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State of South Dakota
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Flag of South Dakotasvg
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Flag Of South Dakota
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SouthDakotastatesealjpg
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Map_of_USA_highlighting_South_Dakotapng
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The Mount Rushmore State (official) & The Sunshine State
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Pierre
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English
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Sioux Falls
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Mike Rounds (R)
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"http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/encyclopedia/entry/John_Thune" class="copylinks">John Thune (R)
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SD
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17<sup>th</sup>
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199,905
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196,735
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3,173
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16
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46<sup>th</sup>
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754,844
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46<sup>th</sup>
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384
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39<sup>th</sup>
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November 2 , 1889
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-7/ -6 <small>(western)</small>
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42°29'30"N to 45°56'N
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98°28'33"W to 104°3'W
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340
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610
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2,207
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670
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294
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US-SD
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is a
Midwestern State in the
United States . It is named after the
Lakota and
Dakota (
Sioux )
American Indian tribes.
South Dakota was admitted to the Union on
November 2 ,
1889 .
North Dakota was admitted on the same day.
It is probably best known as the location of
Mount Rushmore .
South Dakota is bordered to the north by
North Dakota ; to the south by
Nebraska ; to the east by
Iowa and
Minnesota ; and to the west by
Wyoming and
Montana . It is one of the six states of the
Frontier Strip .
The
Missouri River runs through the central part of South Dakota. To the east of the river lay low hills and lakes formed by glaciers. Fertile farm country covers the area. To the west of the river the land consists of deep canyons and rolling plains.
South Dakota is comprised of four major land regions: the , the '''Disected Till Plains''', the '''Great Plains''', and the '''Black Hills'''.
The Drift Prairie covers most of eastern South Dakota. This is the land of low hills and glacial lakes. This area was called Coteau des Prairies (Prairie Hills) by early French traders. In the north, the Coteau des Prairies is bordered on the east by the
Minnesota River Valley and on the west by the James River Basin. The James River Basin is mostly flat land, following the flow of the
James River through South Dakota from north to south.
The Dissected Till Plains lie in the southeastern corner of South Dakota. This area of rolling hills is criss-crossed by many streams.
The Great Plains cover most of the western two-thirds of South Dakota. The Coteau de Missouri hills and valleys lie between the James River Basin of the Drift Prairie and the Missouri River. West of the Missouri River the landscape becomes more rugged and consists of rolling hills, plains, canyons, and steep flat-topped hills called
Butte s. These buttes sometimes rise 400 to 600 feet (120 to 180 m) above the plains. In the south, east of The Black Hills, lay the South Dakota
Badlands .
The Black Hills are in the southwestern part of South Dakota and extend into Wyoming. This range of low mountains covers 6,000 square miles (15,500 sq.km.) with mountains that rise from 2,000 to 4,000 feet (600 to 1,200 m) high. The highest point in South Dakota, Harney Peak (7,242 feet (2,207 m) above sea level), is in the Black Hills. The Black Hills are rich in minerals such as
Gold ,
Silver ,
Copper , and
Lead . The Homestake Mine, one of the largest gold mines in the in the United States, is located in the Black Hills.
Major rivers include: Cheyenne River, Missouri River, James River, White River. Major lakes are: Lake Oahe, Lake Francis Case, Lewis and Clark Lake.
Areas under the management of the
National Park Service include:
Human beings have lived in what is today South Dakota for at least several thousand years.
French and other European explorers in the 1700s encountered a variety of groups including the
Omaha and
Arikara (
Ree ), but by the early 1800s the
Sioux (
Dakota ,
Lakota , and
Nakota ) were dominant. In
1743 , the
LaVerendrye brothers buried a plate near the modern capital
Pierre (pronounced as "peer") claiming the region for
France as part of greater
Louisiana . In
1803 , the United States purchased the
Louisiana Territory from
Napoleon , though the native peoples inhabiting most of this area were not aware of the transaction.
President
Thomas Jefferson organized a group called the Corps of Discovery, led by
Meriwether Lewis and
William Clark (commonly referred to as "
Lewis And Clark "), to explore the newly-acquired region. In
1817 , an American fur trading post was set up at present-day
Fort Pierre , and this was the beginning of continuous American settlement of the area. Through much of the 19th century, exploratory expeditions such as those of Lewis and Clark and
Joseph Nicollet coincided with an increasing presence of the
U.S. Army . In
1855 , the U.S. Army bought
Fort Pierre but abandoned it the following year in favor of
Fort Randall to the south. Settlement by Americans and Europeans was, by this time, increasing rapidly, and in
1858 , the
Yankton ,
Dakota , and
Sioux resigned to signing the
1858 Treaty , ceding most of present-day eastern South Dakota to the
United States . Of this, Yankton leader
Strike-the-Ree said "The white men are coming like
Maggot s. It is useless to resist them.... Many of our brave warriors would be killed, our women and children left in sorrow, and still we would not stop them."
