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Jones County, South Dakota

20 topographic sheets cover 6 settlements here, and 5 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Research this county

From the record

5 National Register listings published here.

Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service

South Dakota within the United States
Jones County within South Dakota

What the record shows

  • 40 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
  • 5 properties here are on the National Register of Historic Places: 4 buildings and 1 structure.
  • The Geographic Names Information System records 6 populated places in this county; 6 are covered by at least one topographic sheet.

Places on the National Register

5

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
Capa Bridgestructure199393001295
Freier Round Barnbuilding199595001471
Immanuel Lutheran Churchbuilding198888000022
Murdo State Bankbuilding201514001178
Weigandt Barnbuilding201312000486

Wildfire, 1996 to 2020

156 fires

Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 156 of them, burning about 12,565 acres. 52 started naturally and 3 were recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.

Reported cause Fires
Natural52
Equipment and vehicle use42
Missing data/not specified/undetermined34
Debris and open burning9
Recreation and ceremony8
Misuse of fire by a minor4
Arson/incendiarism3
Fireworks3
Railroad operations and maintenance1

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

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
19 September 2012Missing data/not specified/undetermined2,465 acresSouth Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression177 FIRE
7 September 2001Equipment and vehicle use1,950 acresSouth Dakota Wildland Fire SuppressionVAN METERE
27 August 2003Natural960 acresSouth Dakota Wildland Fire SuppressionOLSON 2
23 July 2002Natural950 acresMurdo Volunteer Fire DepartmentCHURCH
18 October 2000Equipment and vehicle use900 acresMurdo Volunteer Fire DepartmentVOLLMER/SLETTO
23 July 2016Natural633 acresNebraska National ForestWAR CREEK
18 October 2000Equipment and vehicle use600 acresSouth Dakota Wildland Fire SuppressionDRAPER
18 October 2000Equipment and vehicle use600 acresVivian Volunteer Fire DepartmentGARY SLETTO

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

Storms, 1959 to 2026

60 of 290 shown

The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 290 reports for this county, causing no deaths, 3 injuries and about $89,680 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.

Kind of event Reports
Hail136
Thunderstorm Wind126
Flood17
Tornado8
Flash Flood2
Wildfire1

