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Day County, South Dakota

16 topographic sheets cover 12 settlements here, and 13 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Research this county

From the record

13 National Register listings published here.

Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service

South Dakota within the United States
Day County within South Dakota

What the record shows

  • 85 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
  • 13 properties here are on the National Register of Historic Places: 11 buildings, 1 district and 1 structure.
  • 1 of the 13 listings was added during the 1970s.
  • The Geographic Names Information System records 12 populated places in this county; 12 are covered by at least one topographic sheet.

Places on the National Register

13

Every property in this county listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the year it was listed and the federal nomination document.

Photograph PropertyType ListedReference
James and Wilhelmina Anderson Housebuilding2020100005111
Charles A. Barber Farmsteaddistrict198888000048
Charles A. Barber Farmstead (Boundary Increase)structure199696001226
Chilson, Chil and Julia Housebuilding2020100005112
Lars J. Fiksdal Housebuilding199595000279
First National Bank Buildingbuilding200505000626
William Havens Housebuilding198585000182
Anton and Mary Agnes Karpen Housebuilding200808000042
Roslyn Auditoriumbuilding200101000097
Waddel Mansionbuilding199494000564
Waldorf Hotelbuilding197979002401
John and Kittie Williams Housebuilding200808000043
Zoar Norwegian Lutheran Churchbuilding199090001644

Wildfire, 1992 to 2020

129 fires

Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 129 of them, burning about 6,517 acres. 3 started naturally and 8 were recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.

Reported cause Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined53
Debris and open burning40
Equipment and vehicle use10
Arson/incendiarism8
Misuse of fire by a minor7
Smoking5
Natural3
Fireworks2
Recreation and ceremony1

The five largest, by the area the report gives. None of them was recorded as arson.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
21 October 2000Debris and open burning2,000 acresBristol Volunteer Fire DepartmentPHEASANT OPENER
30 April 1992Missing data/not specified/undetermined1,435 acresWaubay National Wildlife RefugeSPRING LKE
1 June 2009Debris and open burning309 acresSouth Dakota Wildland Fire Suppressionnot named
21 May 2008Debris and open burning307 acresSouth Dakota Wildland Fire Suppressionnot named
29 September 2001Equipment and vehicle use300 acresLangford Volunteer Fire DepartmentMARK JOHNSON
13 April 2002Debris and open burning212 acresSisseton AgencySHEPHARD
24 May 2002Misuse of fire by a minor133 acresSisseton AgencyBLUEDOG
5 May 2008Debris and open burning132 acresSouth Dakota Wildland Fire Suppressionnot named

Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.

Storms, 1953 to 2025

60 of 456 shown

The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 456 reports for this county, causing no deaths, 15 injuries and about $3,032,330 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.

Kind of event Reports
Hail207
Thunderstorm Wind185
Tornado32
Flood18
Flash Flood11
Funnel Cloud3

