Cottonwood, South Dakota
6 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1955 and the latest in 1980. It stands in the Northwest Jackson unorganized territory. It lies in ZIP code area 57775. The Survey maps it on the Cottonwood quadrangle. 12 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 2,421 feet above sea level.
Population over time
2 figuresCottonwood grew from 9 to 12 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 | 9 | |
| 2020 | 12 | +3 (+33%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
4 surveys from 6 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.
- 1955 USGS Martin quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1958 USGS Martin quadrangle1:250000
- 1961 USGS Cottonwood quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1980 USGS Kadoka quadrangle1:100000
Fires near this place
11 since 1999Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 11 fires within 5 miles of Cottonwood between 1999 and 2020, burning about 409 acres in total. 6 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 |
|---|---|
| Natural | 6 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 4 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 September 2020 | Railroad operations and maintenance | under an acre | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | MM132 |
| 31 August 2002 | Natural | 116 acres | Nebraska National Forest | BAD RIVER |
| 23 August 1999 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Milesville Volunteer Fire Department | DAVID BERRY |
| 15 August 2006 | Natural | 50 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | not named |
| 14 August 2006 | Natural | 113 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | not named |
| 14 August 2006 | Natural | 67 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | not named |
| 8 July 2018 | Equipment and vehicle use | 20 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | COTTONWOOD |
| 31 July 2000 | Equipment and vehicle use | 7.0 acres | Philip Volunteer Fire Department | COTTONWOOD |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Storms near this place
60 of 65 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Cottonwood in 65 storm reports between 1995 and 2025: 42 thunderstorm wind, 17 hail, 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2019 | Flood | Cottonwood | $200,000 | Significant flooding occurred along the White River south of Kadoka. A record gauge height of 17.57 feet was set (flood stage is 13 feet), with a peak flow of 17,800 cfs, which is the highest flow recorded since measurements began at this location in 1942. Widespread flooding of agricultural land occurred and several outbuildings were inundated. A county road and bridge about 10 miles downstream of the gauge were washed out and SD Highway 44 south of Interior was covered with water in three locations. |
| October 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cottonwood | $20,000 | The roof was blown off a seed house and buildings and a tractor were damaged by strong wind gusts. |
| December 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cottonwood | $5,000 | The thunderstorm that began in Pennington County moved east into northern Jackson County causing light structural damage in the Cottonwood area and blew over a tractor-semitrailer on Interstate 90 between Wall and Kodoka. |
| July 2009 | Hail | Cottonwood | $5,000 | no account filed |
| July 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cottonwood | $2,000 | Windows were broken out of a home. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cottonwood | - | SD mesonet recorded wind gust. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cottonwood | - | SD mesonet recorded wind gust. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cottonwood | - | SD mesonet recorded wind gust. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cottonwood | - | SD mesonet recorded wind gust. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cottonwood | - | SD Mesonet measured wind gust. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cottonwood | - | SD Mesonet measured wind gust. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cottonwood | - | SD Mesonet measure wind gust. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cottonwood | - | SD Mesonet recorded wind gust. |
| July 2019 | Flood | Cottonwood | - | Runoff from heavy rain caused minor flooding of agricultural land along the South Fork of the Bad River. The river gauge crested about 1.5 feet over flood stage during the morning of July 6. |
| July 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cottonwood | - | Small tree branches were downed by the wind. |
| August 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cottonwood | - | Wind gusts were estimated around 60 mph. |
| May 2015 | Flood | Cottonwood | - | Minor flooding of agricultural land occurred along the South Fork of the Bad River and its tributaries. |
| May 2015 | Flood | Cottonwood | - | Minor flooding of agricultural land occurred along the south fork of the Bad River and its tributaries. |
| June 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cottonwood | - | Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph. |
| June 2014 | Flood | Cottonwood | - | Water Creek, a tributary of the South Fork of the Bad River, flooded Cottonwood Road. The South Fork of the Bad River crested at flood stage (12.0 feet) four miles east of Cottonwood, causing minor flooding of pastures. |
| May 2011 | Flood | Cottonwood | - | The South Fork of the Bad River and Cottonwood Creek flooded due to runoff from heavy rain. |
| April 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cottonwood | - | Thunderstorm winds toppled several calf shelters. |
| July 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cottonwood | - | Several tree limbs were broken off. |
| June 2000 | Hail | Cottonwood | - | 4 windows broken in a house. |
| July 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cottonwood | - | Numerous trees had large branches broken. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cottonwood | - | no account filed |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cottonwood | - | no account filed |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cottonwood | - | no account filed |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cottonwood | - | no account filed |
| July 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cottonwood | - | no account filed |
| July 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cottonwood | - | no account filed |
| July 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cottonwood | - | no account filed |
| June 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cottonwood | - | no account filed |
| April 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cottonwood | - | no account filed |
| September 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cottonwood | - | no account filed |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cottonwood | - | no account filed |
| April 2022 | Hail | Cottonwood | - | no account filed |
| July 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cottonwood | - | no account filed |
| July 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cottonwood | - | no account filed |
| June 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cottonwood | - | no account filed |
| June 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cottonwood | - | no account filed |
| June 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cottonwood | - | no account filed |
| June 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cottonwood | - | no account filed |
| June 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cottonwood | - | no account filed |
| May 2020 | Hail | Cottonwood | - | no account filed |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cottonwood | - | no account filed |
| May 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cottonwood | - | no account filed |
| June 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cottonwood | - | no account filed |
| June 2015 | Hail | Cottonwood | - | no account filed |
| June 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cottonwood | - | no account filed |
| April 2015 | Hail | Cottonwood | - | no account filed |
| May 2013 | Hail | Cottonwood | - | no account filed |
| August 2012 | Hail | Cottonwood | - | no account filed |
| July 2009 | Hail | Cottonwood | - | no account filed |
| July 2009 | Hail | Cottonwood | - | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Hail | Cottonwood | - | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cottonwood | - | no account filed |
| May 2007 | Hail | Cottonwood | - | no account filed |
| August 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cottonwood | - | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Hail | Cottonwood | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cactus Flat | 9.1 miles | 6 | |
| Philip Junction | 13.0 miles | 6 | |
| Sevenmile Corner | 15.8 miles | 6 | |
| Weta | 16.6 miles | 6 | |
| Interior | 17.1 miles | 6 | |
| Kadoka Junction | 22.3 miles | 6 | |
| Kadoka | 22.9 miles | 6 | |
| Potato Creek | 30.2 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 Cottonwood | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q2693133 | 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 1261490. 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.



