Alsen, South Dakota
19 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1898 and the latest in 1986. It lies in ZIP code area 57004. The Survey maps it on the Alsen quadrangle.
Topographic sheets covering this place
8 surveys from 19 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1898 USGS Elk Point quadrangle1:125000, 2 printings
- 1901 USGS Elk Point quadrangle1:125000
- 1907 USGS Elk Point quadrangle1:125000, 6 printings
- 1955 USGS Sioux City quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
- 1958 USGS Sioux City quadrangle1:250000
- 1959 USGS Sioux City quadrangle1:250000
- 1969 USGS Alsen quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1986 USGS Sioux City North quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
14 since 1999Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 14 fires within 5 miles of Alsen between 1999 and 2020, burning about 72 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 9 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 3 |
| Debris and open burning | 1 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 April 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | GRASS FIRE |
| 5 April 2000 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 10 acres | Alcester Volunteer Fire Department | WEST INTERSTATE |
| 4 April 2000 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2.0 acres | Alcester Volunteer Fire Department | BRULE |
| 21 April 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2.0 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | MM35 |
| 18 April 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5.0 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | SLUTIER |
| 5 March 2000 | Debris and open burning | 3.0 acres | Alcester Volunteer Fire Department | STAR SCHOOL |
| 27 March 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | I-29 |
| 16 December 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | 306 |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
1 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 1 working within 5 miles of Alsen: 1 producer. All of them still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seburn Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer |
Storms near this place
25 since 2000Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Alsen in 25 storm reports between 2000 and 2025: 18 thunderstorm wind, 5 hail, 2 flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2011 | Flood | Alsen | $100,000 | Minor to moderate flooding of the Big Sioux River, as well as flooding of some lowlands in the county, continued through April, though flooding generally abated. Some farmland remained flooded, both near to and away from the Big Sioux River. The big Sioux River crested at about 3 feet above flood stage near Hawarden and Akron, iowa, on April 22nd. A few roads remained covered by water, and there was some road damage. 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. |
| August 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alsen | $25,000 | Thunderstorm winds caused widespread tree and power line damage, including trees up to 16 inches in diameter blown down. |
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alsen | $2,000 | Thunderstorm winds snapped off a single power pole. Property damage costs are rough estimates. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alsen | - | Significant tree and powerline damage from an extended period of thunderstorm winds throughout Beresford. Several business signs were damaged. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alsen | - | An extended period of damaging thunderstorm wind gusts was measured by a Road Weather Information System sensor south of Beresford. The first severe gusts were measured at 1954 CST with a peak of 75 mph at 2007 CST. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alsen | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts were measured by a Road Weather Information System sensor near Beresford. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alsen | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts were measured by a personal weather station. |
| July 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alsen | - | A thunderstorm wind gust of 59 mph was measured by the South Dakota Road Weather Information System site near Beresford. |
| June 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alsen | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts up to 65 mph were measured by South Dakota Road Weather Information System site SD508 3 miles south-southwest of Beresford. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alsen | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts as high as 80 mph were measured by South Dakota Road Weather Information System site SD508 3 miles south-southwest of Beresford. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alsen | - | A thunderstorm wind gust of 67 mph was measured by South Dakota Road Weather Information System site SD508 3 miles south-southwest of Beresford. Crop damage is an estimate from insured losses. Information provided by the United States Department of Agriculture. |
| October 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alsen | - | A thunderstorm wind gust of 66 mph was measured by South Dakota Road Weather Information System site SD508 3 miles south-southwest of Beresford. |
| August 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alsen | - | Thunderstorm winds were measured by the South Dakota RWIS station 3 miles south southwest of Beresford. |
| September 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alsen | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts measured by South Dakota RWIS site SD508 3 miles south southwest of Beresford. |
| August 2021 | Hail | Alsen | - | Crop damage is an estimate from insured losses. Information provided by the United States Department of Agriculture. |
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alsen | - | South Dakota RWIS station SD508 measured a peak wind gust of 60 mph. |
| July 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alsen | - | Large tree limb broken off and tossed on top of car. |
| March 2011 | Flood | Alsen | - | Melting of a heavy winter snow cover caused moderate to major flooding of the Big Sioux River, as well as flooding of small streams and lakes in the county. Farmland was flooded, especially near the Big Sioux River, and other lowlands were flooded. The Big Sioux River crested at 8.3 feet above flood stage across from Hawarden, Iowa on March 26th. Several roads were closed by the flooding, and water was running over other roads, from flooded streams, creeks, and fields as well as from the Big Sioux River. The flooded roads included numerous rural roads. Some roads were heavily damaged, but the amount of damage could not be determined before repairs began. Some homes and businesses were also flooded. The flooding onset was rapid for a snow melt flood due to high water and groundwater levels from record precipitation in the year 2010. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alsen | - | Thunderstorm winds caused an unknown amount of tree damage. |
| May 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alsen | - | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including several branches blown down. |
| June 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alsen | - | Hail to one half inch, accompanied by strong winds, caused considerable crop damage. The amount of damage could not be determined, but it was suspected that a lot of corn would have to be replanted. |
| June 2017 | Hail | Alsen | - | no account filed |
| April 2010 | Hail | Alsen | - | no account filed |
| May 2008 | Hail | Alsen | - | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Hail | Alsen | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Alsen | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q4735784 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1260973. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
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.







