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Roberts County, South Dakota

51 topographic sheets cover 28 settlements here, and 12 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Research this county

From the record

12 National Register listings published here.

Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service

South Dakota within the United States
Roberts County within South Dakota

What the record shows

  • 233 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
  • 12 properties here are on the National Register of Historic Places: 8 buildings, 1 district, 1 object, 1 site and 1 structure.
  • 1 of the 12 listings was added during the 1970s.
  • The Geographic Names Information System records 28 populated places in this county; 28 are covered by at least one topographic sheet.

Places on the National Register

12

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
Hart School #3building200000000994
Knapp Ranchdistrict200505000282
New Effington Hospitalbuilding198989000829
New Effington Rest Stop Tipiobject201514001189
Louis Nigg Barnbuilding2021100006065
Roberts County Courthousebuilding197676001755
Sisseton Agency Headquarters & Wacipi Groundssite2022100007395
Sisseton Carnegie Librarybuilding199696001227
Sisseton Schoolbuilding2020100005818
South Dakota Department of Transportation Bridge No. 55-030-418structure199999001437
Andrew and Mary Stavig Housebuilding199797001392
Walla Lutheran Churchbuilding200404000470

Wildfire, 1992 to 2020

262 fires

Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 262 of them, burning about 4,095 acres. 10 started naturally and 10 were recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.

Reported cause Fires
Debris and open burning97
Missing data/not specified/undetermined56
Misuse of fire by a minor34
Equipment and vehicle use21
Fireworks14
Smoking12
Arson/incendiarism10
Natural10
Recreation and ceremony4
Power generation/transmission/distribution3
Other causes1

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

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
12 April 2003Debris and open burning280 acresWaubay National Wildlife RefugeDANIELSON
21 October 1999Debris and open burning240 acresSouth Shore Volunteer Fire DepartmentWOHLLEBER
5 April 2000Debris and open burning200 acresCorona Volunteer Fire DepartmentSODAK
16 March 1992Smoking200 acresSisseton Agencynot named
8 April 1996Debris and open burning160 acresSisseton AgencyLBAR
19 May 2009Debris and open burning153 acresSouth Dakota Wildland Fire Suppressionnot named
2 April 2003Missing data/not specified/undetermined150 acresSouth Dakota Wildland Fire SuppressionARTER
6 October 2011Missing data/not specified/undetermined150 acresSouth Dakota Wildland Fire SuppressionBRYCE HEINJE

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

Storms, 1951 to 2025

60 of 341 shown

The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 341 reports for this county, causing 1 death, 1 injury and about $4,589,530 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.

Kind of event Reports
Thunderstorm Wind139
Hail132
Tornado32
Flood24
Flash Flood12
Funnel Cloud2

