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Chamberlain, South Dakota

11 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1935 and the latest in 1990. It stands in Chamberlain City. It lies in ZIP code area 57325. It stands on American Creek. The Survey maps it on the Chamberlain quadrangle. 2,473 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,404 feet above sea level.

Research this city

Chamberlain within Brule County

On record in Chamberlain

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 3 records

Population over time

2 figures

Chamberlain grew from 2,387 to 2,473 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.

YearPeople Change
20102,387
20202,473+86 (+4%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

7 surveys from 11 printed sheets

Matched 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.

Fires near this place

37 since 2010

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 37 fires within 5 miles of Chamberlain between 2010 and 2020, burning about 958 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/undetermined33
Equipment and vehicle use2
Fireworks1
Debris and open burning1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
5 September 2012Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresSouth Dakota Wildland Fire SuppressionRR FIRE
5 September 2011Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreSouth Dakota Wildland Fire SuppressionFELTMAN
4 September 2010Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresSouth Dakota Wildland Fire SuppressionREST AREA FIRE
4 September 2010Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresSouth Dakota Wildland Fire SuppressionI-90
25 September 2013Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresBrule CountyPALMER
21 September 2010Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresSouth Dakota Wildland Fire SuppressionTURKEY BUZZARD
10 September 2012Missing data/not specified/undetermined670 acresSouth Dakota Wildland Fire SuppressionMAYER
3 August 2010Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreSouth Dakota Wildland Fire SuppressionRAILROAD

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Brule County

Mines and quarries near this place

4 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 4 workings within 5 miles of Chamberlain: 3 past producers, 1 unknown. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Manganese. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Chamberlain Manganese DistrictManganeseUnknown
Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Milwaukee Rr PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer

