BlockFrom the record
7 National Register listings published here.
Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service
Brule County, South Dakota
28 topographic sheets cover 11 settlements here, and 7 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.
Research this county
What the record shows
- 101 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
- 7 properties here are on the National Register of Historic Places: 5 buildings, 1 structure and 1 object.
- The Geographic Names Information System records 11 populated places in this county; 11 are covered by at least one topographic sheet.
Places on the National Register
7Every property in this county listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the year it was listed and the federal nomination document.
| Photograph | Property | Type | Listed | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashley Shanty and Privy | building | 1999 | 99001580 | |
 | Chamberlain Bridge | structure | 2001 | 01000999 |
| Chamberlain Rest Stop Tipi | object | 2015 | 14001177 | |
 | Robert A. Crawford House | building | 1994 | 94001392 |
| Dunlap Methodist Episcopal Church | building | 2001 | 01000666 | |
 | Holy Trinity Church | building | 1983 | 83004205 |
| Edward Morrison House | building | 2005 | 05000945 |
Wildfire, 1993 to 2020
89 firesEvery wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 89 of them, burning about 2,577 acres. 6 started naturally and none was recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 61 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 12 |
| Natural | 6 |
| Debris and open burning | 5 |
| Smoking | 2 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 1 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 1 |
| Fireworks | 1 |
The five largest, by the area the report gives. None of them was recorded as arson.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 September 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 670 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | HEALY FIRE |
| 10 September 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 670 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | MAYER |
| 7 August 2006 | Smoking | 200 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | not named |
| 21 March 2009 | Equipment and vehicle use | 120 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | not named |
| 7 July 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | 103 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | not named |
| 11 July 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | KEINER FIRE |
| 29 July 2017 | Equipment and vehicle use | 90 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | GARY FIRE |
| 28 June 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | PHILLIP LARSON |
Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.
Storms, 1954 to 2025
60 of 385 shownThe NOAA Storm Events Database holds 385 reports for this county, causing no deaths, 2 injuries and about $5,688,090 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.
| Kind of event | Reports |
|---|---|
| Hail | 182 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 145 |
| Tornado | 28 |
| Flood | 18 |
| Flash Flood | 9 |
| Lightning | 2 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 |
The most serious of them, by death, then injury, then recorded damage. The accounts are quoted exactly as the forecast office filed them.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 1973 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | 1 hurt, $25,000 | no account filed |
| August 1987 | Thunderstorm Wind | not stated | 1 hurt | no account filed |
| June 1979 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $2,500,000 | no account filed |
| June 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Chamberlain | $700,000 | Thunderstorm winds severely damaged a large greenhouse and produce inside the greenhouse. The winds also blew down several large trees. |
| June 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Chamberlain | $500,000 | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including some trees blown down. The winds also damaged signs, fences and roofs, and blew many loose items around. |
| June 2024 | Flood | Bijou Hills | $259,000 | Rainfall amounts across Brule County from June 20-22 ranged from 4 to 11 inches. Widespread overland flooding ensued. ||Two homes were damaged by flood waters - one in the city of Chamberlain and the other in the countryside near Healy Dam. Numerous county roads were closed and damaged by flood waters. In addition, three small private dams washed out, including Pazour, Sharping, and Healy Dams. Silt from behind Healy Dam washed downstream and resulted in some damage to American Creek Marina along the Missouri River. Preliminary damage assessments estimate loss to public infrastructure across the county at nearly 259 thousand dollars. |
| July 1986 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| May 1975 | Tornado (F0) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| July 1957 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| September 2019 | Flood | Bijou Hills | $224,000 | Red Lake expanded enough to flood cattle feed lots, which then contributed to an outbreak of Avian Botulism due to the contaminated water. Flooding resulted in crop losses and damage to public infrastructure including county and township roads, culverts, and some bridges. The property damage costs include estimates for public property losses. Crop loss estimates provided by the United States Department of Agriculture. |
| July 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Chamberlain | $150,000 | no account filed |
