BlockFrom the record
2 National Register listings published here.
Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service
Hanson County, South Dakota
22 topographic sheets cover 12 settlements here, and 2 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.
Research this county
What the record shows
- 138 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
- 2 properties here are on the National Register of Historic Places: 1 building and 1 structure.
- 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
2Every 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old Rockport Hutterite Colony | building | 1982 | 82003929 | |
 | Saint Peter's Grotto | structure | 2001 | 01000686 |
Wildfire, 1998 to 2020
83 firesEvery wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 83 of them, burning about 1,228 acres. 1 started naturally and 1 was recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 43 |
| Debris and open burning | 18 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 13 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 4 |
| Fireworks | 2 |
| Natural | 1 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 1 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 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 October 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 200 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | POWERS |
| 2 May 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 160 acres | Hanson County | GRASS FIRE |
| 9 March 2006 | Debris and open burning | 120 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | not named |
| 12 April 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | TUTTLE #1 |
| 23 March 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | ALBERTZ'S BLAZE |
| 17 March 2005 | Debris and open burning | 60 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | not named |
| 7 March 2000 | Debris and open burning | 50 acres | Ethan Volunteer Fire Department | GEORGE HOFFMAN |
| 8 October 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | TOLTON BALER |
Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.
Storms, 1954 to 2025
60 of 244 shownThe NOAA Storm Events Database holds 244 reports for this county, causing no deaths, 6 injuries and about $4,331,030 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.
| Kind of event | Reports |
|---|---|
| Hail | 90 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 74 |
| Flood | 56 |
| Tornado | 18 |
| Flash Flood | 4 |
| Lightning | 1 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alexandria | 3 hurt, $1,200,000 | Thunderstorm winds caused widespread damage to homes, trailers, barns, other structures, trees, and vehicles at the Oak Lane Hutterite colony south of Alexandria. Three people were injured when their trailer home was flipped and damaged. |
| June 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fulton | 2 hurt, $100,000 | Thunderstorm winds destroyed a mobile home, causing minor injuries to the couple inside at the time. The winds also caused damage to trees and sheds. |
| May 1954 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | 1 hurt, $25,000 | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Tornado (F3) | Farmer | $1,000,000 | A large and strengthening tornado destroyed buildings and other property on five farms and also destroyed trees and power lines before crossing the eastern edge of Hanson County. |
| September 2019 | Flood | Rockport | $510,000 | September 10-12 brought up to 8.30 inches of rainfall at Alexandria, producing widespread areal flooding. The spillway at Hanson Lake washed out and damaged the roadway below the spillway. Numerous state, county and township roads were impassable due to water, including State Highway 42 east of Ethan. The property damage costs include estimates for public property losses. Flooding also resulted in crop losses across the area. Crop loss estimates provided by the United States Department of Agriculture. |
| April 2011 | Flood | Plano | $500,000 | Major flooding of the James River, as well as flooding of small streams and lakes in the county, continued through April. Much farmland remained flooded, both near to and away from the James River. The James River was at its highest on April 1st, and fell very slowly during the month. A large area of land and numerous roads were flooded at the start of the month. Water was running over other roads, from flooded streams, creeks, and fields as well as from the James River. Many roads were heavily damaged. Some homes and businesses were also flooded, with the flooding of these places slowly alleviating through the month. High water and groundwater levels from record precipitation in the year 2010, a main reason the flooding onset was so fast in March, was also a main reason that the flooding subsided so slowly during April. |
| June 2024 | Flood | Rockport | $251,000 | Rainfall amounts across Hanson County from June 20-22 ranged from 6 to 8 inches. Overland flooding ensued with additional major flooding along the James River. Several roads were closed and damaged due to flooding. Preliminary damage assessments estimate loss to public infrastructure across the county to be 251 thousand dollars. The majority of overland flooding subsided by June 25, but river flooding continued through the end of the month. For additional information on river flooding, please see other flood entries for Hanson County. |
| March 2019 | Flood | Rockport | $150,000 | Flooding resulted in damage to public infrastructure including county and township roads and culverts. |
| May 2007 | Flood | Alexandria | $100,000 | Heavy rainfall caused flooding of low areas including fields, homes, businesses, schools, roads, streams, and bridges. The flooding was a longer term event than flash flooding, which also had resulted. Long term major flooding of the James River also resulted. Some parks and other recreation areas were affected. A few roads and bridges were washed out by the high water. The flooding delayed planting of crops in some areas. |
