Hand County, South Dakota

28 topographic sheets cover 11 settlements here, and 6 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Research this county

From the record

6 National Register listings published here.

Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service

South Dakota within the United States

Hand County within South Dakota

What the record shows

90 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
6 properties here are on the National Register of Historic Places: 4 buildings and 2 structures.
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

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

Property	Type	Listed	Reference
Hand County Courthouse and Jail	building	1994	94000193
Mack Jones House	building	2007	07001211
Port and Helen McWhorter House	building	2017	100001400
Miller Ree Creek Bridge	structure	1988	88001314
South Dakota Dept. of Transportation Bridge No. 30-257-400	structure	1993	93001293
St. Mary's Church, School and Convent	building	1982	82003928

Wildfire, 1999 to 2020

159 fires

Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 159 of them, burning about 10,642 acres. 17 started naturally and 3 were recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.

Reported cause	Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined	56
Equipment and vehicle use	47
Debris and open burning	30
Natural	17
Power generation/transmission/distribution	3
Arson/incendiarism	3
Smoking	1
Fireworks	1
Railroad operations and maintenance	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
20 November 2012	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	2,300 acres	South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression	SOUTH HAND
9 September 2003	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	800 acres	South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression	not named
9 September 2003	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	640 acres	South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression	DELMAR
11 October 2015	Equipment and vehicle use	500 acres	South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression	PORTER
9 September 2003	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	500 acres	Huron Wetland Management District	SLUNECKA
9 September 2003	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	480 acres	South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression	VAN ZEE BROS
1 October 2008	Debris and open burning	462 acres	South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression	not named
11 October 2015	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	450 acres	South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression	HARRELL BRO'S

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

Storms, 1956 to 2025

60 of 579 shown

The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 579 reports for this county, causing 1 death, 14 injuries and about $5,203,500 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.

Kind of event	Reports
Hail	321
Thunderstorm Wind	171
Tornado	40
Flash Flood	23
Flood	15
Funnel Cloud	9

