Ziebach County, South Dakota

25 topographic sheets cover 10 settlements here, and 1 property is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Research this county

From the record

1 National Register listing published here.

Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service

South Dakota within the United States

Ziebach County within South Dakota

What the record shows

70 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
1 property here is on the National Register of Historic Places, listed as a building.
The Geographic Names Information System records 10 populated places in this county; 10 are covered by at least one topographic sheet.

Places on the National Register

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	Property	Type	Listed	Reference
	Ziebach County Courthouse	building	1993	92001864

Wildfire, 1992 to 2020

1,294 fires

Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 1,294 of them, burning about 43,437 acres. 395 started naturally and 44 were recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.

Reported cause	Fires
Natural	395
Equipment and vehicle use	227
Missing data/not specified/undetermined	169
Debris and open burning	139
Misuse of fire by a minor	138
Fireworks	89
Arson/incendiarism	44
Power generation/transmission/distribution	37
Smoking	20
Recreation and ceremony	20
Other causes	16

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
19 October 2000	Equipment and vehicle use	9,431 acres	Cheyenne River Agency	GENO H.
17 September 2000	Natural	4,648 acres	Cheyenne River Agency	JENSEN
23 August 2020	Natural	3,380 acres	Cheyenne River Agency	BENT RIM
3 August 2006	Natural	2,330 acres	Cheyenne River Agency	BALL CREEK COMPLEX
5 September 2000	Natural	1,102 acres	Cheyenne River Agency	JOHNSON
11 November 1993	Equipment and vehicle use	1,089 acres	Cheyenne River Agency	FISHER
5 September 2000	Natural	1,052 acres	Cheyenne River Agency	TAKINI#2
5 September 2000	Natural	817 acres	Cheyenne River Agency	BULLCREEK

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

Storms, 1962 to 2026

60 of 489 shown

The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 489 reports for this county, causing no deaths, 7 injuries and about $4,280,060 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.

