Brule County, South Dakota

Brule County
County
Location within the U.S. state of South Dakota
South Dakota's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 43°43′N99°04′W / 43.72°N 99.06°W / 43.72; -99.06
Country	United States
State	South Dakota
Founded	1875 (created) 1879 (organized)
Named for	Brulé subtribe of Lakota people
Seat	Chamberlain
Largest city	Chamberlain
Area
• Total	846 sq mi (2,190 km2)
• Land	817 sq mi (2,120 km2)
• Water	29 sq mi (80 km2)  3.5%
Population  (2020)
• Total	5,247
• Estimate  (2023)	5,311
• Density	6.2/sq mi (2.4/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	At-large
Website	www.brulecounty.org

Brule County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,247. ^[1] Its county seat is Chamberlain. ^[2]

History

Brule County was created on January 14, 1875, of territory partitioned from Charles Mix County. Its governing structure was also created at that time. However, in May 1875, Brule County was withdrawn from settlement, by order of US President Grant. ^[3] This order was later annulled, and the organization of Brule County governing structure was completed in September 1879. ^[4]

On March 9, 1883, the area of Brule County was slightly increased by an addition of former Buffalo County lands. ^[5] The total area of Brule County was further increased on June 4, 1891, when American Island (in the Missouri River) ^[6] was attached to the county (from the Sioux Reservation). ^[7] Its boundaries have remained unchanged since that date.

Geography

The Missouri River flows southward along the western boundary line of Brule County. The county terrain consists of rolling hills, partially dedicated to agriculture. The county has a total area of 846 square miles (2,190 km²), of which 817 square miles (2,120 km²) is land and 29 square miles (75 km²) (3.5%) is water. ^[8]

Major highways

• Interstate 90
• South Dakota Highway 45
• South Dakota Highway 50

Adjacent counties

• Buffalo County - north
• Jerauld County - northeast
• Aurora County - east
• Charles Mix County - south
• Lyman County - west

Protected areas

• Boyer State Game Production Area
• Brule Bottom State Game Production Area
• Burning Brule State Game Production Area
• Chain lake State Game Production Area
• Chamberlain State Game Production Area
• Elm Creek State Game Production Area
• Elm Creek State Lakeside Use Area
• Hoover State Game Production Area
• Kimball State Game Production Area
• Lake Sixteen State Game Production Area

Lakes

• Lake Francis Case (part)
• Red Lake

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1880	238		—
1890	6,737		2,730.7%
1900	5,401		−19.8%
1910	6,451		19.4%
1920	7,141		10.7%
1930	7,416		3.9%
1940	6,195		−16.5%
1950	6,076		−1.9%
1960	6,319		4.0%
1970	5,870		−7.1%
1980	5,245		−10.6%
1990	5,485		4.6%
2000	5,364		−2.2%
2010	5,255		−2.0%
2020	5,247		−0.2%
2023 (est.)	5,311	[9]	1.2%
U.S. Decennial Census [10] 1790–1960 [11] 1900–1990 [12] 1990–2000 [13] 2010–2020 [1]

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 5,247 people, 2,024 households, and 1,271 families residing in the county. ^[14] The population density was 6.4 inhabitants per square mile (2.5/km²). There were 2,344 housing units.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 5,255 people, 2,136 households, and 1,375 families in the county. The population density was 6.4 inhabitants per square mile (2.5/km²). There were 2,433 housing units at an average density of 3.0 units per square mile (1.2 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 88.4% white, 8.5% American Indian, 0.2% black or African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 2.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.4% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 51.7% were German, 11.7% were Irish, 11.5% were Czech, 10.9% were Norwegian, 6.2% were English, and 1.3% were American.