| July 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Kimball | $150,000 | no account filed |
| March 2019 | Flood | Bijou Hills | $140,000 | Flooding resulted in damage to public infrastructure including numerous county and township roads and culverts. |
| August 2002 | Hail | Chamberlain | $100,000 | Large hail, driven by strong winds, broke windows in a hospital and other buildings, and also in numerous vehicles. The hail also stripped corn crops in the area. The amount of crop damage was not known. |
| August 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Chamberlain Arpt | $25,000 | Thunderstorm winds blew a pickup and attached trailer through 2 fences and into a ditch along Highway 50. The winds also blew the side and roof off a barn. |
| May 1965 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| June 1954 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| May 2012 | Hail | Chamberlain Arpt | $20,000 | Large hail damaged vehicles, including 5 thousand dollars of damage to one pickup truck. |
| August 2004 | Lightning | Bijou Hills | $20,000 | Lightning struck a grain elevator at Cedar Grove Colony, blowing out the sides and bottom of the elevator. The lightning also overloaded a transformer and damaged the electrical system at the mill, resulting in a small fire at a fertilizer storage bin. |
| August 2002 | Lightning | Kimball | $20,000 | Lightning struck the corner of a house, blowing a hole in the siding of the attic's exterior wall, and also smashing a hole in the ceiling of a bedroom closet. Numerous appliances were destroyed. |
| June 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lyonville | $10,000 | Thunderstorm winds estimated at 65 mph damaged a portion of the roof on a farm shed, as well as damaged siding on a home. Property damage costs are a rough estimate. |
| June 2020 | Hail | Lyonville | $10,000 | Several cars were damaged by falling hail. Property damage costs are rough estimates. |
| July 2010 | Hail | Eagle | $10,000 | Baseball size hail broke windows and damaged siding on a house, and damaged two pickup trucks. The hail also caused moderate to severe crop damage in the area, but the amount of crop damage was not known. |
| July 2000 | Hail | Chamberlain | $10,000 | Large hail damaged crops, broke windows, and damaged paint. The amount of crop damage was not determined. |
| August 2019 | Flood | Chamberlain Arpt | $5,000 | Heavy rainfall of 3 to 5 inches produced flooding of fields and small creeks near Chamberlain. Several inches of flowing water was reported over roads. |
| July 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Chamberlain Arpt | $5,000 | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage at a campground. Falling trees broke the air conditioning shroud on one camper and the awning on another camper. |
| May 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Kimball | $5,000 | Thunderstorm winds broke windows and caused tree damage. |
| May 1982 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $30 | no account filed |
| July 1982 | Tornado (F0) | not stated | $30 | no account filed |
| July 1982 | Tornado (F0) | not stated | $30 | no account filed |
| April 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | (9v9)Chamberlain Arp | - | Roof and tree damage was reported by a cooperative weather observer. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | (9v9)Chamberlain Arp | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts were measured by ASOS station K9V9 at the Chamberlain Municipal Airport. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bijou Hills | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts as high as 58 mph were measured by South Dakota Mesonet station ACMS2 Academy 3NNW. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Kimball | - | Thunderstorm winds downed numerous large branches of 8 to 10 inches diameter. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Chamberlain Arpt | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts were measured by a personal weather station 1 mile north of Chamberlain. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | (9v9)Chamberlain Arp | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts were measured by a personal weather station 4 miles southwest of Chamberlain. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Kimball | - | An extended period of thunderstorm severe wind gusts were measured by a Road Weather Information System sensor at Kimball. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Kimball | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts were measured by a personal weather station 2 miles south of Kimball. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lyonville | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts were measured by a personal weather station 12 miles north of Kimball. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Kimball | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts were measured by a personal weather station 2 miles south of Kimball. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | (9v9)Chamberlain Arp | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts knocked down several trees and tore off part of a roof of a house. |
| July 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | (9v9)Chamberlain Arp | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts up to 60 mph were measured by the Automated Weather Observing System site near Chamberlain. |
| July 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Kimball | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts reached severe levels at the South Dakota Road Weather Information System site at Kimball, then attained a peak of 65 mph at 138 am CST. |
