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Hartford, South Dakota

8 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1955 and the latest in 1985. It stands in Hartford City. It lies in ZIP code area 57033. The Survey maps it on the Hartford South quadrangle. 3,354 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,572 feet above sea level.

Hartford within Minnehaha County

On record in Hartford

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

Population over time

2 figures

Hartford grew from 2,534 to 3,354 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
20102,534
20203,354+820 (+32%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

4 surveys from 8 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.

In the county-history sources

5,293 words on this township

History of Minnehaha County, South Dakota. Containing an Account of Its Settlements, Growth, Development and Resources ... Synopsis of Public Records, Biographical Sketches .., published 1899 names this settlement in its chapter on Hartford City. These are the passages that mention it, exactly as the scans read.

In July, 18^)(), a petition was presented by the citizens of the villaofe of Hartford to the county commissioners praying that an election be ordered to determine the question of the incorporation of certain territory as the Town of Hartford. All the preliminarv proceeding's having- been complied with as required by law, the order was made and an election held on the 1st day of Aug-ust, 18%. The territory comprised the southwest quarter and the south half of the south half of the northwest quarter of section 22 in Hartford township. Having- become incorporated the town was divided into three districts. An election of officers was held on the 10th day of September, 18%, and the following- persons Avere elected: Trustees, Charles Peyder president, George Grover, D. B. Oaks; clerk, Nels Haug-en; treasurer, H. D. Oaks; assessor. Mat Becker; justice, B. P. Parker. September 24, eig-ht ordinances were passed. December 21, B. P. Parker resig-ned as justice and L. P. Bayard was appointed to fill vacancy.

Passage source: History of Minnehaha County, South Dakota. Containing an Account of Its Settlements, Growth, Development and Resources ... Synopsis of Public Records, Biographical Sketches .., published 1899.

The Plain Talker and The Hartford Herald. - In June, 1892, the veteran newspaper man, E. C. Kibbe, came to Hartford, and commenced the publication of the Plain Talker. It was published weekly by the same editor until July 7, 1899. Everyone in this vicinity knew there was such a newspaper as the Plain Talker from the first to the last of its career. There was not an issue of the paper but what Mr. Kibbe took occasion to discuss public questions and public men in his own inimitable way, and sometimes it would look to a disinterested person as thoug-h his earlv education had been neglected in reference to the location of the belt'line. All the newspaper fraternity in the county took occasion to tackle the Plain Talker, and then Avished they had let it alone. It was a g-ood local paper and knal to the interests of its subscribers. In July, IS*)'), Mr. Kibbe sold the plant to Albion Thorne, of Sioux Palls, and removed to the State of Washino-ton. Mr. Thorne at once commenced the pul)lication of the Hartford Herald, its first issue appearing on the Uth day of July, 189<). The people of Hartford have reason to be more than pleased with the Herald, for Mr. Thorne is publishini;- a j^-ood newspaper and is deserving- of a g^enerous patronage.

Passage source: History of Minnehaha County, South Dakota. Containing an Account of Its Settlements, Growth, Development and Resources ... Synopsis of Public Records, Biographical Sketches .., published 1899.

Bowers, Samuel P.. is a native of Pennsylvania, and was born October 31, 1855. He resided in Minnesota for some time, and came to this county in March, 1878, where he has since remained. His homestead comprises the southwest quarter of section 9, in Hartford, and is a g^ood farm. He has held several school offices, was chairman of the town board of supervisors in 1896, He is a good neig-hbor and a respected citizen.

Passage source: History of Minnehaha County, South Dakota. Containing an Account of Its Settlements, Growth, Development and Resources ... Synopsis of Public Records, Biographical Sketches .., published 1899.

Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.

Read the whole chapter on Hartford City - it names this place 41 more 41 times.

Fires near this place

7 since 2011

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 7 fires within 5 miles of Hartford between 2011 and 2012, burning about 48 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/undetermined7

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
11 September 2012Missing data/not specified/undetermined2.0 acresSouth Dakota Wildland Fire SuppressionGRASS FIRE
21 August 2012Missing data/not specified/undetermined15 acresSouth Dakota Wildland Fire SuppressionGRASS FIRE
24 July 2012Missing data/not specified/undetermined2.0 acresSouth Dakota Wildland Fire SuppressionGRASS FIRE
31 March 2012Missing data/not specified/undetermined20 acresSouth Dakota Wildland Fire SuppressionGRASS FIRE
18 February 2012Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresSouth Dakota Wildland Fire SuppressionGRASS
26 December 2011Missing data/not specified/undetermined5.0 acresSouth Dakota Wildland Fire SuppressionGRASS
2 December 2011Missing data/not specified/undetermined3.0 acresSouth Dakota Wildland Fire SuppressionGRASS FIRE

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Minnehaha County

Mines and quarries near this place

3 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 3 workings within 5 miles of Hartford: 3 unknowns. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. 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
Daggett Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionUnknown
Johnson Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionUnknown
Vincent Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionUnknown

