Bridgewater, South Dakota
11 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1899 and the latest in 1985. It stands in Bridgewater City. It lies in ZIP code area 57319. The Survey maps it on the Bridgewater West quadrangle. 511 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,417 feet above sea level.
On record in Bridgewater
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 1 record
- First Presbyterian Churchlisted 2013
Population over time
2 figuresBridgewater grew from 492 to 511 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 492 | |
| 2020 | 511 | +19 (+4%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
5 surveys from 11 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.
- 1899 USGS Alexandria quadrangle1:125000, 5 printings
- 1955 USGS Sioux Falls quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1958 USGS Sioux Falls quadrangle1:250000
- 1973 USGS Bridgewater West quadrangle1:24000
- 1985 USGS Salem quadrangle1:100000
Fires near this place
7 since 1997Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 7 fires within 5 miles of Bridgewater between 1997 and 2017, burning about 169 acres in total. 1 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 |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 3 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2 |
| Natural | 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 May 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | D STAHL FIRE |
| 8 April 2017 | Natural | 8.0 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | BARTSCHER FIRE |
| 28 April 1997 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Madison Wetland Management District | LIONSLAKE |
| 8 March 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 20 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | DHOFER FIRE |
| 9 November 1999 | Debris and open burning | 60 acres | Bridgewater Volunteer Fire Department | BRIDGEWATER |
| 28 October 2001 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Spencer Volunteer Fire Department | MICHAEL TUCKER |
| 24 October 1999 | Debris and open burning | 80 acres | Bridgewater Volunteer Fire Department | BRIDGEWATER 3 |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Storms near this place
48 since 1995Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Bridgewater in 48 storm reports between 1995 and 2025: 24 hail, 13 thunderstorm wind, 4 tornado, 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2024 | Flood | Bridgewater | $1,720,000 | Rainfall amounts across McCook County from June 20-22 ranged from 5 to 8 inches. Widespread overland flooding ensued with additional flooding along the East Fork Vermillion River, West Fork Vermillion River, and Wolf Creek. ||Flood waters damaged 10 to 15 homes in Montrose, 8 to 10 homes in Salem, and 3 to 4 homes in Spencer. Numerous others reported water in their basements. Sewage backup also occurred in Montrose, Salem, and Spencer. Residential flood damages are estimated to be nearly 547 thousand dollars.||At the peak of flooding, U.S. Highway 81 was closed in more than four locations and South Dakota Highway 38 was closed at Montrose. Many other roads and culverts across the county were damaged or washed out. Preliminary damage assessments estimate loss to public infrastructure across the county to be nearly 1.17 million dollars.||The majority of overland flooding subsided by June 25, but river flooding continued through the end of the month. For additional information on river flooding, please see other flood entries for McCook County. |
| March 2019 | Flood | Bridgewater | $660,000 | Interstate 90 was closed due to water flowing over the road between exits 364 and 368 southeast of Salem. Other flooding resulted in extensive damage to public infrastructure including numerous county and township roads, culverts, and some bridges. |
| September 2019 | Flood | Bridgewater | $540,000 | Excessive rainfall from September 10-12 (8.27 inches in Bridgewater, 7.14 inches 6 miles northwest of Montrose, 6.08 inches in Montrose) caused extensive areal flooding. Hardest hit were areas near Montrose, where rising waters in the East Fork of the Vermillion River encroached on eastern portions of the city and prompted a mandatory evacuation of areas along First Avenue from Highway 38 to Main Street on September 12. Numerous county and township roads were washed out. Interstate 90 was closed from Humboldt to Bridgewater on September 12 and portions remained closed through September 16. State Highway 38 was closed from Montrose to Salem. Significant ponding of water also occurred in Spencer and Bridgewater. Lake Vermillion Recreational Area was closed due to flooding and remained closed through September 26 while damage was cleaned up. Property damage costs are rough estimates. Flooding also resulted in crop losses across the area. Crop loss estimates provided by the United States Department of Agriculture. |
| September 2006 | Tornado (F2) | Bridgewater | $100,000 | A tornado affected 3 farmsteads, destroying numerous outbuildings, damaging farm equipment and a home, killing at least 5 cattle and injuring others. The tornado also damaged a hog confinement building and overturned a semi trailer on Interstate 90. |
