BlockFrom the record
4 National Register listings published here.
Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service
Sanborn County, South Dakota
46 topographic sheets cover 8 settlements here, and 4 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.
Research this county
What the record shows
- 84 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
- 4 properties here are on the National Register of Historic Places: 3 buildings and 1 structure.
- The Geographic Names Information System records 8 populated places in this county; 8 are covered by at least one topographic sheet.
Places on the National Register
4Every 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Dakota Dept. of Transportation Bridge No. 56-090-096 | structure | 1993 | 93001310 | |
| St. Scholastica Catholic Church | building | 1994 | 94000567 | |
| St. Scholastica Rectory | building | 1994 | 94000568 | |
| Woonsocket State Bank | building | 2002 | 02000024 |
Wildfire, 1999 to 2019
51 firesEvery wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 51 of them, burning about 3,164 acres. None 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 | 27 |
| Debris and open burning | 15 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 4 |
| Other causes | 2 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 1 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 1 |
| Smoking | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 April 2000 | Other causes | 1,200 acres | Woonsocket Volunteer Fire Department | VINCE GRACE GRASS |
| 1 April 2003 | Debris and open burning | 440 acres | Huron Wetland Management District | SHULL |
| 11 February 2000 | Debris and open burning | 350 acres | Woonsocket Volunteer Fire Department | DISO GRASS |
| 1 April 2000 | Debris and open burning | 200 acres | Woonsocket Volunteer Fire Department | HONS CHRISTENSEN |
| 1 April 2000 | Debris and open burning | 150 acres | Woonsocket Volunteer Fire Department | LUTHI GRASS |
| 9 March 2006 | Debris and open burning | 120 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | not named |
| 16 May 2017 | Debris and open burning | 100 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | GARYOLSON |
| 20 July 2002 | Equipment and vehicle use | 90 acres | Huron Wetland Management District | PEARL CRK |
Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.
Storms, 1952 to 2025
60 of 325 shownThe NOAA Storm Events Database holds 325 reports for this county, causing 2 deaths, 4 injuries and about $3,316,060 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.
| Kind of event | Reports |
|---|---|
| Hail | 129 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 85 |
| Flood | 84 |
| Tornado | 22 |
| Flash Flood | 4 |
| Heavy Rain | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 2019 | Flood | Woonsocket | 2 killed | Snow melt and heavy rainfall (measured 2.47 inches at Forestburg and 1.60 inches at Huron) resulted in extensive flooding of agricultural land and numerous township and county roads. The James River near Forestburg (gage site FORS2) reached a crest of 4.18 feet above flood stage on March 25. The driver and passenger of a garbage truck were (directly) killed when their truck went off the road and into the flood waters at the base of the bridge near the gage site. The river remained at moderate flood stage at the end of the month. |
| April 1973 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | 2 hurt, $25,000 | no account filed |
| May 1991 | Hail | not stated | 1 hurt | no account filed |
| May 1991 | Hail | not stated | 1 hurt | no account filed |
| April 2011 | Flood | Woonsocket | $1,000,000 | 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 5.8 feet above flood stage near Forestburg on April 1st, and fell very slowly during the month. A large area of land and numerous roads were flooded. 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 2003 | Tornado (F3) | Woonsocket | $500,000 | A tornado, crossing into Sanborn County from Jerauld County, destroyed or severely damaged several buildings on two farms. The tornado lifted the roof off a house. Another farmhouse had windows blown out, and shingles and aluminum siding torn off. Destroyed buildings included a barn, garage, outbuildings, and other small structures. Vehicles inside the destroyed garage were damaged. The tornado also caused tree, power line, and crop damage. |
| July 2002 | Hail | Letcher | $500,000 | Large hail cracked windows and damaged shingles on buildings. The hail also caused severe damage to vehicles. Crop damage was also reported, but the amount of crop damage was not known. |
| March 2019 | Flood | Cuthbert | $230,000 | Flooding resulted in damage to public infrastructure including county and township roads and culverts. |
| May 2007 | Flood | Woonsocket | $200,000 | 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 had also resulted. Long term major flooding of the James River also resulted, with the river peaking at 7.0 feet above flood stage near Forestburg on May 9th. 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. |
| June 1999 | Tornado (F1) | Woonsocket | $200,000 | no account filed |
