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Walworth County, South Dakota

25 topographic sheets cover 7 settlements here, and 10 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Research this county

From the record

10 National Register listings published here.

Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service

South Dakota within the United States
Walworth County within South Dakota

What the record shows

  • 50 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
  • 10 properties here are on the National Register of Historic Places: 9 buildings and 1 district.
  • 2 of the 10 listings were added during the 1970s.
  • The Geographic Names Information System records 7 populated places in this county; 7 are covered by at least one topographic sheet.

Places on the National Register

10

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
Brown Palace Hotelbuilding198383003022
A. H. Brown Public Librarybuilding197878002573
Brown-Evans Housebuilding199090000960
Java Depotbuilding200101000640
Johnson Barnbuilding200505000950
Mobridge Auditoriumbuilding198686001189
Mobridge Masonic Templebuilding197777001259
Molstad Lake Parkdistrict201010000953
Selby Opera Housebuilding198787001730
Walworth County Courthousebuilding199999000680

Wildfire, 1998 to 2020

69 fires

Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 69 of them, burning about 4,985 acres. 7 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/undetermined34
Equipment and vehicle use12
Debris and open burning8
Natural7
Other causes2
Railroad operations and maintenance2
Smoking2
Misuse of fire by a minor1
Arson/incendiarism1

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

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
6 July 2006Railroad operations and maintenance2,500 acresSouth Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression1804
4 November 1999Equipment and vehicle use1,000 acresMobridge Volunteer Fire DepartmentGRASS 6
21 August 2001Equipment and vehicle use400 acresLowry Volunteer Fire DepartmentRITTER
1 May 2001Other causes350 acresMound City Volunteer Fire DepartmentHARLAN KRAUSE
12 April 2015Missing data/not specified/undetermined200 acresSouth Dakota Wildland Fire SuppressionTOWER HILL
14 February 2000Debris and open burning75 acresHoven Volunteer Fire DepartmentRON ANBUSH
2 June 2009Equipment and vehicle use70 acresSouth Dakota Wildland Fire Suppressionnot named
27 September 2012Missing data/not specified/undetermined60 acresSouth Dakota Wildland Fire SuppressionROCK

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

Storms, 1955 to 2026

60 of 410 shown

The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 410 reports for this county, causing no deaths, 2 injuries and about $3,921,050 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.

Kind of event Reports
Thunderstorm Wind187
Hail177
Tornado28
Flash Flood8
Flood7
Funnel Cloud3