| May 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bridgewater | $50,000 | Thunderstorm winds, including a gustnado, caused damage to trrees and power lines, damaged grain bins and farm buildings, destroyed a pig barn, and damaged farm equipment. |
| July 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bridgewater | $50,000 | Thunderstorm winds caused widespread tree damage, and also blew down power lines. |
| August 1998 | Lightning | Bridgewater | $10,000 | no account filed |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bridgewater | - | Scattered tree damage occurred throughout the city of Bridgewater. |
| April 2022 | Hail | Bridgewater | - | Law enforcement reported golf ball size hail and a 50 mph wind gust. |
| June 2019 | Flood | Bridgewater | - | During crop planting season, prolonged flooding led to the loss of or inability to plant crops across the area. Crop loss estimates provided by the United States Department of Agriculture. |
| August 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bridgewater | - | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including branches blown down. |
| May 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bridgewater | - | A gustnado was observed by a trained spotter. |
| July 2009 | Hail | Bridgewater | - | Large hail caused an unknown amount of crop damage. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bridgewater | - | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including numerous large branches blown down. |
| June 2009 | Tornado (EF0) | Bridgewater | - | A brief tornado caused no reported damage. |
| August 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bridgewater | - | Thunderstorm winds were accompanied by one inch diameter hail. |
| August 2009 | Hail | Bridgewater | - | Large hail was accompanied by wind gusts to 70 mph. |
| July 2009 | Hail | Bridgewater | - | Large hail caused an unknown amount of crop damage. |
| May 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bridgewater | - | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including a few trees blown down. Small hail accompanied the winds. |
| April 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bridgewater | - | Thunderstorm winds damaged trees, including a few trees blown down. The winds also damaged siding and roofs on some homes. |
| June 2005 | Flash Flood | Bridgewater | - | Heavy rain caused flooding of fields and county roads. |
| July 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bridgewater | - | Thunderstorm winds blew down power lines and caused tree damage. The amount of damage was not known. |
| June 2001 | Tornado (F0) | Bridgewater | - | A brief tornado caused no reported damage or injuries. |
| August 2023 | Hail | Bridgewater | - | no account filed |
| September 2014 | Funnel Cloud | Bridgewater | - | no account filed |
| August 2011 | Hail | Bridgewater | - | no account filed |
| June 2010 | Hail | Bridgewater | - | no account filed |
| August 2009 | Hail | Bridgewater | - | no account filed |
| July 2008 | Hail | Bridgewater | - | no account filed |
| August 2007 | Hail | Bridgewater | - | no account filed |
| June 2007 | Hail | Bridgewater | - | no account filed |
| May 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bridgewater | - | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Hail | Bridgewater | - | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Bridgewater | - | no account filed |
| July 2004 | Hail | Bridgewater | - | no account filed |
| July 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bridgewater | - | no account filed |
| May 2002 | Hail | Bridgewater | - | no account filed |
| July 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bridgewater | - | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Hail | Bridgewater | - | no account filed |
| August 2001 | Hail | Bridgewater | - | no account filed |
| October 2001 | Hail | Bridgewater | - | no account filed |
| August 2000 | Hail | Bridgewater | - | no account filed |
| June 1999 | Tornado (F0) | Bridgewater | - | no account filed |
| August 1998 | Hail | Bridgewater | - | no account filed |
| June 1996 | Hail | Bridgewater | - | no account filed |
| June 1996 | Hail | Bridgewater | - | no account filed |
| August 1995 | Hail | Bridgewater | - | no account filed |
| August 1995 | Hail | Bridgewater | - | 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.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stanley Corner | 6.4 miles | 6 | |
| Golden View Colony | 10.2 miles | 6 | |
| Canistota | 11.9 miles | 6 | |
| Spencer | 13.0 miles | 11 | |
| Salem | 13.5 miles | 6 | |
| Rumpus Ridge | 17.0 miles | 6 | |
| Unityville | 17.5 miles | 6 | |
| Montrose | 19.9 miles | 6 |
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 Bridgewater | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q2300650 | 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 1254060. 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.
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.




