Bennett County, South Dakota

Bennett County
County
Art Deco style Inland Theater at Martin SD.
Location within the U.S. state of South Dakota
South Dakota's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 43°11′N101°40′W / 43.18°N 101.66°W / 43.18; -101.66
Country	United States
State	South Dakota
Founded	1909 (created) April 27, 1912 (organized)
Named for	John E. Bennett or Granville G. Bennett
Seat	Martin
Largest city	Martin
Area
• Total	1,191 sq mi (3,080 km2)
• Land	1,185 sq mi (3,070 km2)
• Water	5.8 sq mi (15 km2)  0.5%
Population  (2020)
• Total	3,381
• Estimate  (2023)	3,305
• Density	2.8/sq mi (1.1/km2)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district	At-large

Bennett County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,381. ^[1] Its county seat is Martin. ^[2] Bennett County was removed from the Pine Ridge Reservation by an act of Congress in 1911, much of Bennett County however is still held in trust by the Reservation. ^[3] To the east is the Rosebud Indian Reservation, where dwell the Sicangu Oyate , also known the Upper Brulé Sioux Nation and the Rosebud Sioux Tribe (RST), a branch of the Lakota people.

The North American continental pole of inaccessibility is in Bennett County, located 1,650 km (1,030 mi) from the nearest coastline, between Allen and Kyle (Oglala Lakota County) at 43°22′N101°58′W / 43.36°N 101.97°W / 43.36; -101.97 (Pole of Inaccessibility North America) . ^[4]

Historically, ranching and dry land farming have been the chief agricultural pursuits possible given climate and soil conditions.

Bennett County lies entirely within the boundaries of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

History

This land has for centuries been the traditional territory of the Oglala Lakota, also known as the Sioux; it has been part of their legally defined territory since the treaty of 1851 and has remained within its legal boundaries through various other Treaties and Acts that reduced their land base to the current boundaries of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation when the reservation was created by the Act of March 2, 1889 (25 Stat. 888). ^[5] Despite its reservation status, most of the county was opened for settlement by the Act of May 27, 1910, where the US Congress "authorized and directed the Secretary of Interior to sell and dispose of all that portion of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, in the State of South Dakota, lying and being in Bennett County". Open settlement was ended by a Secretarial Order of June 10, 1936, which restored "to tribal ownership of all lands which are now, or may hereafter be, classified as undisposed-of surplus opened lands of the Pine Ridge Reservation...." ^[6] The allotment process left the county's landownership a "checkerboard" mixture of Indian trust lands and state and private lands. ^[7]

The county was created in 1909, with land partitioned from Fall River County. ^[8] On April 27, 1912, the county's first board of commissioners was elected. In November 1912, residents chose the town of Martin as the county seat.

Dispute Over Reservation Status

A 1975 decision of the Eighth Circuit Court decided that Bennett County was not to be considered part of the Pine Ridge Reservation. However, the federal government participated in that lawsuit only as amicus, and did not consider itself bound by that decision because it did not participate in the litigation. The United States was a party in United States v. Bennett County, 394 F.2d 8 (8th Cir. 1968), in which the State of South Dakota had to obtain permission from the Department of the Interior in order to fix roads or condemn property in Bennett County, consistent with the property's reservation status. ^[9] Putnam v. United States 248 F.2d 292 (8th Cir. 1957) ruled that "Bennett County is within the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation created by the Act of Congress of March 2, 1889, 25 Stat. 888." The Federal Government recognizes Bennett County as being entirely within the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. In 2004, in State of South Dakota v. Acting Great Plains Regional Director, Bureau of Indian Affairs Docket Number IBIA3-24-A the State of South Dakota argued against an Oglala Sioux Tribal member's application to the BIA to return a 10-acre tract of land in Bennett County into Federal Trust arguing it was outside of the Boundary of the Pine Ridge Reservation. The judge ruled in favor of the applicant and Bureau of Indian Affairs' affirming that Bennett County is indeed within the boundaries of the Reservation. ^[10]