The most serious of them, by death, then injury, then recorded damage. The accounts are quoted exactly as the forecast office filed them.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
July 2008Thunderstorm WindWebster10 hurtThe lumber yard and cabinet shop in Webster were destroyed. Power lines and poles were downed along with hundreds of trees. A semi was overturned on Highway 12 west of Webster injuring the driver. Several other injuries occurred in Day County as a result of the windstorm. The injuries were minor to moderate with scrapes and abrasions to lower back injuries and a broken collar bone.
July 2005Thunderstorm WindWaubay4 hurtEighty mph winds or higher destroyed a 14 by 40 foot trailer home at Enemy Swim Lake. The four occupants inside were not seriously injured. The winds also damaged the roofs of two other homes, damaged several boat lifts and docks, downed some power lines and poles, damaged the school, and downed many trees and branches.
June 1973Tornado (F1)not stated1 hurt, $2,500no account filed
June 1979Tornado (F1)not stated$2,500,000no account filed
July 1996Tornado (F2)Pierpont$200,000no account filed
April 2023FloodPierpont$150,000Many roadways were flooded, including 447th Avenue south of Waubay.
April 2019FloodPierpont$104,300no account filed
June 1994Hailnot stated$50,000Hail damage occured in a continuous strip with widespread crop damage. Some vehicles were damaged, receiving broken windows and dents.
August 2009Flash FloodAndover$10,000no account filed
July 1994Thunderstorm WindWaubay$5,000Thunderstorm Winds blew down some power lines and tree limbs.
April 2006Flash FloodCrandall$5,000no account filed
June 1953Tornado (F2)not stated$2,500no account filed
October 1994Thunderstorm WindGrenville SD$2,000Thunderstorm winds blew shingles away and caused further damage to the roof of a house, allowing water to leak into three rooms.
May 1994HailRoslyn$500Roof shingles were ripped off of a house.
May 1994Thunderstorm WindRoslyn$500Roof shingles were ripped off of a house.
June 1954Tornado (F1)not stated$30no account filed
June 2025HailGrenville-A trained spotter reports hail to the size of half-dollars. Their vehicles received numerous dents, along with a broken windshield.
June 2025FloodWaubay-The Day county Emergency Manager sent photos of flooding of fields, ditches and with water over a portion of 148th st.
August 2025HailPierpont-Hail up to ping pong ball size along with wind caused significant crop damage, stripped leaves from trees, and damaged shingles.
August 2025Thunderstorm WindRoslyn-The caller stated that winds, estimated at 60 mph, with nickel size hail, caused damage to crops.
August 2025Thunderstorm WindRoslyn-The Fire Department in Roslyn reported numerous trees down in town.
August 2025Thunderstorm WindRoslyn-A trained spotter reported thunderstorm winds damaged the awning on a camper trailer.
August 2025FloodRoslyn-Heavy rain caused water to run over South Dakota Highway 27 one mile south of Pierpont. Water was also reported over 422nd ave, 3 miles east of Pierpont, where a vehicle hydroplaned into the ditch. One of the rural county roads 5 miles southeast of Pierpont was partly washed out. Roadside ditches were full across the better part of northwest and north central Day county, with water overtopping several additional roads. 3.6 inches of rainfall was measured 6 miles east southeast of Pierpont by a resident, while a trained spotter 1 mile south of Roslyn recorded 4.64 inches. A resident 7 miles west of Roslyn would go on to estimate they received 5 inches of total rainfall.
August 2025FloodPierpont-The Marshall County Emergency Manager reported flooding on multiple roads located south of Langford in Day county. Flooding was also reported along the creek located near the Back Forty Beef Farm, 5 miles southeast of Pierpont.
August 2023Thunderstorm WindWebster Muni Arpt-A trained spotter reported wind damage to his corn field.
May 2022Thunderstorm WindWebster Muni Arpt-A trained spotter reported estimated 70 mph wind gusts and tree damage.
May 2022Thunderstorm WindGrenville-Tree branches were downed by severe winds.
May 2022Thunderstorm WindGrenville-Straight-line winds damaged the side of a farm building by removing a few panels.
May 2022Thunderstorm WindWebster Muni Arpt-Several roof panels were lifted off a farm building.
May 2022Tornado (EF1)Webster Muni Arpt-A tornado 7 miles to the south-southeast of Webster hit an|outbuilding, pulling the roof off and knocking over the interior|wall. The debris from the building was carried to the northwest|for over 250 yards and spread out to the west. A calving shed was|rolled to the north and then northwest. A animal trailer was|tipped over and a metal windmill was knocked over and twisted.
June 2022Thunderstorm WindLily-The wind was recorded by a personal weather station.
June 2022HailWaubay-The report was relayed via social media.