Kind of event	Reports
Thunderstorm Wind	222
Hail	200
Flood	27
Tornado	24
Flash Flood	13
Funnel Cloud	1
Wildfire	1
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
May 2015	Thunderstorm Wind	Cherry Creek	3 hurt, $5,000	Gusty winds blew the community center's roof into the building. About 40 people were attending a meeting and three received minor injuries.
June 2010	Tornado (EF2)	Dupree	2 hurt, $750,000	Another tornado touched down just south of Dupree and moved along the west side of town. It tore the roof off the community center, damaged a house and garage, crumpled large grain bins, and tossed several mobile homes. One person was injured when a mobile home was blown into the car in which he had taken cover and another person received minor injuries.
August 2016	Thunderstorm Wind	Bridger	2 hurt	A trailer house was blown over by thunderstorm winds, injuring two people inside.
May 2019	Flash Flood	Red Elm	$750,000	Three to five inches of rain fell in about two hours over portions of southern Ziebach County, causing rapid rises on small creeks and overland flooding of rural areas. Several county and BIA roads were washed out, including Dupree Road and BIA 9. US Highway 212 near mile marker 121 was also inundated.
August 2011	Hail	Dupree	$500,000	The combination of large hail and 50 mph wind gusts caused damage throughout town.
June 2008	Flash Flood	Cherry Creek	$500,000	Homes and roads were flooded around the community of Cherry Creek.
May 2019	Flood	Red Scaffold	$300,000	Runoff from heavy rain caused overland flooding and flooding along Cherry Creek, Red Scaffold Creek, and Bear Creek. Several roads were inundated, including Bear Creek Road and Cherry Creek Road. Releases from Angostura Dam, combined with runoff from heavy rain, caused major flooding along the Cheyenne River. The Cheyenne River near Plainview reached a preliminary height of 22.87 feet and a peak flow of 61,900 cfs on May 23, which is a new record height and the second highest discharge ever recorded at the location.
June 1983	Tornado (F3)	not stated	$250,000	no account filed
June 2014	Flood	Red Scaffold	$200,000	Flooding occurred along Bull Creek and Cherry Creek and its tributaries. Tankini and Red Scaffold Roads were flooded in a few locations. High water in Howes Grazing Lake and Lake Buffalo eroded the shoulder of SD Highway 34/73 between Bridger and Howes. The highway was closed for eight days while temporary repairs were made and both lakes were drained to more manageable levels. The highway was closed again in early August for five weeks so permanent repairs could be made.
June 2008	Flood	Glad Valley	$200,000	A portion of the community of Cherry Creek was inundated by flood waters. Major flooding was reported along Cherry Creek, the Moreau River, the Cheyenne River, and their tributaries.
June 2010	Flash Flood	Iron Lightning	$150,000	Four to seven inches of rain caused flash flooding in Dupree and along Bear Creek, Ash Creek, and the Moreau River. Several sections of U.S. Highway 212 were under water at least a foot deep and the highway was closed for several hours. Basements of several homes and buildings flooded.
June 2014	Flood	Glad Valley	$100,000	Hail and over four inches of rain fell in less than 24 hours over northern Ziebach County, with the runoff causing significant flooding. Over 140 roads and culverts were flooded or damaged, including the road near Glad Valley Dam.
May 2009	Tornado (EF1)	Red Elm	$100,000	A tornado touched down west of Dupree and tracked eastward before dissipating northeast of Dupree. It dented several grain bins, blew over a small mobile home and semi trailer truck, tore sheet metal off sheds, and toppled a large communications tower.
August 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	Dupree	$50,000	The combination of large hail and strong wind caused damage.
July 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	Dupree	$50,000	Large tree branches were blown down, windows were broken, and automobiles were damaged by the combination of large hail and strong wind gusts.
June 2012	Hail	Glad Valley	$50,000	no account filed
July 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	Cherry Creek	$50,000	no account filed
June 2012	Thunderstorm Wind	Dupree	$30,000	A barn was torn apart and the timber and tin siding were blown about a mile away. Another barn had damage to its rafters, walls, and doors. The house had minor damage and several trees and power lines were blown down.
October 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	Glad Valley	$25,000	Strong winds blew down tree branches as large as 12 inches in diameter and snapped power poles.
June 1962	Tornado (F0)	not stated	$25,000	no account filed
July 2013	Thunderstorm Wind	Dupree	$20,000	The combination of large hail and strong winds broke windows and tore siding off the north side of a house.
June 2005	Hail	Red Scaffold	$20,000	Hail damaged automobile and roof of house.
August 2004	Hail	Red Scaffold	$20,000	Calf shelters were blown away, windows were broken, and roof shingles were blown off.
July 2010	Thunderstorm Wind	Dupree	$15,000	Large wind-driven hail broke windows of homes and automobiles.
June 2012	Thunderstorm Wind	Red Elm	$10,000	The combination of hail and wind damaged a house and vehicles.
June 2010	Tornado (EF1)	Red Elm	$10,000	Another tornado touched down southwest of Dupree and crossed U.S. Highway 212. It blew down several power poles. A small satellite tornado was observed at 1730 MST.
July 2010	Thunderstorm Wind	Glad Valley	$10,000	Large hail and strong winds broke windows.
August 2013	Hail	Dupree	$10,000	no account filed
June 2012	Hail	Iron Lightning	$10,000	no account filed
June 2012	Hail	Red Elm	$10,000	no account filed
July 2010	Hail	Glad Valley	$10,000	no account filed
June 1996	Hail	Dupree	$10,000	no account filed
May 2013	Flash Flood	Dupree	$5,000	Over four inches of rain fell in two hours. Runoff washed gravel off several roads.
August 2013	Thunderstorm Wind	Iron Lightning	$5,000	A pole barn was lifted off its foundation by strong winds.
August 2013	Thunderstorm Wind	Iron Lightning	$5,000	The combination of wind and hail caused property damage.
August 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	Red Elm	$5,000	A spotter estimated wind gusts reached 80 mph.
June 2012	Hail	Glad Valley	$5,000	no account filed
June 2012	Hail	Red Elm	$5,000	no account filed
July 2005	Hail	Cherry Creek	$5,000	no account filed
August 2017	Flash Flood	Red Scaffold	$2,000	Three to five inches of rain fell during the morning across southern Ziebach County. Runoff from the heavy rain caused flash flooding along Ash and Rattlesnake Creeks. Water ran over county roads north of BIA 6 including BIA27/Ash Creek Road, and several stock ponds exceeded capacity.
July 2012	Thunderstorm Wind	Red Elm	$2,000	Large tree branches were downed by the wind and steel siding was ripped off a barn.
October 1997	Hail	Dupree	$1,000	Windows broken in vehicles.
June 1983	Tornado (F0)	not stated	$30	no account filed
July 1982	Tornado (F0)	not stated	$30	no account filed
April 2026	Thunderstorm Wind	Bridger	-	SDOT submitted wind gust report.
June 2025	Thunderstorm Wind	Thunder Butte	-	SD mesonet recorded wind gust.
July 2025	Thunderstorm Wind	Thunder Butte	-	Chaser reported a tree uprooted.
July 2025	Thunderstorm Wind	Thunder Butte	-	Snapped the trunk of a 30 ft tall Elm Tree that was about a foot in diameter.
July 2025	Thunderstorm Wind	Thunder Butte	-	Chaser reported a snapped the trunk of a 30 ft tall Elm Tree that was about a foot in diameter.
July 2025	Thunderstorm Wind	Bridger	-	SD Mesonet recorded wind gust.
September 2025	Thunderstorm Wind	Bridger	-	SD Mesonet Station recorded the wind gust.
September 2025	Thunderstorm Wind	Bridger	-	SD Mesonet Station recorded the wind gust.
September 2025	Thunderstorm Wind	Bridger	-	SD Mesonet Station recorded the wind gust.
July 2024	Thunderstorm Wind	Dupree	-	Roof partially blown off of a barn at the Dupree Rodeo Arena. Tree branches and a few power poles were downed in the area.
June 2024	Thunderstorm Wind	Red Elm	-	The spotter estimated wind gusts at 60 mph.
June 2024	Thunderstorm Wind	Dupree	-	Wind gusts were estimated at around 60 mph.
May 2023	Flood	Cherry Creek	-	Minor flooding of agricultural land along the Cheyenne River occurred. The river gage crested at 22.65 feet on May 15 at 500 AM MDT.
June 2023	Flash Flood	Red Elm	-	Four to six inches of rain fell in three hours between Red Elm and Dupree. The water quickly entered Bear Creek, which became about a quarter mile wide; inundating roads, fields, crops, and outbuildings. Water approached a residence near Red Elm and a home near Dupree. Water covered portions of 216th Avenue and 217th Avenue.
June 2023	Flood	Red Elm	-	The flash flooding transitioned to flooding as high flows continued on Bear Creek after four to six inches of rain fell in three hours between Red Elm and Dupree. Bear Creek was reported to be a quarter mile wide in spots; which inundated roads, fields, crops, and outbuildings. Water approached a residence near Red Elm and a home near Dupree. Water covered portions of 216th Avenue and 217th Avenue.
May 2022	Thunderstorm Wind	Thunder Butte	-	The combination of wind and hail broke windows in a home.