Native/Non-Native Relations

Both Lakota and European Americans have worked during recent decades to improve relations between the groups, which residents commonly refer to as full-bloods, mixed-bloods (usually both identified as Native American) and whites. Intermarriage continues between the groups and cooperation has been increasing. ^[11] In the mid-1990s, residents co-sponsored a concurrent powwow and rodeo in the county. By the 1990s, people of Native American descent comprised the majority of county residents. In the 2000 Census, 5.7% of the people in Bennett County identified as mixed-race Native American-European American (more Lakota socially identify as having mixed-race ancestry). This is the highest percentage of any county within US boundaries, except northeastern Oklahoma and White Earth Indian Reservation in northwestern Minnesota. ^[12]

Bennett County was in national news in 2014 when the township of Swett was put up for sale. The township's two residents listed six acres and all property in the township for sale for nearly $400,000. ^[13] By 2016 the price had been reduced to $250,000, still with no takers. ^[14]

Geography

Bennett County lies on the south line of South Dakota. Its south boundary line abuts the north boundary line of the state of Nebraska. The Little White River flows eastward through the lower central part of the county. ^[15] The highest point on the county's terrain is the SW corner, at 3,497 ft (1,066 m) ASL. Its lowest point is along the north boundary line, at 2,703 ft (824 m) ASL. ^[16] The terrain consists of rolling hills cut with drainage gullies, sloping to the east-northeast.

The county has a total area of 1,191 square miles (3,080 km²), of which 1,185 square miles (3,070 km²) is land and 5.8 square miles (15 km²) (0.5%) is water. ^[17]

The eastern portion of South Dakota's counties (48 of 66) observe Central Time; the western counties (18 of 66) observe Mountain Time. Bennett County is the easternmost of the SD counties to observe Mountain Time. ^[18]

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 18
• South Dakota Highway 73

Adjacent counties

• Jackson County - north
• Mellette County – northeast (boundary of Central Time)
• Todd County - east (boundary of Central Time)
• Cherry County, Nebraska - south (eastern part of county observes Central Time)
• Sheridan County, Nebraska – southwest
• Oglala Lakota County - west

Protected areas

• Lacreek National Wildlife Refuge
• Little White River Recreation Area ^[19]
• Little White River State Game Production Area
• Todd State Game Production Area

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1910	96		—
1920	1,924		1,904.2%
1930	4,590		138.6%
1940	3,983		−13.2%
1950	3,396		−14.7%
1960	3,053		−10.1%
1970	3,088		1.1%
1980	3,044		−1.4%
1990	3,206		5.3%
2000	3,574		11.5%
2010	3,431		−4.0%
2020	3,381		−1.5%
2023 (est.)	3,305	[20]	−2.2%
U.S. Decennial Census [21] 1790-1960 [22] 1900-1990 [23] 1990-2000 [24] 2010-2020 [1]

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 3,381 people, 1,085 households, and 737 families residing in the county. ^[25] The population density was 2.9 inhabitants per square mile (1.1/km²). There were 1,177 housing units.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 3,431 people, 1,090 households, and 766 families in the county. The population density was 2.9 inhabitants per square mile (1.1/km²). There were 1,263 housing units at an average density of 1.1 per square mile (0.42/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 61.5% American Indian, 33.7% white, 0.4% Asian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 0.1% black or African American, 0.2% from other races, and 4.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 20.9% were German, 5.1% were Swedish, and 1.9% were American.

Of the 1,090 households, 42.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.3% were married couples living together, 20.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 29.7% were non-families, and 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 3.11 and the average family size was 3.73. The median age was 28.7 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,841 and the median income for a family was $38,487. Males had a median income of $40,158 versus $31,406 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,153. About 24.3% of families and 32.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 42.3% of those under age 18 and 15.4% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

• Martin (county seat)

Census-designated places

• Allen

Unincorporated communities

• Blackpipe
• Harrington
• Tuthill
• Vetal

Former communities

• Swett

Politics

Bennett is a solidly Republican county in Presidential elections. It has not been carried by a Democratic Presidential nominee since Lyndon Johnson’s landslide of 1964, although vis-à-vis most West River counties it has a sizeable Democratic vote and a substantial Native American population. Both John Kerry in 2004 and Barack Obama in 2008 came within five percentage points of carrying the county.

