| Spink Township | |
|---|---|
| Township | |
Street in Spink | |
  Spink Township Location within the state of South Dakota | |
| Coordinates: 42°51′07″N96°44′49″W / 42.85194°N 96.74694°W Coordinates: 42°51′07″N96°44′49″W / 42.85194°N 96.74694°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | South Dakota |
| County | Union |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 245 |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
Spink Township is a township in Union County, South Dakota, United States. Its population was 245 at the 2000 census. [1]
A civil township is a widely used unit of local government in the United States that is subordinate to a county. The term town is used in New England, New York, and Wisconsin to refer to the equivalent of the civil township in these states. Specific responsibilities and the degree of autonomy vary based on each state. Civil townships are distinct from survey townships, but in states that have both, the boundaries often coincide and may completely geographically subdivide a county. The U.S. Census Bureau classifies civil townships as minor civil divisions. Currently, there are 20 states with civil townships.
Union County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 14,399. Its county seat is Elk Point. Originally named Cole County, its name was changed to Union because of Civil War sentiment.
South Dakota is a U.S. state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who compose a large portion of the population and historically dominated the territory. South Dakota is the seventeenth largest by area, but the fifth smallest by population and the 5th least densely populated of the 50 United States. As the southern part of the former Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889, simultaneously with North Dakota. Pierre is the state capital and Sioux Falls, with a population of about 183,200, is South Dakota's largest city.
Located in western Union County, Spink Township borders the following other townships: [2]
- Emmet Township — north
- Big Springs Township — northeastern corner
- Sioux Valley Township — east
- Richland Township — southeastern corner
- Brule Township — south
- Fairview Township, Clay County — southwestern corner
- Prairie Center Township, Clay County — west
- Garfield Township, Clay County — northwestern corner
Emmet Township is a township in Union County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 257 at the 2000 census.
A community, also named Spink, was established in the township in 1871. At its peak, the community was strong enough to compete for the title of county seat. [3]
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is used in Canada, China, Romania, Taiwan and the United States. County towns have a similar function in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, and historically in Jamaica.
Toward the end of the 20th century only a few business remained in the community of Spink. The Spink Cafe was the center of life in the township and was still a place where farmers would gather. Gary's Repair was a place where people could get the truck or tractor a little work and the old Co-Op that went by the name of Spink Oil was the town's gas station. Spink Oil closed in 1997 and today only the Cafe and Gary's Repair remain.
A proposed refinery by Hyperion Refining, LLC is now working to build the nation's first new oil refinery in years in the United States, this proposed refinery has created a large split in the corn and bean farmers of Union County. A few family farms were given money for options on the land that makes up the family farms that have been a part of the county since the late 19th century. This split lead to the formation of the save union county group and attracted a lot of media attention.
