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
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
Chamberlain Bridgelisted 2001
Robert A. Crawford Houselisted 1994- Chamberlain Rest Stop Tipilisted 2015
Population over time
2 figuresChamberlain 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.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 2,387 | |
| 2020 | 2,473 | +86 (+4%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
7 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.
- 1935 USGS Chamberlain quadrangle1:62500
- 1939 USGS Chamberlain quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1955 USGS Mitchell quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1959 USGS Mitchell quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1974 USGS Chamberlain quadrangle1:24000
- 1986 USGS Chamberlain quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
- 1990 USGS Mitchell quadrangle1:250000
Fires near this place
37 since 2010Regional 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/undetermined | 33 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 2 |
| Fireworks | 1 |
| Debris and open burning | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 September 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | RR FIRE |
| 5 September 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | FELTMAN |
| 4 September 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | REST AREA FIRE |
| 4 September 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | I-90 |
| 25 September 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Brule County | PALMER |
| 21 September 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | TURKEY BUZZARD |
| 10 September 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 670 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | MAYER |
| 3 August 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | RAILROAD |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
4 within 5 milesRegional 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 | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chamberlain Manganese District | Manganese | Unknown | ||
| Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Milwaukee Rr Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
57 since 1994Regional 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.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Chamberlain | $700,000 | Thunderstorm winds severely damaged a large greenhouse and produce inside the greenhouse. The winds also blew down several large trees. |
| June 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Chamberlain | $500,000 | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including some trees blown down. The winds also damaged signs, fences and roofs, and blew many loose items around. |
| July 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Chamberlain | $150,000 | no account filed |
| August 2002 | Hail | Chamberlain | $100,000 | Large 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 2000 | Hail | Chamberlain | $10,000 | Large hail damaged crops, broke windows, and damaged paint. The amount of crop damage was not determined. |
| June 2024 | Flash Flood | Chamberlain | - | 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 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Chamberlain | - | A thunderstorm wind gust of 60 mph was measured by a personal weather station on the north side of Chamberlain. |
| August 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Chamberlain | - | 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 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Chamberlain | - | A wind gust to 60 mph was recorded on a personal weather station. |
| August 2019 | Hail | Chamberlain | - | Hail was from nickel to quarter size. |
| April 2019 | Flood | Chamberlain | - | 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 2019 | Flood | Chamberlain | - | 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 2019 | Flood | Chamberlain | - | 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 2019 | Flood | Chamberlain | - | 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 2019 | Flood | Chamberlain | - | 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 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Chamberlain | - | Damaging winds on the leading edge of thunderstorms broke 3 inch diameter limbs from trees and snapped power poles. |
| July 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Chamberlain | - | Thunderstorm winds caused minor tree damage. |
| September 2010 | Flood | Chamberlain | - | 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 2010 | Flood | Chamberlain | - | 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 2010 | Flood | Chamberlain | - | 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 2010 | Flood | Chamberlain | - | 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 2008 | Flash Flood | Chamberlain | - | 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 2007 | Flash Flood | Chamberlain | - | Heavy rain flooded streets and yards. |
| May 2007 | Hail | Chamberlain | - | Reports of large hail were received from several sources in Chamberlain. |
| June 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Chamberlain | - | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including several 4 to 6 inch diameter branches blown down. |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Chamberlain | - | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including numerous branches blown down. |
| August 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Chamberlain | - | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage and blew down power lines, resulting in a power outage. |
| August 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Chamberlain | - | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage and tipped over a mobile home. The amount of damage was not known. |
| August 2002 | Flash Flood | Chamberlain | - | 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 1998 | Hail | Chamberlain | - | Large hail, accompanied by heavy rain and 50 mph winds, caused crop damage over southern Brule County. |
| June 2020 | Hail | Chamberlain | - | no account filed |
| June 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Chamberlain | - | no account filed |
| August 2007 | Hail | Chamberlain | - | no account filed |
| August 2007 | Hail | Chamberlain | - | no account filed |
| April 2007 | Hail | Chamberlain | - | no account filed |
| May 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Chamberlain | - | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Chamberlain | - | no account filed |
| July 2004 | Hail | Chamberlain | - | no account filed |
| July 2004 | Hail | Chamberlain | - | no account filed |
| September 2003 | Hail | Chamberlain | - | no account filed |
| June 2003 | Hail | Chamberlain | - | no account filed |
| June 2002 | Hail | Chamberlain | - | no account filed |
| June 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Chamberlain | - | no account filed |
| August 2002 | Hail | Chamberlain | - | no account filed |
| July 2002 | Hail | Chamberlain | - | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Hail | Chamberlain | - | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Hail | Chamberlain | - | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Hail | Chamberlain | - | no account filed |
| May 1999 | Hail | Chamberlain | - | no account filed |
| June 1999 | Hail | Chamberlain | - | no account filed |
| July 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Chamberlain | - | no account filed |
| June 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Chamberlain | - | no account filed |
| May 1996 | Hail | Chamberlain | - | no account filed |
| May 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Chamberlain | - | no account filed |
| May 1996 | Hail | Chamberlain | - | no account filed |
| July 1996 | Hail | Chamberlain | - | no account filed |
| July 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Chamberlain | - | 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 Chamberlain | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q427708 | 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 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.