Land speculators founded two of eastern South Dakota's largest present-day cities:
Sioux Falls in
1856 and
Yankton in
1859 . In
1861 ,
Dakota Territory was recognized by the United States government (this initially included
North Dakota , South Dakota, and parts of
Montana and
Wyoming ). Settlers from
Scandinavia ,
Germany ,
Ireland , and
Russia , as well as elsewhere in
Europe and from the eastern U.S. states, increased from a trickle to a flood, especially after the completion of an eastern railway link to the territorial capital of Yankton in
1872 , and the discovery of gold in the
Black Hills in
1874 during a military expedition led by
George A. Custer . This expedition took place despite the fact that all of Dakota Territory west of the
Missouri River (along with much of
Nebraska , Montana, and Wyoming) had been granted to the Sioux by the
Treaty Of 1868 as part of the
Great Sioux Nation . The Sioux declined to grant
Mining rights or land in the Black Hills, and war broke out after the U.S. failed to stop white miners and settlers from entering the region.
Sitting Bull and
Crazy Horse were major resistance leaders — but the Americans were unstoppable with their greater numbers and superior weaponry. They were also aided by the sharp decline in numbers of the
Buffalo , which was a major food source of the Sioux. Indeed, between
1878 and
1886 , the Euro-American settler population of eastern Dakota Territory tripled. The last major incident in this struggle occurred on
December 29 ,
1890 , at
Wounded Knee Creek in present-day western South Dakota when U.S. soldiers massacred as many as 300 Sioux, mostly women and children.
Just over a year earlier, on
November 2 , 1889, Dakota Territory had become the modern states of North Dakota and South Dakota after a dispute between settlers in northern and southern regions over the location of the state capital (originally
Yankton but surreptitiously moved to the present-day capital of North Dakota,
Bismarck ).
The five largest ancestry groups in South Dakota are:
German (40.7%),
Norwegian (15.3%),
Irish (10.4%),
Native American (8.3%),
English (7.1%).
German-Americans are the largest ancestry group in most parts of the state, especially in the east, although there are also large Scandinavian populations in some counties. American Indians, largely Sioux, are predominant in several counties.
6.8% of South Dakota's population were reported as under 5, 26.8% under 18, and 14.3% were 65 or older. Females made up approximately 50.4% of the population.
South Dakota, in common with five other Midwest states (
Nebraska ,
Kansas ,
Oklahoma ,
North Dakota , and
Iowa ), is experiencing a trend of falling populations. 89% of the total number of cities in these six states have fewer than 3,000 people; hundreds have fewer than 1000. Between 1996 and 2004, almost half a million people, nearly half with college degrees, left the six states. "Rural flight" as it is called has led to offers of free land and tax breaks as enticements to newcomers.
The effect of rural flight has not been spread evenly through South Dakota, however. Although most rural counties and small towns have lost population, the Sioux Falls area and the Black Hills have gained population. This growth has compensated for losses in the rest of the state; therefore, South Dakota's total population continues to increase.
The religious affiliations of the people of South Dakota are:
According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, the gross state product of South Dakota was $29.4 billion as of 2004. The per capita personal income was $26,894 in 2004, the 37th highest in the nation and 13.08 percent below the national average. 13.2% of the population is below the poverty line.
South Dakota does not collect a personal s,
School District s, water districts, and, in some cases, units such as fire and sanitary sewer districts. South Dakota does not assess tax on
Intangible Personal Property , and there is no
Inheritance Tax .
South Dakota
License Plate s are numbered by
County , with the first digit referring to the county of origin. Such a
Numbering System allows one to easily determine where the vehicle was registered. Counties 1–9 are ranked, roughly, by population., and counties 10–67 are numbered alphabetically.
The state of South Dakota has three branches of government: the executive branch; the legislative branch, and the judicial branch.
The current governor is
Mike Rounds .
Currently, there are 35 members of the state Senate and 70 members of the House of Representatives. The state is comprised of 35 legislative districts. Voters elect 1 senator and 2 representatives from each district. Legislature meets once a year on the second Tuesday in
January , and also if the governor calls a special session.
The state Supreme Court is the highest court in South Dakota and the court of last resort for state appellate actions. The chief justice and four justices comprise the South Dakota Supreme Court. South Dakota is divided into seven judicial circuits. There are 38 circuit judges serving in the seven circuits.
Circuit Court s are the state's trial courts of general jurisdiction. There are 12 full-time and 3 part-time
Magistrate Judge s in the seven circuits.
Magistrate Court s assist the circuit courts in disposing of
Misdemeanor criminal cases and minor civil actions. These courts of limited jurisdiction make the judicial system more accessible to the public by providing a means of direct court contact for the average citizen.
Federal government representation is currently serviced by Senator
Tim Johnson (Democrat), Senator
John Thune , and Representative
Stephanie Herseth (Democrat).