| June 2024 | Flood | Cuthbert | $112,000 | Rainfall amounts across Sanborn County from June 20-22 ranged from 3 to 7 inches. This rainfall resulted in some overland flooding and minor flooding along the James River. ||Overland flooding resulted in some damages to township and county roads. Preliminary damage assessments estimate loss to public infrastructure to be nearly 112 thousand dollars.||The majority of overland flooding subsided by June 23, bur river flooding continued through the end of the month. For additional information on river flooding, please see other flood entries for Sanborn County. |
| June 2010 | Flood | Woonsocket | $100,000 | Persistent heavy rain caused lasting flooding of numerous fields and other lowlands, and of many roads. Several homes were flooded and many of the flooded roads were closed. |
| September 2019 | Flood | Cuthbert | $92,000 | Flooding resulted in crop losses and damage to public infrastructure including county and township roads and culverts. Crop loss estimates provided by the United States Department of Agriculture. |
| June 2009 | Hail | Artesian | $75,000 | Large hail broke numerous windows in vehicles and buildings,dented numerous vehicles, and damaged siding on houses. |
| July 1996 | Hail | Woonsocket | $50,000 | no account filed |
| September 2019 | Flood | Letcher | $25,000 | 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 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Letcher | $25,000 | Thunderstorm winds destroyed 5 grain bins and caused extensive tree damage. Trees up to 3 feet in diameter were uprooted. |
| August 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Woonsocket | $20,000 | Thunderstorm winds blew down a scoreboard at a football field, caused tree damage at a cemetery and elsewhere on the northwest side of Woonsocket, and blew down power lines, causing a power outage. |
| May 2007 | Tornado (EF1) | Artesian | $20,000 | A tornado damaged siding on a house, destroyed 3 outbuildings, uprooted several trees, and partly blew down power poles. |
| July 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Woonsocket | $15,000 | Seven power poles along South Dakota Highway 34 were damaged by thunderstorm winds, six of those snapped. |
| August 2019 | Flood | Woonsocket | $10,000 | A continuation of flooding from July, the James River near Forestburg (gage site FORS2) crested 3.80 feet above flood stage on August 7. Many rural roads near the river were inundated, with continued flooding of significant amounts of agricultural land. Minor flooding continued at the end of the month. |
| September 2019 | Flood | Woonsocket | $10,000 | A continuation of minor flooding from August, the James River near Forestburg (gage site FORS2) responded rapidly mid-month to 2 to 4 inches of rainfall from September 10-12 near and upstream of Sanborn County to crest 3.87 feet above flood stage on September 16. Many rural roads near the river remained inundated, with continued flooding of significant amounts of agricultural land. Minor flooding continued at the end of the month. |
| June 2009 | Hail | Artesian | $10,000 | Large hail broke windows and destroyed siding on one side of a farmhouse. The hail severely damaged crops along almost a 3 mile stretch. One farmer estimated that 60 acres of corn and 100 acres of small grain on his farm were a total loss. |
| June 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Woonsocket | $10,000 | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including one tree that fell onto and heavily damaged a car. |
| June 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Letcher | $10,000 | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage and tilted utility poles. |
| June 2001 | Hail | Forestburg | $10,000 | Large hail broke windows in Forestburg, and caused an unknown amount of crop damage in nearby fields. |
| August 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Woonsocket | $10,000 | Thunderstorm winds caused tree and power line damage, with 4 to 5 inch diameter tree limbs blown down. |
| August 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Artesian | $10,000 | Thunderstorm winds broke large tree limbs and damaged power lines. |
| July 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Woonsocket | $10,000 | no account filed |
| October 2019 | Flood | Woonsocket | $5,000 | A continuation of minor flooding from September, the James River near Forestburg (gage site FORS2) began the month at the peak of 1.97 feet above flood stage on October 1. |A few county and township roads near the gage and significant amounts of agricultural land remained flooded, and this minor flooding continued at the end of the month. Property damage costs are rough estimates. |
| October 2019 | Flood | Letcher | $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 | Letcher | $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. |
| May 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Woonsocket | $5,000 | Thunderstorm winds blew down power lines and tree branches. |
| June 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Woonsocket | $5,000 | Thunderstorm winds blew down trees, limbs, and branches. A large tree destroyed a storage building and damaged a nearby garage when it fell. |
| August 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Letcher | $5,000 | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage and tipped over a grain wagon. |
| August 1993 | Hail | Woonsocket | $5,000 | Dime- to half-dollar-size hail fell for about 30 minutes, destroying 28 acres of watermelon. Two to four inches of rain occurred with the storm northeast of Woonsocket. |
