History of Sioux Falls, South Dakota
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This article deals with the history of Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Prehistory and exploration
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6c/Sherman_Park_mound_1.jpg/220px-Sherman_Park_mound_1.jpg)
The history of Sioux Falls revolves around the cascades of the
The lure of the falls has been a powerful influence. A prehistoric people who inhabited the region before 500 B.C. left numerous
Nineteenth century
Early visitors
The falls also drew the attention of early explorers. An August 1804 journal entry of the
The first documented visit was by Philander Prescott, an explorer, trader, and trapper who camped overnight at the falls in December 1832. Captain James Allen led a military expedition out of Fort Des Moines in 1844. The early descriptions of the falls were published in The States and Territories of the Great West, an 1856 book by Jacob Ferris which inspired townsite developers to seek out the falls.
Founding and resettlement
The focus of intense land speculation activity in
Two separate groups, the Dakota Land Company of St. Paul and the Western Town Company of Dubuque, Iowa organized in 1856 to claim the land around the falls, considered a promising townsite for its beauty and water power. The Western Town Company arrived first, and was soon followed by the St. Paul–based company in 1857. Each laid out 320-acre (1.3 km2) claims, but worked together for mutual protection. They built a temporary barricade of turf which they dubbed "Fort Sod," in response to hostilities threatened by native tribes. Seventeen men then spent "the first winter" in Sioux Falls. The following year the population grew to near 40.
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1880 | 2,162 | — | |
1890 | 10,177 | 370.7% | |
1900 | 10,266 | 0.9% | |
1910 | 14,094 | 37.3% | |
1920 | 25,202 | 78.8% | |
1930 | 33,362 | 32.4% | |
1940 | 40,832 | 22.4% | |
1950 | 52,969 | 29.7% | |
1960 | 65,466 | 23.6% | |
1970 | 72,488 | 10.7% | |
1980 | 81,182 | 12.0% | |
1990 | 100,836 | 24.2% | |
2000 | 123,975 | 22.9% | |
2010 | 153,888 | 24.1% |
Although conflicts in
Fort Dakota, a military reservation established in present-day downtown, was established in May 1865. Many former settlers gradually returned and a new wave of settlers arrived in the following years. The population grew to 593 by 1873, and a building boom was underway in that year.
Incorporation and early growth
The Village of Sioux Falls, consisting of 1,200 acres (4.9 km2), was incorporated in 1876 by the 12th legislative assembly of the Dakota Territory, which convened in the territorial capital of Yankton. The village charter proved to be too restrictive, however, and Sioux Falls petitioned to become a city. The city charter was granted by the Dakota Territorial legislature on March 3, 1883.
The arrival of the railroads ushered in the great Dakota Boom decade of the 1880s. The population of Sioux Falls mushroomed from 2,164 in 1880 to 10,167 at the close of the decade. The growth transformed the city. A severe plague of grasshoppers and a national depression halted the boom by the early 1890s. The city grew by only 89 people from 1890 to 1900.
Divorce capital of the nation
Beginning in the 1880s, a 90-day residency law and lax oversight on the part of local judges concerning sworn testimony caused word to spread across the United States that a legal divorce was easily obtained in Dakota Territory. As a result, both Sioux Falls and Fargo (in later North Dakota) became known as "divorce capitals". Thousands of people traveled to the towns seeking a divorce, with the resulting divorce rate in Minnehaha County during this period being nearly three times that of the national average. Although many local residents were unhappy with the notoriety, the surge of "tourists" necessitated the construction of a number of new hotels and restaurants, and the situation brought a level of attention uncommon for towns of a similar size. Divorce laws were tightened after statehood, and the phenomenon had ended by the early 1900s.[1]
Twentieth century
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/01/1920_map_Sioux_Falls%2C_South_Dakota_Automobile_Blue_Book.jpg/220px-1920_map_Sioux_Falls%2C_South_Dakota_Automobile_Blue_Book.jpg)
With the opening of the John Morrell
Beginning in the late 20th century, Sioux Falls began growing at a considerably faster pace than during previous decades. The economy became more service-based, and word began to spread about the relatively low levels of unemployment and crime. Annexations of adjacent land in Minnehaha County became common. The first annexation of land south of 57th Street from Lincoln County was in 1969 for a municipal water tower. The next annexations from Lincoln County occurred in 1978 when a couple of new subdivisions were added.
Several large