| June 2024 | Flash Flood | Chamberlain | - | Rainfall from 2 to 4 inches over a three hour period in the early evening led to multiple roads closed due to standing water. One home was damaged by water on south Main St. near Avenue of Flags in Chamberlain. For a more comprehensive description of flood damage, please see other entries for areal and river flooding for Brule County. |
| June 2024 | Flash Flood | Pukwana | - | Heavy rain of 2 to 4 inches over a couple hours led to a breach at Healy Dam, where a home was also damaged by flowing water. Panzour and Sharpings Lake Dam were also breached due to excessive runoff. Numerous county roads were inundated by standing and flowing water. For a more comprehensive description of flood damage, please see other entries for areal and river flooding for Brule County. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | (9v9)Chamberlain Arp | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts as high as 61 mph were measured by the Automated Weather Observing System site K9V9 3 miles south of Chamberlain. |
| June 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | (9v9)Chamberlain Arp | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts up to 58 mph were measured at Automated Weather Observing System site K9V9 near Chamberlain. |
| June 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Chamberlain | - | A thunderstorm wind gust of 60 mph was measured by a personal weather station on the north side of Chamberlain. |
| August 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | (9v9)Chamberlain Arp | - | Numerous branches around 3 inches in diameter were downed by thunderstorm winds. | A large dead tree of 20 inches in diameter toppled across a road. Crop damage is an estimate from insured losses. Information provided by the United States Department of Agriculture. |
| April 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Kimball | - | A thunderstorm wind gust of 66 mph was reported at the South Dakota Road Weather Information System site near Kimball, SD (station SD537). |
| April 2022 | Hail | Lyonville | - | Photo of large hail sent on social media. |
| August 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Kimball | - | A large dead tree was downed by thunderstorm wind gusts, along with numerous larger branches from 3 to 4 inches in diameter. |
| August 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Chamberlain | - | A wind gust of 67 mph was measured on a personal weather station. Several large cottonwood trees were downed by wind gusts in town, and numerous other trees across the county. |
| June 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | (9v9)Chamberlain Arp | - | Automated weather station K9V9 measured a thunderstorm wind gust to 62 mph. |
| July 2021 | Hail | (9v9)Chamberlain Arp | - | Most of the hail was pea-sized, with a few stones as large as quarters. Crop damage is an estimate from insured losses. Information provided by the United States Department of Agriculture. |
| June 2020 | Hail | Eagle | - | Some damage was noted to corn fields. Crop damage is an estimate from insured losses. Information provided by the United States Department of Agriculture. |
| June 2020 | Hail | (9v9)Chamberlain Arp | - | Crop damage is an estimate from insured losses. Information provided by the United States Department of Agriculture. |
| June 2020 | Hail | Eagle | - | Crop damage is an estimate from insured losses. Information provided by the United States Department of Agriculture. |
| July 2020 | Hail | Kimball | - | Soybean leaves were ripped up with some wind and hail as large as quarters, but mostly up to nickel size. Crop damage is an estimate from insured losses. Information provided by the United States Department of Agriculture. |
| July 2020 | Hail | Kimball | - | Nickel sized hail piled up on the west side of buildings and stripped leaves from trees. |
Mines and quarries
4 recordedThe Survey's mineral resources record lists 4 workings inside this county. 1 still produces and 3 are closed or unrecorded. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.
| Commodity | Workings |
|---|---|
| Sand and Gravel, Construction | 4 |
The least common of them first, because a county's hundredth gravel pit says nothing its first ten did not.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glaus Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Helmas Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
Every populated place in the county
11Named settlements recorded in the Geographic Names Information System, each with the topographic sheets covering it. Villages, hamlets and abandoned places alike. Each is shown with the nearest named watercourse or landform and the survey quadrangle it falls on.
-
Cedar Grove Colony
Torrey Lake township · 57369 · Cedar Grove Colony quadrangle
8 sheets, 1955 to 1990
-
Chamberlain
Chamberlain city · 57325 · On American Creek · Chamberlain quadrangle
11 sheets, 1935 to 1990
-
Grandview
Grandview unorganized territory · 57325 · Red Lake West quadrangle
11 sheets, 1940 to 1990
Provenance
- Topographic sheets. USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection, county index, measured from the bulk metadata.
- Fire insurance maps. Library of Congress Sanborn collection, faceted to this county.
- Photographs. Each place queried individually against the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs search.
- Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
- Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
- Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.