| May 1998 | Hail | Letcher | $2,000 | no account filed |
| June 1992 | Tornado (F0) | not stated | $30 | no account filed |
| June 1952 | Tornado (F0) | not stated | $30 | no account filed |
| May 2025 | Hail | Artesian | - | Quarter-sized hail piled up on the ground about two inches deep. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Woonsocket | - | Numerous tree and limb damage was reported across Woonsocket. An empty grain bin had the sides blown in and an empty grain truck was blown over. Significant damage was done to several businesses in town with severe wall and/or roof damage to numerous buildings. A survey of direction and extent of damage from drone footage revealed this was the result of severe downburst winds. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Woonsocket | - | Thunderstorm winds were measured by South Dakota Mesonet station WSMS2 4 miles north-northwest of Woonsocket. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Woonsocket | - | Numerous instances of significant tree damage were reported across the city of Woonsocket. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Letcher | - | Damaged occurred to a few large tree limbs from thunderstorm winds. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Letcher | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts were measured by the South Dakota Mesonet site located 2 miles east-northeast of Letcher. |
| August 2025 | Flood | Woonsocket | - | The James River near Forestburg rose above flood stage on the evening of August 25th, cresting around 0.27 feet above flood stage (12.27 ft) on August 26th. The river then fell below flood stage on the evening of August 29th. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Letcher | - | A several minute period of thunderstorm severe wind gusts was measured by South Dakota Mesonet station LCMS2 Letcher 2ENE. |
| July 2024 | Flood | Letcher | - | 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. |
| June 2024 | Flood | Woonsocket | - | The James River near Forestburg rose above flood stage the evening of June 25th, cresting around 0.07 feet above flood stage (12.07 feet) on June 25th. The river then fell below flood stage on the evening of June 26th. For a more comprehensive description of flood damage, please see other entries for Sanborn County. |
| June 2024 | Flood | Letcher | - | 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 Sanborn County. |
| April 2023 | Flood | Storla | - | 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. |
| May 2023 | Flood | Woonsocket | - | Flooding continued from April along the James River near Forestburg, SD with very slowly falling levels through the month. Flood levels were in the Moderate category for 5 days and Minor stage for 31 days. Flooding continued into June. |
| June 2023 | Flood | Letcher | - | 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 | Letcher | - | 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. |
| June 2023 | Flood | Woonsocket | - | Flooding continued from May along the James River near Forestburg, SD with very slowly falling levels through the month. The peak river level was 0.79 feet above flood stage (12.79 ft) occurring early in the day on the 1st, before falling below flood stage early on the 14th. |
| April 2023 | Flood | Woonsocket | - | The James River near Forestburg, SD rose above flood stage on the morning of April 15th before cresting around 3.35 feet above flood stage (15.35 feet) on April 26th, which is in the Moderate category. The river was above Minor flood stage at this location for 16 days and above Moderate stage for 10 days. Flooding continued into May. |
| August 2022 | Flood | Letcher | - | 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. |
| July 2022 | Hail | Woonsocket | - | Crop damage is an estimate from insured losses. Information provided by the United States Department of Agriculture. |
| May 2022 | Flood | Woonsocket | - | As water from early spring rains and late winter snowmelt in North Dakota and far northern South Dakota routed downstream, the James River near Forestburg (gage site FORS2) climbed into minor flood stage on May 26, and reached 1.01 feet above flood stage at the end of the month. Significant amounts of agricultural land were inundated. Minor flooding continued at the end of the month. |
| June 2022 | Flood | Woonsocket | - | Minor flooding was ongoing at the start of June 2022 on the James River near Forestburg (gage site FORS2), with a crest at 1.99 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. |
Mines and quarries
9 recordedThe Survey's mineral resources record lists 9 workings inside this county. 4 still produce and 5 are closed or unrecorded. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.
| Commodity | Workings |
|---|---|
| Sand and Gravel, Construction | 8 |
| Clay | 1 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clay Pit | Clay | 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 | ||
| Sanborn County Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Senska Pit No 1 | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Senska Pit No 2 | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer |
Every populated place in the county
8Named 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.