| September 2019 | Flood | Plano | $50,000 | A continuation of flooding from August, the James River near Mitchell (gage site JRMS2) responded sharply to 5 to 8 inches of rainfall between September 10-12 (7.54 inches at Mitchell) to reach the 4th highest crest on record at 8.05 feet above flood stage on September 13. Innumerable county and township roads near the river were inundated, with significant flooding of South Dakota Highway 37 east of Mitchell and 42 east of Ethan. Significant amounts of agricultural land remained flooded. Moderate flooding continued at the end of the month. |
| August 2009 | Hail | Alexandria | $50,000 | Large hail broke windows in buildings and vehicles, and dented vehicles. |
| May 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Emery | $50,000 | Thunderstorm winds caused widespread tree and power line damage. Numerous large trees were blown down, two of which heavily damaged a car and the roof of a house. Extensive cleanup of trees and debris was needed. The downed power lines resulted in a power outage affecting much of Emery for four and a half hours. |
| August 2004 | Lightning | Alexandria | $50,000 | Lightning struck a house, starting a fire which destroyed the top floor of the house. The fire took three hours to extinguish. |
| May 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | north of | $50,000 | A cattle shed and windmill were destroyed by high winds. |
| May 1998 | Tornado (F1) | Fulton | $50,000 | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Tornado (F2) | Fulton | $50,000 | no account filed |
| June 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alexandria | $30,000 | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Tornado (F1) | Alexandria | $20,000 | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Tornado (F1) | Emery | $20,000 | no account filed |
| August 2009 | Hail | Fulton | $10,000 | Large hail broke windows on vehicles and dented the vehicles. |
| May 2007 | Tornado (EF2) | Farmer | $10,000 | A tornado caused damage to trees and a junk yard after crossing over from McCook County. |
| May 2007 | Tornado (EF1) | Alexandria | $10,000 | A tornado damaged barns and blew out windows. |
| May 2007 | Tornado (EF1) | Riverside | $10,000 | A tornado damaged a farmstead, blowing the roof off a gust house. The tornado also caused tree damage. The tornado crossed into eastern Davison County before dissipating. |
| October 2019 | Flood | Plano | $5,000 | A continuation of flooding from September, the James River near Mitchell (gage site JRMS2) spent a vast majority of the month at minor flood stage, but started on October 1 in moderate flooding at 3.18 feet above flood stage. Significant amounts of agricultural land remained flooded. Minor flooding continued at the end of the month. Property damage costs are rough estimates. |
| August 2019 | Flood | Plano | $5,000 | A continuation of flooding from July, the James River near Mitchell (gage site JRMS2) crested 4.97 feet above flood stage on August 8. Many rural roads near the river were inundated, with continued flooding of significant amounts of agricultural land. Moderate flooding continued at the end of the month. |
| August 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rockport | $5,000 | Thunderstorm winds blew the roof off a hog barn. |
| May 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Emery | $5,000 | Thunderstorm winds destroyed a machine shed and an outbuilding on a farm, and overturned a grainvac machine. |
| May 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fulton | $5,000 | Thunderstorm winds blew two sheds apart and moved a feeder 30 to 40 feet. |
| August 2005 | Hail | Alexandria | $5,000 | Large hail broke windows in vehicles and homes. |
| June 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Emery | $5,000 | no account filed |
| August 1960 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $30 | no account filed |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alexandria | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts were measured by a Road Weather Information System sensor near Alexandria. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fulton | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts were measured by a personal weather station. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fulton | - | Large tree branches from 6 to 8 inches in diameter were broken by thunderstorm wind gusts. |
| July 2024 | Flood | Plano | - | Flooding continued from June on the James River near Mitchell, with declining river levels. The river fell below flood stage on the evening of July 8th. |
| July 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alexandria | - | A thunderstorm wind gust up to 66 mph was measured by the South Dakota Road Weather Information System site near Alexandria. |
| June 2024 | Flood | Plano | - | The James River near Mitchell rose above flood stage the morning of June 21st, cresting around 6.72 feet above flood stage (23.72 feet) on June 23rd. This crest is in the Moderate Stage. The river stayed above flood stage into July. For a more comprehensive description of flood damage, please see other entries for Hanson County. |
| April 2023 | Flood | Plano | - | The James River near Mitchell, SD rose above flood stage during the early morning of April 18th before cresting around 4.03 feet above flood stage (21.03 feet) on April 28th, which is in the Moderate category. The river was above Minor flood stage at this location for 13 days and above Moderate stage for 6 days. Flooding continued into May. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alexandria | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts as high as 58 mph were measured by South Dakota Road Weather Information System site SD502 4 miles east-northeast of Alexandria. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rockport | - | A thunderstorm wind gust of 80 mph was measured by a hand-held anemometer. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rockport | - | One grain bin was tossed for one-half mile, another collapsed, and two others damaged by thunderstorm wind gusts. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rockport | - | Roof was blown off a cattle barn and another barn roof was damaged. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rockport | - | Several trees and large limbs were broken by thunderstorm winds. |
| June 2023 | Flood | Plano | - | Flooding continued from May along the James River near Mitchell, SD with very slowly falling levels through the month. The peak river level was 1.15 feet above flood stage (18.15 ft) occurring early in the day on the 1st, before falling below flood stage early on the 14th. |