South Dakota politics are generally dominated by the
Republican Party , and the state has not supported a
Democratic presidential candidate since
1964 — especially notable when one considers that
George McGovern , the Democratic nominee in
1972 , was from South Dakota. In
2004 ,
George W. Bush won the state's three electoral votes with 59.9% of the vote.
There are only five reliably Democratic counties in the state — most of them with primarily American Indian populations. Republicans have won the last seven gubernatorial elections and have controlled the legislature, with one brief interruption, for over thirty years. Democrats, however, have been successful in winning election to
Congress from South Dakota, including former Senators
Tom Daschle ,
James Abourezk and George McGovern; current Senator
Tim Johnson ; and current Representative
Stephanie Herseth .
While President Bush received a lower vote percentage in 2004 than he did in
2000 , he still received a very strong 60% of the popular vote. Part of the deviation had to do with record turnout driven by the intense Senate campaigns that year. Republicans hold a 9% registration advantage over Democrats and hold large majorities in both the state House of Representatives and Senate. Additionally, all but one of the statewide elected constitutional officers are Republicans.
Senator
Tom Daschle , the Democratic leader of the Senate and a fixture of South Dakota politics for more than a quarter century, lost his seat in a historic political upset by former U.S. Representative
John Thune . The 2004 election defeat marks the first time since 1952 a sitting Senate Leader lost a bid for re-election.
South Dakota, however, has a history of replacing powerful members of the Senate. Former Commerce Committee Chairman
Larry Pressler lost to then-Congressman Tim Johnson in 1996, and 1972 Democratic Presidential nominee George McGovern was defeated by Senator
James Abdnor in 1980. Abdnor was, in turn, defeated by Daschle.
The state is divided, culturally and politically, by the
Missouri River , which bisects the state. The area east of the Missouri River (or "East River"), is generally more moderate, with views that are more in line with those found in its Midwestern neighbors Iowa and Minnesota. "West River," however, is more conservative and libertarian, with views that are generally more in line with those found in its western neighbors Montana and Wyoming. On the whole, however, the state is quite conservative. For example, South Dakota is considered one of the most politically
Pro-life states in the United States.
A
James Blaine to shuffle the papers and obscure from him which he was signing first, and the priority went unrecorded.
Harney Peak , in the
Black Hills , is the highest point between the
Rocky Mountains and the French
Alps . More than 70,000 people hike to its 7,242 foot (2,207 m) summit each year. The ashes of Dr.
Valentine McGillycuddy , the first white man to climb Harney Peak, are sealed in a crypt at the top of the mountain.
The deepest mine in the United States, the
Homestake Gold Mine (now defunct) is in the Black Hills of South Dakota, near the town of
Lead . Its shaft plunges more than 8,000 feet (2,400 m) beneath the surface. From
1969 to
1993 , it was home to the Homestake Chlorine Solar
Neutrino Experiment, famous for detecting the
Solar Neutrino Problem . The South Dakota State Legislature and governor recently passed legislation giving the mine to the
National Science Foundation for use as an underground research laboratory.
South Dakota is home to the largest naturally heated indoor swimming pool in the world. Evans Plunge, heated from natural mineral springs, is in
Hot Springs .
The
Black Hills of South Dakota was one of the sites considered for the permanent home of the
United Nations .
The largest and most complete fossil of ''
Tyrannosaurus Rex '' ever found was uncovered near
Faith in
1990 . Named "
Sue ," the remains are over 90% complete and are currently on display at the
Field Museum Of Natural History in
Chicago ,
Illinois .
Citibank rechartered itself as a South Dakota
Bank in
1981 to take advantage of a new law that set South Dakota's maximum permissible interest rate on loans to 25%, then the highest in the nation (
New York had refused to raise its interest rate even after prolonged lobbying). However, South Dakota's dreams of becoming a major financial center were dashed when
Delaware matched its move the next year, and banks in search of the right to charge high interest rates flocked to Delaware instead.
The 1990 movie ''
Dances With Wolves '' directed by and starring
Kevin Costner as Lieutenant John Dunbar was filmed entirely in South Dakota.
Three
US Navy ships have been named
USS ''South Dakota'' in honor of the state.
of South Dakota are home to
Mount Rushmore .]]
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:'''
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: ''' State (official),
Coyote state &
Sunshine state (same nickname as
Florida )
: "Great Faces. Great Places."
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:''' - Apis Mellifera L.
:
Coyote
:'''
:'''
:'''
:
Kuchen
:
Milk
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Fry Bread
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In recents years, efforts have been made in the
South Dakota State Legislature to pass legislation that would ban abortion, with the prime underlying goal being the initiation of a legal challenge to
Roe V. Wade . This culminated in 2006 with the passage of H.B. 1215. The state has only one abortion clinic, which is in
Sioux Falls .