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, Construction	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
	Bill Scholl Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Producer

Every populated place in the county

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.

Allison Crossing

North Ziebach unorganized territory · 57626 · On Flint Rock Creek · Red Elm NW quadrangle

7 sheets, 1951 to 1986
Bridger

South Ziebach unorganized territory · 57748 · Bridger quadrangle

6 sheets, 1954 to 1986
Chase

South Ziebach unorganized territory · 57623 · Diermier Ranch quadrangle

6 sheets, 1954 to 1986
Cherry Creek

South Ziebach unorganized territory · 57622 · On Cherry Creek · Cherry Creek quadrangle

8 sheets, 1954 to 1986
Dupree

Dupree city · 57623 · Dupree quadrangle

7 sheets, 1953 to 1986
Glad Valley

North Ziebach unorganized territory · 57644 · Glad Valley quadrangle

8 sheets, 1953 to 1998
Iron Lightning

North Ziebach unorganized territory · 57623 · On Knife Creek · Red Elm NE quadrangle

7 sheets, 1951 to 1986
Red Elm

South Ziebach unorganized territory · 57623 · Red Elm quadrangle

7 sheets, 1953 to 1986
Red Scaffold

South Ziebach unorganized territory · 57626 · On Red Scaffold Creek · Red Scaffold quadrangle

6 sheets, 1954 to 1986
Thunder Butte

North Ziebach unorganized territory · 57623 · On Thunder Butte Creek · Thunder Butte quadrangle

8 sheets, 1951 to 1986

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.