| May 2023 | Flood | Plano | - | Flooding continued from April along the James River near Mitchell, SD with very slowly falling levels through the month. Flood levels were in the Moderate category for 4 days and Minor stage for 31 days. Flooding continued into June. |
| August 2022 | Flood | Plano | - | Minor flooding was ongoing at the start of August 2022, with the James River near Forestburg (gage site FORS2) at 0.45 feet above flood stage on August 1. A significant amount of rural land was flooded until the river dropped below flood stage on August 4. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alexandria | - | A thunderstorm wind gust of 81 mph was measured by South Dakota Road Weather Information System site SD502 4 miles east-northeast of Alexandria. Crop damage is an estimate from insured losses. Information provided by the United States Department of Agriculture. |
| May 2022 | Flood | Plano | - | As water from early spring rains and late winter snowmelt in North Dakota and far northern South Dakota routed downstream, the James River at Mitchell (gage site JRMS2) climbed into minor flood stage on May 30, and reached 0.28 feet above flood stage at the end of the month. Impacts were limited to inundation of some areas of agricultural land near the river. Minor flooding continued at the end of the month. |
| June 2022 | Flood | Plano | - | Minor flooding was ongoing at the start of June 2022 on the James River near Mitchell (gage site JRMS2), with a crest at 2.15 feet above flood stage on June 13. A significant amount of rural land was flooded. The river remained at minor flood stage at the end of the month. |
| July 2022 | Flood | Plano | - | Minor flooding was ongoing at the start of July 2022 on the James River near Mitchell (gage site JRMS2). Five to seven inches of rainfall the first seven days of July in a small area at and north of Huron resulted in a crest at 1.20 feet above flood stage on July 24. A significant amount of rural land was flooded. The river remained at minor flood stage at the end of the month. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rockport | - | Several tree limbs of 3 to 6 inches diameter downed by thunderstorm winds. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Riverside | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts damaged shingles on several homes. At one farmstead, the TV antenna was destroyed and an ash tree was uprooted onto the house. Five healthy spruce trees were uprooted and several deciduous trees snapped at another farm, where the roof was also lost off a horse shelter. Crop damage is an estimate from insured losses. Information provided by the United States Department of Agriculture. |
| September 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alexandria | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts measured by South Dakota RWIS site SD502 4 miles east northeast of Alexandria. |
| January 2020 | Flood | Plano | - | A continuation of flooding from December, the James River near Mitchell (gage site JRMS2) spent the entire month in minor flood stage. The highest level occurred early in the month at 2.44 feet above flood stage on January 2. A second intramonth crest occurred at 1.79 feet above flood stage on January 25. Significant amounts of agricultural land remained flooded. Minor flooding continued at the end of the month. |
| May 2020 | Flood | Plano | - | A continuation of flooding from April, the James River at Mitchell (gage site JRMS2) began the month at a peak of 2.74 feet above flood stage. After slowly falling through mid-month, a late month rise in levels resulted in a secondary crest at 2.55 feet above flood stage on May 24. Impacts were generally limited to flooding of agricultural lands near the river. The river remained at minor flood stage at the end of the month. |
| February 2020 | Flood | Plano | - | A continuation of flooding from January, the James River near Mitchell (gage site JRMS2) began the month at 1.23 feet above flood stage, with a slow drop in levels before falling below flood stage on February 19. The main impact was continued flooding of agricultural land near the river. |
| February 2020 | Flood | Plano | - | The James River at Mitchell (gage site JRMS2) reached an end of month peak of 0.28 feet above flood stage. Impacts were limited to flooding of agricultural lands near the river. The river remained in minor flood at the end of the month. |
| June 2020 | Flood | Plano | - | A continuation of flooding from May, the James River at Mitchell (gage site JRMS2) spent the entire month at minor flood stage, with a peak mid-month on June 11 at 2.98 feet above flood stage, and reaching a monthly peak of 2.99 feet above flood stage on June 30. Impacts were generally limited to flooding of agricultural lands near the river. The river remained at minor flood stage at the end of the month. |
| March 2020 | Flood | Plano | - | The James River at Mitchell (gage site JRMS2) began the month in minor flood, then crested on March 13 in moderate flood, 4.86 feet above flood stage. Impacts were generally limited to flooding of agricultural lands near the river, but flood waters did cause the closing of Shanard Road, east of Mitchell. The river remained at moderate flood stage at the end of the month. |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alexandria | - | South Dakota RWIS station SD502 4 miles east northeast of Alexandria measured a wind gust of 66 mph. |
Mines and quarries
12 recordedThe Survey's mineral resources record lists 12 workings inside this county. 3 still produce and 9 are closed or unrecorded. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.
| Commodity | Workings |
|---|---|
| Sand and Gravel, Construction | 10 |
| Stone, Crushed/Broken | 2 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Spencer Quarries,Inc | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
Every populated place in the county
12Named 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.
-
Riverside
Hanson township · 57301 · Near Medicine Butte (historical) · Riverside quadrangle
12 sheets, 1899 to 1985
The vanished settlements of Hanson 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.