Name changed to Armstrong 6 Jan 1895. Eliminated 4 Nov 1952 to Dewey |
| Armstrong, old | 8 Jan 1873 | Charles Mix, Hutchinson | Eliminated 1 Oct 1879 to Hutchinson |
| Ashmore | 8 Jan 1873 | Buffalo | Name changed to Potter 14 Jan 1875 |
| Aurora | 1 Oct 1879 | Cragin, Wetmore | |
| Beadle | 1 Oct 1879 | Spink, Clark, Burchard, Kingsbury | |
| Beadle, old | 8 Jan 1873 | Hanson | Eliminated 1 Oct 1879 to Brown & Unorganized Territory |
| Bennett | 3 Jun 1909 | Lugenbeel, Shannon, Washington, Washabaugh | Attached to Fall River Co. prior to organization 27 Apr 1912 |
| Big Sioux | 23 May 1857 | Brown Co, Minnesota | Attached to Pipestone Co., Minnesota. Eliminated 11 May 1858 |
| Bon Homme | 5 Apr 1862 | Unorganized Territory | |
| Boreman | 8 Jan 1873 | Unorganized Territory | Attached to Campbell Co. Eliminated 2 Mar 1909 to Corson |
| Bramble | 8 Jan 1873 | Hanson | Eliminated 1 Oct 1879 to Miner |
| Brookings | 5 Apr 1862 | Unorganized Territory | |
| Brown | 1 Oct 1879 | Mills, Stone, Beadle-old | |
| Bruguier | 8 May 1862 | Unorganized Territory | Attached to Charles Mix. Eliminated 6 Jan 1864 to Buffalo & Charles Mix |
| Brule | 14 Jan 1875 | Charles Mix | |
| Buffalo | 6 Jan 1864 | Bruguier, Charles Mix, Unorganized Territory | Attached to Bon Homme Co prior to organization 13 Jan 1871 |
| Burchard | 8 Jan 1873 | Hanson | Eliminated 1 Oct 1879 to Beadle & Hand |
| Burdick | 8 Mar 1883 | Harding | Eliminated 28 Feb 1889 to Harding |
| Butte | 6 May 1883 | Lawrence, Mandan | |
| Campbell | 8 Jan 1873 | Buffalo | |
| Charles Mix | 8 May 1862 | Unorganized Territory | |
| Cheyenne | 11 Jan 1875 | Pratt, Rusk, Stanley, Unorganized Territory | Eliminated 8 Mar 1883 to Jackson, Nowlin, Pyatt & Sterling |
| Choteau | 9 Mar 1883 | Martin | Attached to Lawrence & Butte Counties. Eliminated 8 Nov 1898 to Butte & Meade |
| Clay | 10 Apr 1862 | Unorganized Territory | |
| Codington | 15 Feb1877 | Clark, Grant, Hamlin, Unorganized Territory | |
| Cole | 10 Apr 1862 | Unorganized Territory | Name changed to Union 7 Jan 1864 |
| Corson | 2 Mar 1909 | Boreman, Dewey, Schnasse | |
| Cragin | 8 Jan 1873 | Hanson | Eliminated 1 Oct 1879 to Aurora & Unorganized Territory |
| Custer | 11 Jan 1875 | Unorganized Territory | |
| Davison | 8 Jan 1873 | Hanson | |
| Day | 1 Oct 1879 | Greeley, Stone | |
| Delano | 11 Jan 1875 | Unorganized Territory | Attached to Lawrence & Butte Cos. Eliminated 8 Nov 1898 to Meade |
| Deuel | 5 Apr 1862 | Unorganized Territory | |
| Dewey | 8 Jan 1873 | Unorganized Territory | Formerly Rusk Co. Name changed to Dewey 9 Mar 1883. Attached to Walworth Co prior to organization 3 Dec 1910 |
| Douglas | 10 Jan 1873 | Charles Mix | |
| Edmunds | 8 Jan 1873 | Buffalo | |
| Ewing | 8 Mar 1883 | Harding | Attached to Butte Co. Eliminated 6 Nov 1894 to Harding |
| Fall River | 3 Apr 1883 | Custer | |
| Faulk | 8 Jan 1873 | Buffalo | |
| Forsythe | 11 Jan 1875 | Unorganized Territory | Eliminated 19 Feb 1881 to Custer |
| Grant | 8 Jan 1873 | Deuel, Hanson | |
| Greely | 8 Jan 1873 | Hanson | Eliminated 1 Oct 1879 to Day |