May 2022Thunderstorm WindWebster Muni Arpt-A barn was destroyed by estimated 80 mph wind gusts.
August 2021Tornado (EF0)Webster Muni Arpt-A brief touchdown of a tornado occurred with no damage reported.
August 2021HailButler-A satellite depicted hail swath from a severe thunderstorm that started in Edmunds County across southern Brown County entered Day County continuing its crop damage. The storm weakened as it moved into Roberts County. The scar dimensions covered approximately 60 square miles in Day County.
August 2021HailButler-Windshields were broken and tree damage occurred from two inch hail.
October 2021Tornado (EF0)Roslyn-The fire department reported a brief tornado touchdown.
October 2021Thunderstorm WindRoslyn-The fire department reported trees down in Roslyn due to 60 to 70 mph estimated winds.
October 2021Thunderstorm WindRoslyn-Several trees were downed by estimated 70 mph winds.
June 2021Thunderstorm WindAndover-A farm shop lost its roof from winds near 70 mph.
July 2020Thunderstorm WindWebster-Estimated seventy mph winds downed several trees in Webster.
July 2020Thunderstorm WindGrenville-Estimated seventy mph winds flipped a pontoon and downed a tree at Pickerel Lake.
August 2020Thunderstorm WindWaubay-Sixty mph winds were estimated.
June 2020Thunderstorm WindBristol-Estimated ninety mph winds destroyed a machine shed.
June 2020Thunderstorm WindBristol-Seventy-five mph winds downed several trees and power lines in Bristol.
June 2020Thunderstorm WindWebster Muni Arpt-Sixty mph winds were estimated.
June 2020Thunderstorm WindWebster Muni Arpt-Sixty mph winds were estimated.
March 2019FloodPierpont-Snowmelt flooding resulted in fifteen roads covered by water from overwhelmed culverts.
August 2019FloodPierpont-Several homes on Blue Dog Lake on the north side of Waubay became surrounded by water. Water was up against seven or eight homes. Much of the sandbags placed earlier were underwater. Many roads were saturated or underwater in Day county.
July 2019Thunderstorm WindPierpont-Some tree branches were downed.
September 2019Tornado (EF1)Bristol-The tornado touched down in a field west of 424th Ave, crossed the road and tracked along the northern edge of a farmstead 4 miles north of Bristol. Multiple broken tree branches were noted, with some tossed 50 to 80 yards from the original source. One fiberglass shed was destroyed and tossed about 70 yards. Another outbuilding was lifted off the foundation and set down about 30 yards away. The tornado continued east of the farmstead, crossing two small lakes. The track was clearly shown by cattails flattened in a convergent pattern. The tornado then struck another tree with limbs broken and tossed. The final evidence of the tornado was a downed deer stand.
September 2019Tornado (EF0)Webster-A witness observed a tornado touch down over a lake and then track onto a pasture before lifting. No damage occurred.
September 2019Tornado (EF0)Bristol-Witnesses observed a tornado. Additional evidence of the touchdown was an area of convergent pattern-flattened cattails.
July 2018Thunderstorm WindWaubay-Seventy mph winds tipped over two campers with one rolling at Bitter Lake Lodge.
June 2018Thunderstorm WindWebster Muni Arpt-Two trees were snapped by an estimated eighty mph wind.
July 2018Thunderstorm WindRoslyn-Estimated sixty mph winds occurred.
July 2018Thunderstorm WindRoslyn-Sixty mph winds occurred again with another thunderstorm in Roslyn.
June 2017Thunderstorm WindHolmquist-Ninety mph winds or higher downed numerous trees with a storage shed completely destroyed.
June 2017Thunderstorm WindHolmquist-Several power poles were downed by an estimated ninety mph winds.
June 2017Thunderstorm WindWebster-An estimated seventy-five mph wind downed several power lines in Webster.

Mines and quarries

9 recorded

The Survey's mineral resources record lists 9 workings inside this county. 7 still produce and 2 are closed or unrecorded. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.

Commodity Workings
Sand and Gravel, Construction9

The least common of them first, because a county's hundredth gravel pit says nothing its first ten did not.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Day County PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Donahue Sand & Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Ellington PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Gaikowski PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Gronke PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Lesner PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Opitz PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Opitz Pit #2Sand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer

Every populated place in the county

12

Named 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.

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.