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
August 2020	Tornado (EF2)	Polo	1 killed	The tornado initially touched down in the pasture land east of South Dakota Highway 45, roughly 0.8 miles south of 184th Street. It continued to track north for roughly 0.6 miles, damaging a tree grove and fence line. The track then turned west northwest and crossed South Dakota Highway 45, roughly 0.2 miles south of 184th street. A southbound RV pulling an enclosed trailer was struck. The trailer detached from the RV and the RV was lofted and rolled roughly 200 yards into a corn field on the west side of of South Dakota Highway 45. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene. The tornado track continued west northwest through the corn field for an estimated 0.4 miles. The tornado was at its peak width and intensity at this point. Corn was completely flattened in some areas with a distinct convergent pattern. As the tornado weakened and roped out the path took a southwest turn and persisted for roughly another 0.6 miles before coming to an end in the corn field.
June 1964	Tornado (F1)	not stated	10 hurt, $2,500,000	no account filed
July 2010	Flash Flood	Danforth	2 hurt, $150,000	Very heavy rains of 5 to 10 inches caused the Rosehill Dam to break in the early morning hours in southeast Hand county. Flash flooding began around 1 am CDT with two campers being swept up around 130 am CDT. The two campers clung to a tree until they could be rescued around 6 am CDT. They were both injured with one camper being treated for hypothermia and other airlifted to Sioux Falls to be treated for broken ribs and head trauma. \|\|The dam broke at 330 am CDT with the spillway breaking at 420 am CDT. There was a 100 to 150 foot hole left by the dam break. The flash flooding continued downstream on Sand Creek causing damage to area farms, filling basements, and flooding many roads.
June 1994	Hail	Miller	1 hurt, $500,000	The storm caused an estimated $3 million in crop damage. The damage path was estimated to be about 22 miles long and 4.5 miles wide. Hail was reported in drifts of three to four feet and large trees were blown down. About 70 thousand acres of cropland and pastures were completely destroyed. The hail killed pheasants and ducks and injured cattle. Many windows were broken in homes, holes were punched in mobile homes, damaged occured to contents of homes from hail which entered through windows, and many vehicles were extensively damaged. A man trying to hold a broken window together suffered a cut hand when hail shattered the glass.
June 1992	Thunderstorm Wind	not stated	1 hurt	no account filed
April 2019	Flood	Polo	$829,500	no account filed
June 1994	Hail	Ree Heights/Orient/	$500,000	About 70 thousand acres of cropland were flattened, 13 calves and about 50 pigs were killed. Trees were downed and a barn roof was blown off. Damage was estimated to be $1.25 million.
June 1978	Tornado	not stated	$250,000	no account filed
June 2024	Flash Flood	Danforth	$191,000	Hand county emergency management and sheriffs office has posted numerous photos of water in basements, water over roads and significant ponding in agricultural areas. Water was widespread across the southern half of the county.
April 2023	Flood	Polo	$150,000	no account filed
September 1983	Tornado (F2)	not stated	$25,000	no account filed
July 1971	Tornado (F2)	not stated	$25,000	no account filed
July 1971	Tornado (F3)	not stated	$25,000	no account filed
June 1959	Tornado (F2)	not stated	$25,000	no account filed
August 2005	Flash Flood	Ree Hgts	$15,000	no account filed
June 2013	Flash Flood	Danforth	$5,000	Flash flooding washed a culvert out of the road.
August 1993	Hail	not stated	$5,000	Golfball-size hail broke windows and stripped corn.
August 1985	Tornado (F1)	not stated	$2,500	no account filed
September 1983	Tornado (F2)	not stated	$2,500	no account filed
May 1959	Tornado (F2)	not stated	$2,500	no account filed
July 1994	Thunderstorm Wind	Miller	$500	Thunderstorm Winds blew down a utility pole.
July 2025	Thunderstorm Wind	Danforth	-	A member of the public indicated that thunderstorm winds had knocked down tree branches in excess of 2 inches in diameter with estimated 60 mph winds.
July 2025	Thunderstorm Wind	Danforth	-	The Remote Automatic Weather Stations (RAWS) in Huron recorded a peak wind gust of 72 mph, with tree damage observed nearby.
June 2024	Flash Flood	Vayland	-	Emergency management reported flooding from thunderstorms.
June 2023	Thunderstorm Wind	Ree Hgts	-	A South Dakota Department of Transportation weather station recorded a wind gust of 63 mph.
August 2023	Hail	St Lawrence	-	A member of the public reported that the storm generated quarter to golfball sized hail, enough to completely cover the ground.
July 2023	Tornado (EF0)	Danforth	-	A brief tornado resulted in the collapse of the walls of a 25X50 shed. The debris from the shed was spread roughly 75 yards to the southeast. There was no other visible damage to the property or shelterbelt. A neighbor to the southeast witnessed clear rotation extending from the cloud base in the direction of where the damaged occurred.
July 2023	Hail	Ree Hgts	-	The Emergency Manager reported quarter size hail and estimated winds of 60 mph.
July 2023	Thunderstorm Wind	Danforth	-	The Emergency Manager reported a shed was destroyed.
July 2023	Thunderstorm Wind	Danforth	-	The Emergency Manager reported large tree branches down, a camp obstacle course damaged, and broken glass on a window from wind driven hail or debris.
July 2023	Thunderstorm Wind	Danforth	-	The storm caused the collapse of the rafters on a house that was being built.
July 2023	Thunderstorm Wind	Danforth	-	Large tree branches were broken, and a grain cart was tipped over.
April 2022	Thunderstorm Wind	Danforth	-	Severe winds tossed a camper on Highway 45.
June 2022	Thunderstorm Wind	Polo	-	Five to six inch diameter tree branches were broken.
July 2022	Thunderstorm Wind	Miller	-	The Emergency Manager reported several trees uprooted and significant tree damage in Miller.
July 2022	Thunderstorm Wind	Ree Hgts	-	The public reported damage to a large portion of a mature tree.
July 2022	Thunderstorm Wind	Miller	-	A member of the public reported estimated 60 mph winds.
August 2021	Thunderstorm Wind	Polo	-	Winds were estimated at 70 mph.
July 2020	Flood	Miller	-	Heavy rain brought flooding of several homes in Miller with water in basements.
July 2020	Thunderstorm Wind	Polo	-	Estimated sixty-five mph winds downed tree branches along with a few trees.
August 2020	Thunderstorm Wind	Danforth	-	Estimated seventy mph winds damaged several outbuildings, fencing, and crops.
June 2019	Thunderstorm Wind	Ree Hgts	-	Sixty mph winds were estimated.
March 2019	Flood	Polo	-	Snowmelt brought flooded roads with many of them damaged along with culverts throughout the county. A travel advisory was issued for all county roads. There was flooding of homes near/in the cities of Miller and Saint Lawrence along with other rural homes throughout the county.
July 2019	Thunderstorm Wind	Ree Hgts	-	Sixty mph winds were estimated.
July 2019	Thunderstorm Wind	St Lawrence	-	Estimated sixty mph winds downed several tree branches.
July 2019	Thunderstorm Wind	St Lawrence	-	Estimated sixty mph winds downed some large tree branches.
July 2019	Thunderstorm Wind	Miller	-	An estimated seventy mph wind downed several large tree branches in Miller along with some trees at the golf course.
July 2018	Flash Flood	Polo	-	Rainfall from the night before along with additional rainfall from this storm brought more flash flooding to parts of northern Hand county.
July 2018	Flash Flood	Vayland	-	Township and county roads were underwater from very heavy rainfall.
July 2018	Flash Flood	Polo	-	Extreme rainfall of eleven inches caused flash flooding with many roads under water.
July 2018	Hail	Polo	-	Many acres of corn were stripped by quarter size hail.
June 2018	Tornado (EF0)	St Lawrence	-	A tornado touched down south of Burdette taking down some large tree branches and tossing them 25 to 30 feet in all directions. Some of the corn crop was also bent and flattened in areas.
June 2018	Tornado (EF0)	Vayland	-	A second tornado touched down picking up a substantial calving barn and rolling and tossing it about 100 feet to the northeast. The calving barn destroyed a fence line and severely damaged a chicken coop and large tree in the process. Sheet metal was removed from the top side of a separate barn. Additional debris was tossed to the southeast about 150 to 200 feet, bending a fence. Chemical and water storage tanks were tossed about 50 feet to the north. Hay bales were removed from stacks and tossed/rolled to the east with a bale in a feeder picked up and destroyed. Large hail dented the siding and broke windows on both houses on the farmstead.
June 2018	Flood	St Lawrence	-	Very heavy rains of 2 to 5 inches brought some flooded fields and pastures along with a few roads north of Miller and Ree Heights.
June 2018	Thunderstorm Wind	St Lawrence	-	Estimated eighty mph winds pushed a calf shelter from northwest to southeast and tipped over a fifth wheel livestock trailer. The winds also caused lots of tree damage.
June 2018	Thunderstorm Wind	Ree Hgts	-	Severe winds to an estimated eighty mph knocked over a couple semi-trailers and a hopper along with causing significant overhead door damage.
June 2018	Thunderstorm Wind	Ree Hgts	-	Estimated sixty mph winds downed some smaller six to eight inch diameter trees.
June 2018	Thunderstorm Wind	Ree Hgts	-	Estimated eighty mph winds knocked over empty van trailers along with an empty grain bin.
July 2018	Tornado (EF0)	St Lawrence	-	A tornado touched down briefly in an open field. Path length and width were estimated.
June 2017	Tornado (EF0)	Polo	-	Another brief tornado touched down southwest of Zell with no damage reported. Scattered debris was noted by the storm survey.