| Gregory | 8 May 1862 | Unorganized Territory | Attached to Todd & Charles Mix Cos prior to organization 5 Sep 1898 |
| Haakon | 3 Nov 1914 | Stanley | |
| Hamlin | 8 Jan 1873 | Deuel, Hanson | |
| Hand | 8 Jan 1873 | Buffalo | |
| Hanson | 3 Jan 1871 | Buffalo, Deuel, Brookings, Charles Mix, Hutchinson, Jayne, Minnehaha | |
| Harding | 5 Mar 1881 | Unorganized Territory | Attached to Butte Co. Eliminated 8 Nov 1898 to Butte. Recreated 3 Nov 1908 from Butte. |
| Hughes | 8 Jan 1873 | Buffalo | |
| Hutchinson | 8 May 1862 | Unorganized Territory | |
| Hyde | 8 Jan 1873 | Buffalo | |
| Jackson | 8 Mar 1883 | Cheyenne, Lugenbeel, White River | Attached to Stanley & Pennington Cos. Eliminated 3 Jun 1909 to Mellette & Washabaugh. Recreated 3 Nov 1914 from Stanley. |
| Jayne | 8 May 1862 | Unorganized Territory | Attached to Yankton Co. Eliminated 13 Jan 1871 to Hanson, Hutchinson & Turner Cos |
| Jerauld | 17 Apr 1883 | Aurora, Buffalo | |
| Jones | 15 Jan 1917 | Lyman | |
| Kingsbury | 8 Jan 1873 | Hanson | |
| Lake | 8 Jan 1873 | Brookings, Hanson, Minnehaha | |
| Lawrence | 11 Jan 1875 | Unorganized Territory | |
| Lincoln | 5 Apr 1862 | Unorganized Territory | |
| Lugenbeel | 11 Jan 1875 | Meyer, Pratt | Attached to Fall River Eliminated 3 Jun 1909 to Bennett & Todd |
| Lyman | 8 Jan 1873 | Gregory, Unorganized Territory | Attached to Brule Co prior to organization 21 May 1893 |
| Mandan | 11 Jan 1875 | Unorganized Territory | Eliminated 10 Mar 1887 to Lawrence |
| Marshall | 2 May 1885 | Day | |
| Martin | 5 Mar 1881 | Unorganized Territory | Attached to Butte Co. Eliminated 8 Nov 1898 to Butte |
| McCook | 8 Jan 1873 | Hanson | |
| McPherson | 8 Jan 1873 | Buffalo | |
| Meade | 7 Feb 1889 | Lawrence | |
| Mellette | 3 Jun 1909 | Jackson, Meyer, Pratt, Washabaugh, Unorganized Territory | |
| Meyer | 8 Jan 1873 | Unorganized Territory | Attached to Lyman. Eliminated 3 Jun 1909 to Mellette & Todd |
| Midway | 23 May 1857 | Brown Co, Minnesota | Eliminated 11 May 1858 when Minnesota became a state |
| Mills | 8 Jan 1873 | Hanson | Eliminated 1 Oct 1879 to Brown & Unorganized Territory |
| Miner | 8 Jan 1873 | Hanson | |
| Minnehaha | 5 Apr 1862 | Unorganized Territory | Attached to Union Co prior to organization 4 Jan 1868 |
| Moody | 8 Jan 1873 | Brookings, Minnehaha | |
| Nowlin | 8 Mar 1883 | Cheyenne, White River | Attached to Pennington, Hughes, Meade & Stanley Cos. Eliminated 8 Nov 1898 to Lyman & Stanley |
| Pennington | 11 Jan 1875 | Unorganized Territory | |
| Perkins | 3 Nov 1908 | Butte | |
| Potter | 8 Jan 1873 | Buffalo | Formerly Ashmore Co. Name changed to Potter 14 Jan 1875. |
| Pratt | 8 Jan 1873 | Unorganized Territory | Attached to Brule & Lyman Cos. Eliminated 3 Jun 1909 to Mellette |
| Presho | 8 Jan 1873 | Unorganized Territory | Attached to Brule & Lyman Cos. Eliminated 6 June 1907 to Tripp |
| Pyatt | 8 Mar 1883 | Cheyenne, Rusk, Stanley | Name changed to Armstrong 6 Jan 1895. Armstrong eliminated 4 Nov 1952 to Dewey |
| Rinehart | 9 Mar 1883 | Martin | Attached to Lawrence & Butte Cos. Eliminated 8 Nov 1898 to Butte & Meade |