United States presidential election results for Bennett County, South Dakota ^[26]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	676	62.13%	389	35.75%	23	2.11%
2020	694	58.66%	466	39.39%	23	1.94%
2016	666	57.96%	412	35.86%	71	6.18%
2012	626	52.04%	548	45.55%	29	2.41%
2008	614	50.83%	557	46.11%	37	3.06%
2004	833	51.10%	759	46.56%	38	2.33%
2000	712	63.80%	377	33.78%	27	2.42%
1996	539	47.07%	507	44.28%	99	8.65%
1992	556	46.45%	413	34.50%	228	19.05%
1988	663	52.54%	579	45.88%	20	1.58%
1984	856	65.05%	453	34.42%	7	0.53%
1980	919	69.41%	350	26.44%	55	4.15%
1976	610	54.91%	481	43.29%	20	1.80%
1972	808	62.83%	476	37.01%	2	0.16%
1968	665	53.93%	457	37.06%	111	9.00%
1964	624	44.60%	775	55.40%	0	0.00%
1960	779	56.20%	607	43.80%	0	0.00%
1956	746	52.13%	685	47.87%	0	0.00%
1952	873	62.85%	516	37.15%	0	0.00%
1948	477	38.10%	758	60.54%	17	1.36%
1944	494	46.60%	566	53.40%	0	0.00%
1940	915	51.55%	860	48.45%	0	0.00%
1936	530	39.29%	807	59.82%	12	0.89%
1932	453	23.74%	1,410	73.90%	45	2.36%
1928	766	58.16%	544	41.31%	7	0.53%
1924	444	57.07%	102	13.11%	232	29.82%
1920	220	48.67%	199	44.03%	33	7.30%
1916	67	22.56%	222	74.75%	8	2.69%
1912	0	0.00%	179	70.75%	74	29.25%

Education

The Bennett County School District serves all of Bennett County. ^[27]

The Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) is affiliated with the American Horse School, a K-8 school in Allen operated by a tribal group. ^[28]

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listing

References

1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. Suzanne R. Schaeffer, Assistant Solicitor, Environment, Land and Minerals Branch, Division of Indian Affairs
4. Garcia-Castellanos, D.; U. Lombardo (2007). "Poles of Inaccessibility: A Calculation Algorithm for the Remotest Places on Earth" (PDF). Scottish Geographical Journal . 123 (3): 227–233. doi:10.1080/14702540801897809. S2CID   55876083. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 29, 2014. () - p. 231: "Region: America, North Longitude (deg. E.) -101.97 Latitude (deg. N.) 43.36 distance (km) 1639 uncertainty (km) +14 Altitude (m) 1030"
5. "Bennett County, South Dakota v. United States, 394 F.2d 8 | Casetext Search + Citator".
6. Secretarial Order
7. Ecoffey, Brandon (August 24, 2016). "Lakota Country Times: County seeks compensation for trust lands". Lakota Country Times – via Indianz.
8. "Dakota Territory, South Dakota, and North Dakota: Individual County Chronologies". Dakota Territory Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. 2006. Archived from the original on April 2, 2018. Retrieved March 28, 2015.
9. Suzanne R. Schaeffer, Assistant Solicitor, Environment, Land and Minerals Branch, Division of Indian Affairs
10. "State of South Dakota and Bennett County SD v. Acting Great Plains Regional Director BIA" (PDF). oha.doi.gov. October 3, 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022.
11. Gwen Florio, "Indians Show Political Clout; Natives Throng Polls in 'White' SD County" Archived November 16, 2008, at the Wayback Machine , The Denver Post, January 8, 2003, accessed June 8, 2011
12. Sterling Fluharty, "Review of Wagoner, Paula L., 'They Treated Us Just Like Indians': The Worlds of Bennett County SD", H-AmIndian, H-Net Reviews, March 2004, accessed June 8, 2011
13. "Buy a town: Swett, South Dakota for sale". Usatoday.com. Retrieved June 30, 2014.
14. Saloon Included (accessed January 30, 2019)
15. Bennett County SD Google Maps (accessed January 30, 2019)
16. ""Find an Altitude" Google Maps (accessed January 30, 2019)". Archived from the original on May 21, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
17. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
18. Map of Time Zone Line through South Dakota (accessed January 30, 2019)
19. Little White River Recreation Area, Martin SD Google Maps (accessed January 30, 2019)
20. "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2023" . Retrieved March 17, 2024.
21. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
22. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
23. Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
24. "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 22, 2015.
25. "US Census Bureau, Table P16: Household Type". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
26. Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
27. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Bennett County, SD" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
28. "American Horse School". Bureau of Indian Education . Retrieved August 11, 2021.

43°11′N101°40′W / 43.18°N 101.66°W / 43.18; -101.66