Every working recorded in Brule County

Storms near this place

57 since 1994

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Chamberlain in 57 storm reports between 1994 and 2024: 25 hail, 19 thunderstorm wind, 9 flood, 4 flash 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.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
June 2015Thunderstorm WindChamberlain$700,000Thunderstorm winds severely damaged a large greenhouse and produce inside the greenhouse. The winds also blew down several large trees.
June 2002Thunderstorm WindChamberlain$500,000Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including some trees blown down. The winds also damaged signs, fences and roofs, and blew many loose items around.
July 1996Thunderstorm WindChamberlain$150,000no account filed
August 2002HailChamberlain$100,000Large hail, driven by strong winds, broke windows in a hospital and other buildings, and also in numerous vehicles. The hail also stripped corn crops in the area. The amount of crop damage was not known.
July 2000HailChamberlain$10,000Large hail damaged crops, broke windows, and damaged paint. The amount of crop damage was not determined.
June 2024Flash FloodChamberlain-Rainfall from 2 to 4 inches over a three hour period in the early evening led to multiple roads closed due to standing water. One home was damaged by water on south Main St. near Avenue of Flags in Chamberlain. For a more comprehensive description of flood damage, please see other entries for areal and river flooding for Brule County.
June 2022Thunderstorm WindChamberlain-A thunderstorm wind gust of 60 mph was measured by a personal weather station on the north side of Chamberlain.
August 2022Thunderstorm WindChamberlain-A wind gust of 67 mph was measured on a personal weather station. Several large cottonwood trees were downed by wind gusts in town, and numerous other trees across the county.
July 2020Thunderstorm WindChamberlain-A wind gust to 60 mph was recorded on a personal weather station.
August 2019HailChamberlain-Hail was from nickel to quarter size.
April 2019FloodChamberlain-A continuation of flooding from March, higher dam releases and local runoff from occasional precipitation in late March and April maintained minor flooding of recreational lands, closing several boat ramps and flooding marinas around Chamberlain. The Missouri River at Chamberlain (gage site CBLS2) crested at 2.7 feet above flood stage on April 3.
June 2019FloodChamberlain-A continuation of flooding from May, the Missouri River at Chamberlain (gage site CBLS2) started the month with a week of major flooding, as water crested 6.06 feet above flood stage on June 2 , the third highest crest on record. American Creek Campground and Marina were inundated. Numerous recreational boat ramps were closed due to high water. A gradual decrease in water levels continued through mid-month, with the river falling below flood stage on June 21.
July 2019FloodChamberlain-The Missouri River at Chamberlain (gage site CBLS2) crested 0.20 feet above flood stage on July 11. Several recreational boat ramps were flooded.
March 2019FloodChamberlain-Snow melt and heavy rainfall resulted in flooding of a few boat docks and some camping areas near Chamberlain. The Missouri River at Chamberlain (gage site CBLS2) reached the fifth highest stage on record cresting 2.36 feet above flood stage on March 31.
May 2019FloodChamberlain-Increased releases from upstream dams along with heavy rainfall produced major flooding on the Missouri River at Chamberlain (gage site CBLS2). Several recreational boat ramps were flooded along with the American Creek Recreational Area as the river reached the third highest crest on record (5.87 feet above flood stage) on May 31. The river remained in major flood stage at the end of the month.
June 2018Thunderstorm WindChamberlain-Damaging winds on the leading edge of thunderstorms broke 3 inch diameter limbs from trees and snapped power poles.
July 2016Thunderstorm WindChamberlain-Thunderstorm winds caused minor tree damage.
September 2010FloodChamberlain-Continued runoff from summer heavy rains helped continue flooding along the Missouri River. Lowlands flooded included some camping and other recreational facilities. The river remained below its peak June levels.
June 2010FloodChamberlain-Runoff from heavy rain caused the Missouri River to rise slowly above flood stage. Lowlands flooded included some camping and other recreational facilities. The river crested at 3.38 feet above flood stage on June 23rd.
July 2010FloodChamberlain-Runoff from continued heavy rain helped continue flooding along the Missouri River. Lowlands flooded included some camping and other recreational facilities. The river remained below its June crest at Chamberlain.
August 2010FloodChamberlain-Runoff from heavy rain during the summer helped continue flooding along the Missouri River. Lowlands flooded included some camping and other recreational facilities. The river remained below its June crest at Chamberlain.
June 2008Flash FloodChamberlain-Heavy rainfall of around 3 inches in a short time caused flooding of numerous roads, with some roads being washed out or temporarily closed. Basements and parks were flooded in Chamberlain, with minor damage to a baseball field. Farmland was also flooded with unknown damage to crops.
August 2007Flash FloodChamberlain-Heavy rain flooded streets and yards.
May 2007HailChamberlain-Reports of large hail were received from several sources in Chamberlain.
June 2006Thunderstorm WindChamberlain-Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including several 4 to 6 inch diameter branches blown down.
June 2005Thunderstorm WindChamberlain-Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including numerous branches blown down.
August 2004Thunderstorm WindChamberlain-Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage and blew down power lines, resulting in a power outage.
August 2002Thunderstorm WindChamberlain-Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage and tipped over a mobile home. The amount of damage was not known.
August 2002Flash FloodChamberlain-Heavy rainfall up to four and one half inches caused flooding of streets, homes, and low lying areas. At least one street in Chamberlain was damaged by rushing water breaking up the pavement.
July 1998HailChamberlain-Large hail, accompanied by heavy rain and 50 mph winds, caused crop damage over southern Brule County.
June 2020HailChamberlain-no account filed
June 2015Thunderstorm WindChamberlain-no account filed
August 2007HailChamberlain-no account filed
August 2007HailChamberlain-no account filed
April 2007HailChamberlain-no account filed
May 2005Thunderstorm WindChamberlain-no account filed
May 2004HailChamberlain-no account filed
July 2004HailChamberlain-no account filed
July 2004HailChamberlain-no account filed
September 2003HailChamberlain-no account filed
June 2003HailChamberlain-no account filed
June 2002HailChamberlain-no account filed
June 2002Thunderstorm WindChamberlain-no account filed
August 2002HailChamberlain-no account filed
July 2002HailChamberlain-no account filed
June 2001HailChamberlain-no account filed
June 2001HailChamberlain-no account filed
June 2001HailChamberlain-no account filed
May 1999HailChamberlain-no account filed
June 1999HailChamberlain-no account filed
July 1998Thunderstorm WindChamberlain-no account filed
June 1997Thunderstorm WindChamberlain-no account filed
May 1996HailChamberlain-no account filed
May 1996Thunderstorm WindChamberlain-no account filed
May 1996HailChamberlain-no account filed
July 1996HailChamberlain-no account filed
July 1994Thunderstorm WindChamberlain-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Brule County

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 PlaceDistance Sheets
Pukwana8.2 miles10
Grosse8.4 miles11
Grandview11.7 miles11
Ola15.8 miles8
Lyonville19.6 miles10
Kimball20.2 miles8
Eagle20.8 miles8
Bijou Hills22.4 miles8

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 ChamberlainAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q427708The 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 1265153. 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.