Dolton, South Dakota
11 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1898 and the latest in 1985. It stands in Dolton Township. It lies in ZIP code area 57319. The Survey maps it on the Dolton quadrangle. 34 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,447 feet above sea level.
Population over time
2 figuresDolton fell from 37 to 34 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 | 37 | |
| 2020 | 34 | -3 (-8%) |
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.
- 1898 USGS Parker quadrangle1:125000, 4 printings
- 1955 USGS Sioux Falls quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1958 USGS Sioux Falls quadrangle1:250000
- 1970 USGS Dolton quadrangle1:24000
- 1985 USGS Freeman quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
15 since 1999Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 15 fires within 5 miles of Dolton between 1999 and 2018, burning about 168 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 |
| Debris and open burning | 3 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 2 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 September 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | ARBACH FIRE |
| 26 September 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 40 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | 272ND / 444TH |
| 25 September 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | DOLTON GRASS FIRE |
| 23 August 2008 | Debris and open burning | 35 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | not named |
| 20 August 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 20 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | TOM LEIN |
| 18 August 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | KANE |
| 4 July 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | UNKOWN |
| 11 July 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | UNKOWN |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Storms near this place
31 since 1998Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Dolton in 31 storm reports between 1998 and 2025: 16 flood, 8 thunderstorm wind, 6 hail, 1 tornado. 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 2014 | Flood | Dolton | $100,000 | Persistent moderate to heavy rain caused flooding of fields and other lowlands, including several roads, homes, and businesses. This flooding lasted for almost two days, and was aggravated locally by additional storms during that time. Some roads were damaged or washed out. |
| March 2010 | Flood | Dolton | $100,000 | Rapid melting of a heavy winter snowpack resulted in major to record flooding of the Vermillion River, including the east and West Fork Vermillion Rivers. Fields and most county and smaller roads were flooded with some roads washed out. U.S. Highway 18 near Davis was flooded and closed. Homes and businesses were flooded, especially in the hard hit town of Davis, but also in and near Centerville, where ice jams and at least two broken dikes added to the flooding problems. The Vermillion River crested at 5.4 feet above flood stage near Davis on March 15th. The East and West Fork Vermillion Rivers crested at 2 and 3.2 feet above flood stage, respectively, near Parker on march 14th. |
| September 2019 | Flood | Dolton | $50,000 | After record two-day rainfall in the headwaters of the Vermillion River (7.13 inches at Howard, 5.90 inches 5 miles northeast of Salem), the West Fork of the Vermillion River near Parker (gage site PKRS2) reached the second highest crest on record at 4.13 feet above flood stage on September 13. Numerous township and county roads were inundated. |
| April 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dolton | $50,000 | Thunderstorm winds damaged trees, power lines, and farm buildings. A 60 foot silo was blown down, grain bins were damaged, and outbuildings were pushed off foundations. |
| July 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dolton | $2,000 | Thunderstorm winds toppled several gravestones. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dolton | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts were measured by a personal weather station. |
| June 2024 | Flood | Dolton | - | The West Fork of the Vermillion River near Parker rose above flood stage the morning of June 21st, cresting around 6.51 feet above flood stage (15.51 feet) on June 22nd. This crest is in the Major Stage and broke the previous record. The river then fell below flood stage on the morning of June 26th. For a more comprehensive description of flood damage, please see other entries for Turner County. |
| May 2019 | Flood | Dolton | - | The West Fork of the Vermillion River near Parker (gage site PKRS2) reached a crest of 1.59 feet above flood stage on May 30. Impacts were mainly agricultural, causing further delays to spring planting and preparations throughout the flood plain. |
| March 2019 | Flood | Dolton | - | Snow melt and heavy rainfall (measured 2.80 inches at Marion and 3.06 inches 7 miles west southwest of Parker) resulted in extensive flooding of agricultural lands and inundation of numerous county and township roads (including 456th Avenue and 276th Street east of Parker). Flood water inundated areas of Thunder Valley drag strip. The West Fork of the Vermillion River near Parker (gage site PKRS2) reached major flood stage cresting 3.9 feet above flood stage on March 14, the second highest crest on record. Several lesser crests occurred occurred through March 18. |
| April 2019 | Flood | Dolton | - | Runoff from occasional precipitation in early April produced considerable flooding of agricultural lands along the river. The West Fork of the Vermillion River near Parker (gage site PKRS2) crested at 1.09 feet above flood stage on April 17. |