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
June 1979Tornado (F1)not stated1 killed, $2,500,000no account filed
July 1951Tornado (F2)not stated1 hurtno account filed
May 1994HailMilbank$500,000Widespread hail and strong winds broke many windows, damaged vehicles, ruined crops, stripped many trees, and wrecked outdoor lights.
May 1994Thunderstorm Windto Wilmot$500,000Widespread hail and strong winds broke many windows, damaged vehicles, ruined crops, stripped many trees, and wrecked outdoor lights.
August 1979Tornado (F2)not stated$250,000no account filed
October 1994Tornado (F1)to 7NE of$200,000A tornado destroyed several small farm buildings, a garage, damaged farm machinery, blew down a grain bin, and uprooted several trees. Several hogs were killed when their shed was destroyed and minor damage was done to some homes. The tornado drove a 6 foot long 1x6 piece of lumber through the center of a large tree limb.
April 2019FloodDahlberg$191,000no account filed
April 2023FloodDahlberg$150,000no account filed
June 2008Flash FloodGoodwill$100,000no account filed
June 2025Flash FloodOrtley$50,000Emergency management reports several county and township roads under water, in addition to the number of streets under water in the city of Sisseton. Flooding would impact numerous businesses, including Lakes Gas, where about 40 propane tanks were observed floating in flood waters. Numerous cars were also inundated by these flood waters.
May 1994HailSisseton$50,000The hail broke many windows and caused other damage to houses and vehicles.
July 1974Tornado (F0)not stated$25,000no account filed
June 1967Tornado (F1)not stated$25,000no account filed
May 1964Tornado (F2)not stated$25,000no account filed
May 1994HailSisseton$5,000Several trees were downed by winds.
May 1994Thunderstorm WindSisseton$5,000Several trees were downed by winds.
August 2009Flash FloodOrtley$5,000no account filed
June 1988Tornado (F0)not stated$2,500no account filed
June 1975Tornado (F0)not stated$2,500no account filed
July 1972Tornado (F1)not stated$2,500no account filed
August 1994Tornado (F0)New Effington$1,000The tornado uprooted trees and damaged a corn planter.
June 1992Tornado (F1)not stated$30no account filed
June 2025FloodSummit-The South Dakota Department of Transportation reported water over the roadway.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindSummit-A peak gust of 77 mph was recorded by the South Dakota Department of Transportation mesonet station one mile north-northwest of Summit.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindWilmot-A COOP observer in Wilmot relayed that several large tree branches were downed around town by the thunderstorm winds.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindHammer-The caller stated that their calf shelters were thrown into the fence by estimated 65 mph wind gusts.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindRosholt-A farmer estimated winds up to 60 mph in combination with the hail caused scattered crop damage.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindPeever-A trained spotter estimated winds up to 60 mph were responsible for some minor tree damage, including a few branches down.
August 2025Thunderstorm WindGoodwill-Thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at 60 mph resulted in broken branches.
August 2025Flash FloodPeever-Roberts County Emergency Management reports that barricades were required at several locations where water has come up over highways and secondary roads, from portions of highway 15 near Wilmot all the way up to 123rd St 3 miles north of Agency Village.
July 2024Thunderstorm WindClaire City-Emergency management reported broken windows due to blow debris from thunderstorm winds.
July 2024Thunderstorm WindRosholt-A trained spotter estimated 60 mph thunderstorm wind gusts had caused tree damage with a number of branches down.
April 2023FloodWilmot-Flooding along the northern reaches of the North Fork Whetstone inundated the northern and western portions of Wilmot on April 11th.
June 2023Thunderstorm WindSisseton Arpt-An Automated Surface Observation Station three miles east of Sisseton recorded a wind gusts of 61 mph.
June 2023Tornado (EF0)Peever-The report of a brief landspout tornado came with a photograph.
August 2023Thunderstorm WindOrtley-A heavy wooden trailer with a water tank on it was blown approximately 150 yards across two ditches before hitting a neighbors house.
May 2022Tornado (EF0)New Effington-Eyewitnesses observed a brief tornado touchdown. No damage|occurred.
May 2022Thunderstorm WindRosholt-Trees were downed across Rosholt by estimated 80 mph wind gusts.
May 2022Thunderstorm WindSisseton Arpt-Campers were rolled by estimated 80 mph wind gusts.
May 2022Thunderstorm WindOrtley-Trees were uprooted in Ortley by estimated 75 mph winds.
July 2022Thunderstorm WindSisseton-The Emergency Manager reported several trees and power lines down due to the thunderstorm winds.
July 2022Thunderstorm WindSisseton-A COOP observer reported an estimated wind gust of 60 mph.
July 2022Thunderstorm WindPeever-An estimated 60 mph wind gust was reported by the public.
September 2022Thunderstorm WindPeever-This report was recorded at mesonet station 143 six miles south-southwest of Peever.
September 2022Thunderstorm WindSummit-This report was recorded at mesonet station 55 a milee west-northwest of Summit.
July 2021Thunderstorm WindPeever-Estimated 60 mph winds caused minor tree damage with a few limbs up to 5 inches in diameter broken off.
July 2021Thunderstorm WindSisseton-An apple tree was knocked over by estimated 60 mph winds.
October 2021Tornado (EF0)Wilmot-A tornado touched down briefly.
October 2021Tornado (EF0)Goodwill-A trained spotter reported a tornado lasting about 5 minutes.
October 2021Tornado (EF0)Corona-A trained spotter reported a tornado/waterspout on Big Stone Lake.
October 2021Thunderstorm WindPeever-A 30-foot trailer pulled by a pickup truck was overturned on Interstate-29 by estimated 70 mph winds.
July 2020Thunderstorm WindClaire City-Estimated seventy-five mph winds downed many trees along with causing some power outages in Claire City.
July 2020Thunderstorm WindNew Effington-Several trees were downed by estimated seventy-five mph winds in New Effington.
July 2020Thunderstorm WindSisseton-Estimated seventy mph winds downed several trees along with causing some power outages in Sisseton.
July 2020Thunderstorm WindPeever-Several trees were downed in Peever by estimated seventy mph winds.
March 2019FloodDahlberg-Many roads were flooded throughout Roberts county. Up to sixty residential, nonresidential, and public buildings were threatened or received some flooding. The city of Corona was surrounded by water and had water in town with several houses taking on water. They cut three county roads to evacuate water out of town. The Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate signed an emergency declaration along with Roberts county.
August 2019Thunderstorm WindNew Effington-Large branches were downed by estimated sixty mph winds.
September 2019Thunderstorm WindWilmot-Estimated sixty mph winds brought down some large branches in Wilmot.
June 2018Tornado (EF0)Hammer-A tornado touched down briefly southeast of Claire City with no damage occurring.
June 2018Flash FloodHammer-Heavy rains of 2 to 4 inches brought flash flooding in and to the east and southeast of Claire City. Several roads were flooded along with several basements in Claire City.

Mines and quarries

12 recorded

The Survey's mineral resources record lists 12 workings inside this county. 11 still produce and 1 is closed or unrecorded. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.

Commodity Workings
Sand and Gravel, Construction12

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

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Barlund Sand & Gravel Co PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Braun Pit #1Sand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Braun Pit #2Sand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Dan Brown PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Helwig PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Kaufman Pit & MillSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Lotzer Sand PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Markaseth PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Seebeck PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Whiterock Colony PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Wollschlager PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer

Every populated place in the county

28

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.