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 1964Tornado (F2)not stated2 hurt, $25,000no account filed
May 2018Flash FloodJava$3,000,000no account filed
April 2019FloodAkaska$292,300no account filed
June 1978Tornadonot stated$250,000no account filed
June 1961Tornado (F2)not stated$250,000no account filed
July 1994Thunderstorm WindSelby$50,000Thunderstorm Winds destroyed a garage and some trees on a farm.
July 1970Tornado (F1)not stated$25,000no account filed
July 1959Tornado (F2)not stated$25,000no account filed
June 1971Tornado (F1)not stated$2,500no account filed
June 1994Thunderstorm WindJava$500A large maple tree was blown down.
July 1991Tornado (F0)not stated$250no account filed
August 1986Tornado (F1)not stated$250no account filed
April 1955Tornado (F1)not stated$250no account filed
July 2025Thunderstorm WindSelby-An mPING report indicated estimated 60 mph winds, which resulted in broken branches, damaged power lines, and shifted poles.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindSelby-The caller stated wind gusts had topped out around 60 mph.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindMobridge-In Mobridge, powerful thunderstorm winds broke three power poles. The roof of a business, which had been previously damaged, was completely ripped off. The nearby Automated Surface Observing System at the Mobridge Regional Airport reported a gust of 61 mph.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindSitka-A peak wind gust of 63 mph was observed by a South Dakota State University mesonet station in the town of Glenham.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindLowry-A peak wind gust of 76 mph was measured by the South Dakota Department of Transportation weather station two miles south of Lowry.
September 2025Tornado (EF1)Glenham-The tornado tracked north-northwest over mainly open country near the city of Mobridge. This tornado initially hit a farmstead where damage was observed to a grain silo. It then tipped two semi-trailers on SD Highway 1804. The tornado destroyed an outbuilding at another farmstead located a mile south of US Highway 12. As the tornado crossed US Highway 12, it overturned a camper being pulled by a vehicle and bent a power pole. After crossing US Highway 12, the tornado tracked just west of 290th Avenue, taking down a series of six power poles that were either completely broken or severely bent before the tornado dissipated.
September 2025Thunderstorm Wind(Y26)Mobridge Arpt-The Walworth County Emergency Manager estimated the wind speed to top out between 60 to 70 mph as the storm passed through after the ASOS lost power.
June 2024Thunderstorm WindGlenham-A national weather service employee estimated the wind speeds between 60 and 70 mph.
June 2023Thunderstorm WindSitka-A member of the public reported a wind gust of 60 mph 5 miles west of Selby.
April 2022Thunderstorm WindLowry-Wind destroyed a large outbuilding/chicken coop.
April 2022Thunderstorm WindGlenham-Damage to brick roof/facade on the old school building.
July 2020Thunderstorm WindMobridge-Estimated seventy mph winds brought some power lines down in Mobridge.
July 2020Thunderstorm WindGlenham-Sixty mph winds were estimated.
July 2020Thunderstorm WindGlenham-Sixty-five mph winds were estimated.
July 2020Thunderstorm WindSelby-Seventy mph winds were estimated.
June 2020Thunderstorm WindGlenham-An estimated eighty mph wind destroyed a ten unit storage shed. The back wall was pushed over with metal spread downwind up to a quarter mile. The boats inside were not moved.
March 2019FloodJava-Several roads were flooded in the county.
August 2019HailJava-Golf ball to baseball size hail broke home and vehicle windows.
August 2019HailLowry-Half dollar size hail caused some garden and crop damage.
August 2019HailJava Jct-Golf ball to baseball size hail along with severe winds brought a destructive path of crops from northwest of Java to Java during the evening hours. The path width was anywhere from 2 to 5 miles. The destruction was shown on satellite.
August 2019Thunderstorm WindSelby-Sixty mph winds were estimated with quarter size hail.
August 2019Thunderstorm WindJava-Sixty mph winds were estimated.
July 2019Thunderstorm WindLowry-Sixty mph winds were estimated.
July 2019Thunderstorm WindAkaska-Estimated sixty mph winds brought down several large tree branches.
July 2018Thunderstorm Wind(Y26)Mobridge Arpt-Several campers were overturned along with many boats damaged at the marina as estimated ninety mph winds occurred. There were people in the campers that were rescued with no injuries reported. There was also roof damage to a building near the marina.
July 2018Thunderstorm WindMobridge-Estimated ninety mph winds downed numerous trees and tree branches in Mobridge along with causing some property damage. Some fences and outside furniture were damaged along with several homes and businesses. There were signs blown over, windows blown out, along with several reports of vehicle damage. The electricity was also out on the east side of town for awhile. The cover of a storage building was ripped off along with the roof of a hanger at the airport.
June 2018Tornado (EF0)Glenham-A tornado touched downed briefly just northeast of Glenham. No damage was reported.
May 2018Flash FloodSelby-Due to the very heavy rainfall earlier, the dam at Lake Hiddenwood broke in the early morning hours spreading water northwest through a creek. Several roads were flooded along with crop and pastureland. The earthen dam was built in 1927 and was 27 feet high with a concrete spillway. The bridge over the spillway was also destroyed. The lake was one of the first artificial lakes in South Dakota. Lake Hiddenwood State Park was closed indefinitely.
May 2018FloodGlenham-Flooding continued through the night and through the next day across the region. Agricultural land along with many roads were flooded.
May 2018Thunderstorm WindJava-Sixty mph winds were estimated.
July 2017Thunderstorm WindSelby-Seventy mph winds were estimated.
July 2017Thunderstorm WindJava-Seventy mph winds were estimated.
July 2017Thunderstorm WindAkaska-Sixty mph winds were estimated.
July 2017Thunderstorm WindAkaska-Sixty mph winds were estimated.
May 2016Thunderstorm WindAkaska-A large cottonwood tree was downed by seventy mph winds.
August 2016Thunderstorm WindSelby-Sixty mph winds were estimated.
August 2016Thunderstorm WindJava Jct-Seventy mph winds downed several trees along with many branches at Lake Hiddenwood.
August 2016Thunderstorm WindMobridge-Sixty-five mph winds were estimated.
August 2016Thunderstorm WindSelby-Seventy mph winds were estimated.
August 2016Thunderstorm WindSelby-An estimated sixty mph wind occurred at Selby.
July 2016Thunderstorm WindMobridge-Sixty mph winds brought tree limbs down.
July 2016Thunderstorm WindMobridge-Seventy mph winds were estimated.
July 2016Thunderstorm WindAkaska-Sixty mph winds were estimated.
July 2016Thunderstorm Wind(Y26)Mobridge Arpt-Seventy mph winds downed some power lines and many tree limbs in Mobridge.
July 2016Thunderstorm WindAkaska-Sixty mph winds were estimated.
June 2015Thunderstorm WindSelby-Sixty mph winds were estimated.
August 2015HailLowry-Hail damaged some door screens.

Mines and quarries

1 recorded

The Survey's mineral resources record lists 1 working inside this county. It still produces. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.

Commodity Workings
Sand and Gravel, Construction1

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

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Jensen Mill PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer

Every populated place in the county

7

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.