Timeline of Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Last updated July 12, 2025

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA.

19th century

1856 - Western Town Company develops townsite.^[1]
1857 - Dakota Land Company develops townsite.^[2]
1859 - Democrat newspaper begins publication.^[3]
1867 - Permanent settlement established. ^[4]
1868 - Sioux Falls becomes capital of Minnehaha County, Dakota Territory.^[5]
1871 - Cataract House hotel in business.^[6]
1872
- Sioux Falls Pantagraph newspaper begins publication.^[3]
- Calvary Church built.^[6]
1873
- Sioux Falls Independent newspaper begins publication.^[3]
- Population: 593.^[2]
1874 - Bank for Savings opens.^[6]
1877
- Village incorporated.^[4]
- March: C.K. Howard elected president of village board of trustees.^[6]
1878 - Sioux Falls Times newspaper begins publication.^[3]
1879
- Irving School, Free Methodist Church, and Congregational Church built.^[6]
- Ladies Club library organized.^[7]
1880 - Dakota Territorial School for Deaf Mutes established.^[7]
1881
- Sioux Falls Argus newspaper begins publication.^[6]
- Penitentiary established.^[7]
- Queen Bee Mill in business.^[6]
1882
- Telephone begins operating.^[6]
- First Baptist Church built.^[6]
1883
- City chartered.^[4]
- April 3: Jacob Schaetzel elected mayor.^[6]
- Sioux Falls College founded.^[4]
- Sioux Falls Daily Press newspaper begins publication.^[6]
1884 - Swedish Baptist Church built.^[6]
1885
- Norberg Paints founded, still operating as the oldest family owned business in the state of South Dakota.
- Dakota Deutsche Zeitung German-language newspaper begins publication.^[6]
1886 - Sioux Falls Bank established.^[6]
1887
- Streetcars begin operating.^[6]
- Dakota Bell begins publication.^[6]
1889
- Lutheran Normal School opens.^[4]
- German Congregational Emanuel Church and Episcopal Calvary Cathedral built.^[6]^[7]
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Sioux Falls established.
1890
- Minnehaha County Courthouse built.^[7]
- Porter P. Peck becomes mayor.^[6]
- Population: 10,177.^[4]
1891
- Jordan Methodist Church dedicated.^[6]
- Syd Dakota Ekko Norwegian-language newspaper relocates to Sioux Falls.^[6]
1894 - Fremad Norwegian/English-language newspaper begins publication.^[3]
1895 - Federal Building and United States Courthouse (Sioux Falls, South Dakota) constructed.
1897 - Scandinavian Methodist Episcopal Church organized.^[6]
1900
- Manchester Biscuit Company in business.^[7]^[8]
- Western Surety Company created by Joe Kirby.
- Cataract Hotel Burns down, leading to Sioux Falls Volunteer Fire Dept. becoming a paid department.
- Population: 10,266.^[4]

20th century

1903 - Carnegie Free Public Library opens.^[9]
1905 - Minnehaha Country Club founded.^[10]
1907 - First Congregational Church (Sioux Falls, South Dakota) built.
1908 - South Dakota Central Railway built.^[11]
1909 - Morrell Packing Plant in business.^[7]
1910 - Population: 14,094.^[4]
1911 - Orpheum Theatre built.^[12]
1912
- Eighth Street Bridge (Sioux Falls, South Dakota) and Central Fire Station constructed.^{[ citation needed ]}
- McKennan Hospital established.^[7]
1916 Eastside Fire Station constructed.^{[ citation needed ]}
1917 - Coliseum theatre built.^[12]
1918
- Augustana College and Normal School established.
- St. Joseph Cathedral (Sioux Falls, South Dakota) completed.^[7]
1922 - August 17: Three prisoners escape from State Penitentiary.^[7]
1924
- Masonic Library founded.^[7]
- Josephine Martin Glidden Memorial Chapel built.
1925 - State Theatre built.^[12]
1928 - Pettigrew Museum established.^[7]
1930 - Sioux Valley Hospital built.^[7]
1936 - March: Two prisoners escape from State Penitentiary.^[7]
1937 - City Hall built.^[7]
1942 - Sioux Falls Army Air Base established.
1949 - North American Baptist Seminary relocates to Sioux Falls.
1963 - Great Bear Ski Area established.
1966 - Pathfinder Nuclear Generating Station commissioned in nearby Brandon Township.
1970 - Sioux Falls Regional Airport terminal built.
1974 - Siouxland Heritage Museums established.^[13]
1975 - Empire Mall in business.
1981 - City of Sioux Falls Township Annexation Study^[14] was completed in November 1981
1983 - December 20: Airplane accident.
1986 - Qwest Tower (Sioux Falls) built.
1988 - Sioux Falls Jazz and Blues Festival begins.
1990 - Sister city relationship established with Potsdam, Germany.^[15]
1993 - Sister city relationship established with Strabane, Northern Ireland.^[15]
1995 - Central Baptist Church built.
1998 - City website online (approximate date).^[16]^{[ chronology citation needed ]}
1999 - Washington Pavilion of Arts and Science opens.
2000 - Population: 123,975.^[17]

21st century

2002 - Dave Munson becomes mayor.
2005 - Zip Feed Tower demolished.
2008 - Sister city relationship established with Newry and Mourne, Northern Ireland.^[15]
2010
- Mike Huether becomes mayor.^[18]^[19]
- Population: 153,888.^[20]
2011 - October 15: Occupy protest.