| Roberts | 8 Mar 1883 | Grant, Sisseton/Wahpeton Indian Reserve | |
| Rusk | 8 Jan 1873 | Unorganized Territory | Name changed to Dewey 9 Mar 1883 |
| Sanborn | 1 May 1883 | Miner | |
| Schnasse | 9 Mar 1883 | Boreman, Unorganized Territory | Attached to Walworth Co. Eliminated 1 Feb 1911 to Ziebach |
| Scobey | 8 Mar 1883 | Delano | Attached to Lawrence & Meade Cos. Eliminated 8 Nov 1898 to Meade |
| Shannon | 11 Jan 1875 | Unorganized Territory | Attached to Fall River Co |
| Spink | 8 Jan 1873 | Hanson | |
| Stanley | 8 Jan 1873 | Unorganized Territory | Attached to Hughes Co prior to organization 23 Apr 1890 |
| Sterling | 8 Mar 1883 | Cheyenne | Attached to Lawrence, Hughes, Meade & Stanley Cos. Eliminated 1 Feb 1911 to Ziebach |
| Stone | 8 Jan 1873 | Hanson | Eliminated 1 Oct 1879 to Brown, Day & Unorganized Territory |
| Sully | 8 Jan 1873 | Buffalo | |
| Thompson | 8 Jan 1873 | Hanson | Eliminated 1 Oct 1879 to Spink & Unorganized Territory |
| Todd | 9 Mar 1909 | Lugenbeel, Meyer, Washabaugh, Unorganized Territory | Though created by legislative act 9 Mar 1909, Todd has never been fully organized. Part of the unorganized county of Bennett, comprising part of Rosebud Indian Reservation, annexed in 1911; within the limits of Rosebud Indian Reservation. Attached to Lyman & Tripp Cos |
| Todd – old | 8 May 1862 | Unorganized Territory | Disorganized 7 Mar 1890 & attached to Charles Mix Co. Eliminated 3 Jun 1897 to Gregory |
| Tripp | 8 Jan 1873 | Unorganized Territory, Gregory, Todd - old | |
| Turner | 13 Jan 1871 | Lincoln, Jayne | |
| Union | 10 Apr 1862 | Unorganized Territory | Formerly Cole Co. Name changed to Union 7 Jan 1864 |
| Wagner | 9 Mar 1883 | Martin | Attached to Lawrence & Butte Cos. Eliminated 8 Nov 1898 to Butte |
| Walworth | 8 Jan 1873 | Buffalo | |
| Washabaugh | 9 Mar 1883 | Lugenbeel, Shannon | Unorganized- Attached to Custer Co; within limits of Pine Ridge Indian Reservation; part taken to form parts of Bennet, Mellette & Todd 3 Jun 1909 & part comprising part of Rosebud Indian Reservation; annexed to Mellette in 2 Mar 1911. Attached to Jackson 3 Jun 1915 |
| Washington | 9 Mar 1883 | Shannon, Lugenbeel | Unorganized; Attached to Custer & Pennington Cos; within limits of Pine Ridge Indian Reservation; part taken to form part of Bennet 3 Jun 1909; Eliminated 2 Nov 1943 to Shannon |
| Wetmore | 8 Jan 1873 | Hanson | Eliminated 1 Oct 1879 to Aurora & Miner |
| White River | 11 Jan 1875 | Pratt, Unorganized Territory | Eliminated 8 Mar 1883 to Jackson & Nowlin |
| Wood | 8 Jan 1883 | Hanson | Eliminated 1 Oct 1879 to Kingsbury |
| Yankton | 10 Apr 1862 | Unorganized Territory | |
| Ziebach | 1 Feb 1911 | Schnasse, Sterling, Armstrong, Unorganized Territory | Within limits of Cheyenne River Indian Reservation |
| Ziebach – old | 10 Feb 1877 | Pennington | Attached to Pennington Co. Eliminated 8 Nov 1898 to Pennington |
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1890 South Dakota
1900 South Dakota
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