Mines and quarries

4 recorded

The Survey's mineral resources record lists 4 workings inside this county. All of them still produce. 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.

Site	Commodity	Status
Gold Mine Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Producer
Hand County Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Producer
Lyle Williams Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Producer
Pangburn Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Producer

Every populated place in the county

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.

Ames

Mondamin township · 57362 · Ames quadrangle

7 sheets, 1953 to 1985
Burdette

Burdette township · 57476 · On North Wolf Creek · Burdette quadrangle

8 sheets, 1899 to 1985
Danforth

Spring Lake township · 57381 · Vayland SW quadrangle

9 sheets, 1949 to 1985
Florence

Florence township · 57362 · Miller NW quadrangle

9 sheets, 1899 to 1985

No longer a settlement
Miller

Miller township · 57362 · Miller quadrangle

8 sheets, 1899 to 1985
Miller Dale Colony

Rockdale township · 57362 · Miller Dale Colony quadrangle

7 sheets, 1953 to 1985
Polo

Northwest Hand unorganized territory · 57467 · Polo quadrangle

8 sheets, 1951 to 1985
Ree Heights

Ree Heights town · 57371 · Ree Heights quadrangle

9 sheets, 1950 to 1985
Saint Lawrence

St. Lawrence town · 57373 · Miller quadrangle

8 sheets, 1899 to 1985
Sweetland

Ohio township · 57362 · Vayland SW quadrangle

9 sheets, 1949 to 1985

No longer a settlement
Vayland

Grand township · 57381 · Vayland quadrangle

8 sheets, 1950 to 1985

The vanished settlements of Hand County: the places named above that are no longer on the map.

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.