| June 2018 | Flood | Dolton | - | A week of periodic heavy rainfall ending June 26 resulted in a widespread 5 to 9 inches of rainfall, much of which occurred on June 20 and 25. Specific weekly totals including 6.08 at Montrose, 7.59 near Hurley and 8.57 at Marion. Major flooding occurred with significant amounts of crop and pasture land as well as most county roads were inundated as the river crested near Parker (gage site PKRS2) 2.5 feet above flood stage on June 21. The river dropped below flood stage on June 23, but returned above flood stage with moderate flooding again on June 26 before falling back below flood stage on June 28. |
| July 2015 | Tornado (EF0) | Dolton | - | A tornado caused an unknown amount of crop damage. |
| May 2012 | Flood | Dolton | - | Heavy rain caused flooding of the Vermillion River, with some roads, parkland and farmland affected. The river crested at 2.0 feet above flood stage near Davis on May 10th. |
| April 2011 | Flood | Dolton | - | Flooding of lowlands and lakes continued into most of April. Flooding of the Vermillion River abated early in the month, then had a minor crest near Davis on April 20th. Water was generally low to recede. High water and groundwater levels from record precipitation in the year 2010 contributed to the slow nature of abatement of the flooding. |
| March 2011 | Flood | Dolton | - | Melting of a heavy winter snow cover caused moderate flooding of the Vermillion River, as well as flooding of the East and West Fork Vermillion Rivers, and some small streams and lakes in the county. Farmland as well as other lowlands was flooded in some areas. The Vermillion River crested at 3.0 feet above flood stage near Davis on March 20th. Ice jams threatened more significant flooding of the Davis area, but they were broken up before this happened. A few roads were closed by the flooding, and water was running over other roads. A few roads were heavily damaged, but the amount of damage could not be determined before repairs began. The flooding onset was rapid for a snow melt flood due to high water and groundwater levels from record precipitation in the year 2010. The river flooding ended before the end of the month, but some lowland flooding continued. |
| September 2010 | Flood | Dolton | - | Heavy rain caused minor to moderate flooding of the Vermillion River and the East and West Fork Vermillion Rivers. Lowlands including some farmland and a few roads were affected, and some parkland was affected in Davis. The Vermillion River crested at 2.9 feet above flood stage near Davis on September 26th. |
| July 2010 | Flood | Dolton | - | Heavy rain cause moderate to record flooding of the Vermillion River, including the East and West Fork Vermillion Rivers. Lowlands, fields, and some roads were flooded. The Vermillion River crested at 3.9 feet above flood stage near Davis on July 23rd, fell a few days later, then was rising again at the end of the month. The East Fork Vermillion River crested at 1.52 feet above flood stage, a record, near Parker on July 31st, and the West Fork Vermillion River crested at 3.12 feet above flood stage, also near Parker, on July 30th. |
| June 2010 | Flood | Dolton | - | Heavy rain caused minor to moderate flooding of the Vermillion River, including the East and West fork Vermillion Rivers. Lowlands, fields, and some roads were flooded. The Vermillion River crested at 3.6 feet above flood stage near Davis on June 15th. The East Fork Vermillion River crested at 1 feet above flood stage on June 15th, and the west Fork crested at a little more than 2 feet above flood stage on June 11th, both near Parker. |
| August 2010 | Flood | Dolton | - | Moderate to major flooding of the Vermillion River, as well as the East and West Fork Vermillion Rivers, triggered by late July heavy rains, continued into early August before abating. Lowlands, fields, and some roads were flooded. The Vermillion River crested at 4.6 feet above flood stage near Davis on August 7th, then water levels steadily decreased, with the river falling below flood stage on August 12th. The East and West Fork Vermillion Rivers were already falling at the start of the month and fell below flood stage a few days later. |
| June 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dolton | - | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including up to 6 inch diameter limbs blown down. |
| June 2008 | Hail | Dolton | - | Large hail damaged crops. The amount of crop damage was not known. |
| June 2008 | Flood | Dolton | - | Heavy rain caused moderate to major flooding along the Vermillion River. Farmland was extensively flooded, and some county roads were also flooded. The amount of crop damage and damage to farmland from erosion was not known. |
| August 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dolton | - | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including at least one large tree uprooted. Power lines and poles were also blown down. |
| June 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dolton | - | no account filed |
| August 2007 | Hail | Dolton | - | no account filed |
| July 2007 | Hail | Dolton | - | no account filed |
| May 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dolton | - | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Dolton | - | no account filed |
| April 2002 | Hail | Dolton | - | no account filed |
| April 2002 | Hail | Dolton | - | no account filed |
| July 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dolton | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marion | 8.1 miles | 11 | |
| Monroe | 9.0 miles | 11 | |
| Parker | 14.7 miles | 11 | |
| Turkey Ridge | 18.0 miles | 11 | |
| Spring Valley | 20.7 miles | 11 | |
| Hurley | 21.3 miles | 11 | |
| Cameron Colony | 21.8 miles | 11 | |
| Chancellor | 22.7 miles | 10 |
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 Dolton | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q3239900 | 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 1254727. 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.