References

↑ Frank Leslie Ransom (1917), The Sunshine State: a History of South Dakota, Mitchell, S. D: Educator School Supply Co.
1 2 "History of Sioux Falls". City of Sioux Falls. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
1 2 3 4 5 "US Newspaper Directory". Chronicling America. Washington DC: Library of Congress. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Britannica 1910.
↑ Wishart 2004.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Bailey 1899.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Federal Writers' Project 1938.
↑ Doane Robinson (1904), History of South Dakota, B. F. Bowen, OL 13500661M v.2
↑ "Siouxland Libraries". City of Sioux Falls. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
↑ "Minnehaha Country Club" . Retrieved March 31, 2013.
↑ "South Dakota Central Sold". Commercial West . Minneapolis. June 17, 1916. hdl:2027/coo.31924087741637.
1 2 3 "South Dakota Historic Theatres". Maryland, USA: League of Historic American Theatres . Retrieved March 31, 2013.
↑ American Association for State and Local History (2002). Directory of Historical Organizations in the United States and Canada. Rowman Altamira. ISBN 0759100020.
↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 24, 2015. Retrieved April 9, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
1 2 3 "Sister Cities Association of Sioux Falls" . Retrieved December 30, 2014.
↑ "City of Sioux Falls". Archived from the original on March 2, 1999 – via Internet Archive, Wayback Machine.
↑ "Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000". Sioux Falls City, South Dakota QuickLinks. State & County QuickFacts. US Census Bureau.
↑ "Mayor: Biography". City of Sioux Falls. Archived from the original on October 17, 2011.
↑ "Meet the Mayors". Washington, DC: United States Conference of Mayors. Archived from the original on June 27, 2008. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
↑ "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010". Sioux Falls City, South Dakota QuickLinks. State & County QuickFacts. US Census Bureau.

Bibliography

Dana Reed Bailey (1899), "City of Sioux Falls", History of Minnehaha County, South Dakota, Sioux Falls: Brown & Saenger, printers
"Sioux Falls" . Encyclopædia Britannica . Vol. 25 (11th ed.). 1910. p. 150.
"Sioux Falls". Automobile Blue Book. New York: Automobile Blue Book Publishing Co. 1921. hdl:2027/mdp.39015069273939.
"Sioux Falls". South Dakota State Gazetteer and Business Directory. R.L. Polk & Co. 1921. hdl:2027/umn.31951d00640540t – via HathiTrust.
Federal Writers' Project (1938). "Sioux Falls". South Dakota Guide. American Guide Series. Pierre, S.D., State publishing company.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)
David J. Wishart, ed. (2004). "Cities and Towns: Sioux Falls, South Dakota". Encyclopedia of the Great Plains. University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 0-8032-4787-7.
James Fallows and Deborah Fallows, ed. (April 5, 2017), "City Makers: American Futures", The Atlantic (series of articles about Sioux Falls), 2014-

External links

Items related to Sioux Falls, various dates (via Digital Public Library of America).

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[ransom1917-1] Frank Leslie Ransom (1917), The Sunshine State: a History of South Dakota, Mitchell, S. D: Educator School Supply Co.

[cityhist-2] 1 2 "History of Sioux Falls". City of Sioux Falls. Retrieved March 31, 2013.

[LOC-3] 1 2 3 4 5 "US Newspaper Directory". Chronicling America. Washington DC: Library of Congress. Retrieved March 31, 2013.

[FOOTNOTEBritannica1910-4] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Britannica 1910.

[FOOTNOTEWishart2004-5] Wishart 2004.

[FOOTNOTEBailey1899-6] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Bailey 1899.

[FOOTNOTEFederal_Writers'_Project1938-7] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Federal Writers' Project 1938.

[8] Doane Robinson (1904), History of South Dakota, B. F. Bowen, OL 13500661M v.2

[9] "Siouxland Libraries". City of Sioux Falls. Retrieved March 31, 2013.

[10] "Minnehaha Country Club" . Retrieved March 31, 2013.

[11] "South Dakota Central Sold". Commercial West . Minneapolis. June 17, 1916. hdl:2027/coo.31924087741637.

[LHAT-12] 1 2 3 "South Dakota Historic Theatres". Maryland, USA: League of Historic American Theatres . Retrieved March 31, 2013.

[aaslh2002-13] American Association for State and Local History (2002). Directory of Historical Organizations in the United States and Canada. Rowman Altamira. ISBN 0759100020.

[14] "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 24, 2015. Retrieved April 9, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

[sister-15] 1 2 3 "Sister Cities Association of Sioux Falls" . Retrieved December 30, 2014.

[16] "City of Sioux Falls". Archived from the original on March 2, 1999 – via Internet Archive, Wayback Machine.

[17] "Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000". Sioux Falls City, South Dakota QuickLinks. State & County QuickFacts. US Census Bureau.

[18] "Mayor: Biography". City of Sioux Falls. Archived from the original on October 17, 2011.

[19] "Meet the Mayors". Washington, DC: United States Conference of Mayors. Archived from the original on June 27, 2008. Retrieved March 31, 2013.

[20] "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010". Sioux Falls City, South Dakota QuickLinks. State & County QuickFacts. US Census Bureau.

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