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 2018Thunderstorm WindOkaton2 hurtEstimated seventy mph winds blew a semi truck and camper over on Interstate-90 west northwest of Okaton with some minor injuries. Part of the interstate was closed for a time to clean up the debris.
May 1988Thunderstorm Windnot stated1 hurtno account filed
April 2019FloodCapa$54,400no account filed
June 1971Tornado (F2)not stated$25,000no account filed
February 2009FloodWestover$5,000no account filed
May 1994HailMurdo$5,000no account filed
May 1975Tornado (F1)not stated$250no account filed
July 1982Tornado (F0)not stated$30no account filed
April 2026HailOkaton-Thunderstorms brought little rainfall, with hail to the size of nickels and wind gusts around 50 mph. Lightning also started fires nearby.
July 2025HailMurdo-Nickel-sized hail was reported in Murdo.
July 2024HailOkaton-A CoCoRaHS observer reported that their vehicles windows had been shattered and the homes roof shingles had been damaged by tennis-ball sized hail.
July 2024HailOkaton-A resident called to state that windows were shattered at their home due to hail.
July 2024HailWestover-Public reported that hail damaged their windshield and shattered windows on their home.
July 2024Thunderstorm WindOkaton-The Jones county sheriff reported that campers and motorcyclists were blown over while traveling down Interstate 90. Hail had also damaged several vehicles.
July 2024Thunderstorm WindOkaton-The public reported that a portion of metal fence including posts were blow over by thunderstorm winds.
July 2024Thunderstorm WindWestover-The combination of hail and strong winds resulted in broken windows.
April 2024FloodMurdo-The Jones County Emergency Manager reported flooding in Murdo. Additional flooding was noted outside of town on 273rd ave, with water over the road and a partially washed out culvert.
August 2024Flash FloodDraper-A trained spotter indicated that 3.5 inches of rain overnight had resulted in water over the roads in several places near his property.
May 2023Thunderstorm WindOkaton-A trained spotter estimated wind gusts associated with a thunderstorm were on the order of 50 to 60 mph.
July 2023Thunderstorm WindDraper-A trained spotter estimated 40 to 60 mph wind gust.
June 2022Thunderstorm WindVan Metre-Significant damage occurred along Van Metre road between 234th St and 237th St. This included 3 farms which sustained significant damage. The first farm lost an entire section of roof off an open gable style roof on the primary residence, hay bales were toppled over, a trailer rotated and tipped to the east, a bulk feed bin, along with other debris, was tossed and spread over a half mile east. The next farm also lost panels off the cross gable style roof, dented grain bins, a bent flag pole, a combine header moved 100 yards to the east, and other farm equipment displaced. A deck was completely destroyed. Debris from the farm was spread at least a quarter mile east. The third farm had a feeder wagon flipped, a machine shed completely destroyed, a second outbuilding destroyed and two empty grain bins ripped from the foundation. Debris from the property was spread at least a quarter mile to the east. The damage across these three farms was extensive and was caused by intense and persistent straight line winds. Eyewitness accounts and radar data suggest severe winds stronger than 60 mph lasted for 15 minutes straight with no reprieve. At the peak, winds are estimated to range from 115 to 130 mph. This is concurrent with major loss of roof panels on both homes; both of which exhibited strong roof construction.
June 2022Tornado (EF2)Okaton-The track started near 239th street, about 0.75 miles east of 264th Ave. The path was clearly noted through a shelter belt. The tornado continued another half mile where it damaged a farm. The primary residence had a quarter of the roof panels ripped off a gable style roof and multiple windows and glass doors blown out. Two outbuildings were completely destroyed. Another shed lost the entire tin roof. The debris track from the farm continued for about a quarter of a mile northeast. The residents pickup truck also noted damage including the back window broken and dents from flying debris. The tornado weakened, but continued roughly 3.5 miles northeast to Van Metre Rd where it damaged another farm. At this property a farmhouse had shingle damage to only half of the roof. A well-built machine shed was missing about a quarter of the roof panels. A grain cart was also flipped to the north.
June 2022HailWestover-Hail ranged between the size of peas and quarters.
June 2022Thunderstorm WindOkaton-A semi tractor trailer was blown over on Interstate 90.
June 2022Thunderstorm WindMurdo-A grain bin was leveled by the winds.
June 2022HailDraper-This report was relayed via social media with a photo.
August 2022Thunderstorm WindDraper-Thunderstorm winds knocked down 8 power poles and damaged 7 outbuildings, trees and crops.
June 2022HailDraper-The hail measured two inches an hour after the storm had passed.
June 2022Thunderstorm WindOkaton-A semi tractor trailer was blown over on Interstate 90.
July 2022Thunderstorm WindOkaton-The public estimated 60 mph wind gust.
June 2022Tornado (EF2)Okaton-A brief tornado touchdown ripped five large grain bins from their base. The bins were well anchored, in fact, large pieces of cement remained attached to the pins when they were pulled out. The bins were projectiled into two machine sheds and eventually carried about a half mile to the east southeast. Other debris, including a water tank and a dumpster were also tossed east. Other farm equipment was also damaged, including a tipped trailer and displaced grain auger. Pressure change inside the machine sheds also resulted in several combine windshields to be popped out. The house and machine sheds on the property sustained very little wind damage but were built well above normal standards, rated to withstand wind speeds at thresholds of 135 mph and 120 mph respectively.
June 2022Thunderstorm WindMurdo-Winds were estimated at 60 mph.
July 2021HailCapa-A storm produced hail for nearly 30 minutes with large hail to quarter size occurring at the end of the storm.
July 2021Thunderstorm WindCapa-Severe winds to seventy mph damaged some corn crops.
June 2021Thunderstorm WindWestover-Tree limbs of 6 to 8 inches in diameter were downed by estimated sixty mph winds.
July 2020Thunderstorm WindMurdo-A semi was blown over by estimated seventy mph winds.
July 2020Thunderstorm WindMurdo-A cornfield was completely destroyed by estimated seventy-five mph winds.
July 2020Thunderstorm WindDraper-Sixty mph winds were estimated.
August 2020Thunderstorm WindMurdo-Estimated sixty mph winds downed a large cedar tree in Murdo.
August 2020Thunderstorm WindOkaton-A wind gust to seventy-one mph caused damage to a silo.
June 2020Thunderstorm WindDraper-Sixty mph winds were estimated.
June 2020Thunderstorm WindDraper-A large tree was downed and the power was taken out by estimated seventy mph winds.
June 2020Thunderstorm WindOkaton-Estimated seventy mph winds tore part of a metal roof off of a building.
June 2020Thunderstorm WindMurdo-A semi was blown off Interstate-90 and into the median.
June 2020Thunderstorm WindDraper-Sixty mph wind was estimated.
March 2019FloodCapa-Some county and township roads were flooded.
March 2019FloodOkaton-Ice jams, combined with runoff from snow melt, caused moderate flooding along the White River. On March 22nd, the river forced the closure of Highway 83. About a 3/4 mile stretch of Highway 83 was inundated, due to water backing up behind and ice jam downstream. On March 23rd, a record flow of 21,700 cfs was recorded at the site. Records for this location go back 20 years.
May 2019FloodOkaton-Minor flooding of agricultural land occurred along the White River around the Highway 83 bridge south of Murdo. The river crested just over the flood stage of 14 feet to 14.8 feet on May 25th.
July 2019Thunderstorm WindOkaton-Estimated seventy mph winds laid down some corn three miles west of Okaton.
May 2019FloodOkaton-Minor flooding of agricultural land occurred along the White River around the Highway 83 bridge south of Murdo. The river crested just over the flood stage of 14 feet to 14.9 feet on May 28th.
August 2019Thunderstorm WindWestover-Estimated sixty mph winds brought down some large tree branches.
August 2019Thunderstorm WindDraper-Sixty mph winds were estimated.
August 2019Thunderstorm WindDraper-Sixty mph winds were estimated.
August 2019Thunderstorm WindDraper-Sixty mph winds were estimated.
August 2019HailOkaton-Large hail with wind gusts over 50 mph caused some crop damage.
August 2019HailWestover-Severe winds and large hail took out windows.
July 2019Thunderstorm WindOkaton-Sixty mph winds were estimated.
July 2018Thunderstorm WindDraper-An estimated seventy mph wind blew over a second semi truck on Interstate-90 west and southwest of Draper.
July 2018Thunderstorm WindOkaton-Sixty mph winds were estimated.
July 2018Thunderstorm WindDraper-Sixty mph winds were estimated.

Every populated place in the county

6

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.