Of the 2,136 households, 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.0% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 35.6% were non-families, and 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 3.03. The median age was 41.3 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $48,277 and the median income for a family was $58,363. Males had a median income of $33,958 versus $25,051 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,779. About 9.8% of families and 9.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.0% of those under age 18 and 10.6% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

• Chamberlain (county seat)
• Kimball

Town

• Pukwana

Census-designated places

• Bijou Hills
• Cedar Grove Colony
• Grass Ranch Colony
• Ola

Unincorporated community

• Grandview ^[15]

Townships

• America
• Brule
• Chamberlain
• Cleveland
• Eagle
• Highland
• Kimball
• Lyon
• Ola
• Plainfield
• Pleasant Grove
• Plummer
• Pukwana
• Red Lake
• Richland
• Smith
• Torrey Lake
• Waldro
• West Point
• Wilbur
• Willow Lake
• Union

Politics

For the first century of South Dakota statehood, the predominately white voters of Brule County favored the Democratic Party. The county favored a Republican presidential candidate on just three occasions between 1896 and 1976. In the national landslide victories of Theodore Roosevelt, Harding and Dwight D. Eisenhower, when each candidate swept every other county in South Dakota, none obtained more than 53.1 percent of Brule County's vote. Richard Nixon, running against favorite son George McGovern in 1972, did not gain 46 percent in Brule County, while he was sweeping all but 129 other counties nationwide.

Since the "Reagan Revolution", voters in Brule County have shifted to favor Republican presidential candidates. Michael Dukakis in 1988 was the last Democrat to win a majority in Brule County, although Bill Clinton twice obtained a plurality. Four of the past five Republican nominees have won over 58 percent of Brule County's vote.

United States presidential election results for Brule County, South Dakota ^[16]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	1,750	70.28%	673	27.03%	67	2.69%
2016	1,565	68.40%	571	24.96%	152	6.64%
2012	1,499	63.01%	824	34.64%	56	2.35%
2008	1,407	57.69%	965	39.57%	67	2.75%
2004	1,544	58.73%	1,040	39.56%	45	1.71%
2000	1,268	58.51%	818	37.75%	81	3.74%
1996	981	40.81%	1,091	45.38%	332	13.81%
1992	908	33.93%	1,060	39.61%	708	26.46%
1988	971	49.19%	991	50.20%	12	0.61%
1984	1,578	61.74%	961	37.60%	17	0.67%
1980	1,674	59.79%	925	33.04%	201	7.18%
1976	1,175	43.15%	1,534	56.33%	14	0.51%
1972	1,421	45.88%	1,665	53.76%	11	0.36%
1968	1,237	43.94%	1,425	50.62%	153	5.44%
1964	968	30.51%	2,205	69.49%	0	0.00%
1960	1,403	46.72%	1,600	53.28%	0	0.00%
1956	1,317	41.02%	1,894	58.98%	0	0.00%
1952	1,578	53.13%	1,392	46.87%	0	0.00%
1948	1,056	38.48%	1,646	59.99%	42	1.53%
1944	1,002	41.51%	1,412	58.49%	0	0.00%
1940	1,352	42.42%	1,835	57.58%	0	0.00%
1936	982	29.61%	2,274	68.56%	61	1.84%
1932	797	24.04%	2,465	74.36%	53	1.60%
1928	1,431	46.46%	1,599	51.92%	50	1.62%
1924	1,060	37.11%	650	22.76%	1,146	40.13%
1920	1,036	51.03%	671	33.05%	323	15.91%
1916	729	41.66%	975	55.71%	46	2.63%
1912	0	0.00%	842	53.63%	728	46.37%
1908	753	46.80%	823	51.15%	33	2.05%
1904	693	51.60%	608	45.27%	42	3.13%
1900	644	47.14%	716	52.42%	6	0.44%
1896	441	39.59%	668	59.96%	5	0.45%
1892	538	44.03%	200	16.37%	484	39.61%

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Brule County, South Dakota

References

1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. Dakota Territory Laws 1874, 11th session, Chapter 31, p. 73
4. "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 January 30, 2019.
5. Dakota Territory Laws 1883, 15th session, chapter 14, p. 24
6. "place" Brule County SD Google Maps (accessed January 30, 2019)
7. South Dakota Laws 1891, 2nd session, chapter 45, p. 106
8. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
9. "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2023" . Retrieved March 17, 2024.
10. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
11. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
12. Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
13. "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.
14. "US Census Bureau, Table P16: Household Type". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
15. Grandview SD Google Maps (accessed January 30, 2019)
16. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 13, 2018.

43°43′N99°04′W / 43.72°N 99.06°W / 43.72; -99.06