Every working recorded in Minnehaha County

Storms near this place

60 of 65 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Hartford in 65 storm reports between 1996 and 2025: 36 hail, 21 thunderstorm wind, 4 flood, 3 tornado. The reports record 1 injury. 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 1998Thunderstorm WindHartford1 hurt, $200,000no account filed
June 2003Tornado (F1)Hartford$2,500,000A tornado heavily damaged 20 or more homes in the Hartford Heights development east of Hartford. Roofs were removed from houses and garages were destroyed. The tornado uprooted large trees. Many of the homes had to be destroyed afterwards due to the amount of damage they received.
July 1997HailHartford$2,000,000no account filed
July 1998Thunderstorm WindHartford$200,000no account filed
July 2001Flash FloodHartford$100,000Rainfall of two to four inches caused flooding of roads and low areas. Up to four feet of water covered some main roads in Sioux Falls. Flooding at construction sites included 2 to 3 feet of water which had to be pumped out of the site of the new jail in Sioux Falls. Street flooding also occurred in Hartford. Some basements were flooded.
March 2019FloodHartford$50,000Snow melt and heavy rainfall (measured 2.74 inches near Hartford and 2.57 inches 3 miles west southwest of Sioux Falls) resulted in extensive flooding of agricultural land in the flood plain. Extensive damage to city parks on the west side of Sioux Falls occurred, including destruction of a pedestrian bridge at Dunham Park. West 12th Street was covered by several feet of water from the creek westward to near Sertoma Avenue. Numerous water rescues were required in residential areas near the gaging site, with as many as 11 residents evacuated from flooded areas. Skunk Creek at Sioux Falls (gage site SIFS2) reached the highest crest on record at 6.57 feet above flood stage on March 14. Property damage costs are rough estimates.
October 1996Thunderstorm WindHartford$30,000no account filed
September 2019FloodHartford$10,000After excessive two-day rainfall during September 10-12 (record 2-day totals of 8.52 inches 2 miles north of Chester and 8.50 inches at Colton), Skunk Creek at Sioux Falls (gage site SIFS2) reached the fourth highest stage on record of 2.35 feet above flood stage on September 13. City parts along Skunk Creek were again inundated, and parts of Madison Street and 12th Street were closed due to high water.
April 2011Thunderstorm WindHartford$5,000Thunderstorm winds destroyed a barn and caused tree damage.
September 2021Thunderstorm WindHartford$2,000Large tree limbs downed by thunderstorm winds. Property damage costs are a rough estimate.
June 2015Thunderstorm WindHartford$2,000Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage. One tree that was blown down damaged a mobile home.
May 2025Thunderstorm WindHartford-Thunderstorm wind gust was measured by a personal weather station.
July 2025HailHartford-Hail was mostly pea to dime size, but some was as large as quarters.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindHartford-Thunderstorm wind gusts measured by a personal weather station.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindHartford-Thunderstorm wind gusts knocked down a couple of trees.
June 2024FloodHartford-Skunk Creek at Sioux Falls rose above flood stage the evening of June 20th, cresting around 5.04 feet above flood stage (16.54 feet) on June 21st. This crest is in the Moderate Stage. The creek then fell below flood stage on the morning of June 24th. For a more comprehensive description of flood damage, please see other entries for Minnehaha County.
May 2022Thunderstorm WindHartford-Numerous 3 to 6 inch limbs were downed by thunderstorm winds.
May 2022Thunderstorm WindHartford-The windows were blown out and roof torn off of a truck stop.
June 2022Thunderstorm WindHartford-A thunderstorm wind gust of 73 mph was measured by a personal weather station.
June 2022Thunderstorm WindHartford-A trailer was blown off the road by strong thunderstorm wind gusts.
September 2018FloodHartford-Rainfall around the Sioux Falls metro area from September 18-20 totaled generally 5 to 7 inches. Minor flooding impacted mainly rural agricultural land, but water did start flowing over West 12th Street west of Sertoma Avenue along with some lowland flooding of city parks. Skunk Creek at Sioux Falls (gage site SIFS2) crested 1.0 foot above flood stage on September 21.
June 2017Thunderstorm WindHartford-Large branches dowed.
June 2016Thunderstorm WindHartford-Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including one large tree blown down.
June 2014Tornado (EF0)Hartford-A brief tornado caused no reported damage.
June 2010HailHartford-Large hail accompanied by damaging winds caused an unknown amount of damage to vehicles, homes, and crops.
June 2010Thunderstorm WindHartford-Damaging winds, accompanied by large hail, caused an unknown amount of damage to trees, homes, and crops.
June 2010Thunderstorm WindHartford-Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage. The winds were accompanied by heavy rain.
May 2004HailHartford-Large hail was accompanied by wind gusts to 45 mph.
July 2004HailHartford-Large hail covered the ground along Wall Lake.
August 2004Thunderstorm WindHartford-Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage.
June 2001Tornado (F0)Hartford-A brief tornado caused no reported damage or injuries.
July 2000Thunderstorm WindHartford-Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including some trees blown down.
August 2025HailHartford-no account filed
June 2014HailHartford-no account filed
June 2014HailHartford-no account filed
August 2013HailHartford-no account filed
August 2013HailHartford-no account filed
August 2006HailHartford-no account filed
June 2005HailHartford-no account filed
May 2005HailHartford-no account filed
November 2005HailHartford-no account filed
May 2004HailHartford-no account filed
May 2004HailHartford-no account filed
August 2004Thunderstorm WindHartford-no account filed
May 2002HailHartford-no account filed
May 2002HailHartford-no account filed
May 2002HailHartford-no account filed
May 2002HailHartford-no account filed
April 2002HailHartford-no account filed
April 2002HailHartford-no account filed
April 2002HailHartford-no account filed
April 2002HailHartford-no account filed
April 2002HailHartford-no account filed
April 2002HailHartford-no account filed
April 2002HailHartford-no account filed
April 2002Thunderstorm WindHartford-no account filed
April 2002HailHartford-no account filed
June 2002HailHartford-no account filed
June 2001HailHartford-no account filed
June 2001HailHartford-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Minnehaha 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
Ellis Corner6.1 miles9
West Acres Development6.7 miles9
Humboldt7.1 miles6
Ellis7.3 miles9
Johnsons Addition7.5 miles8
Crooks7.5 miles8
Lyons8.0 miles8
Reppert Addition8.5 miles9

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 HartfordAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q2650963The 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 1265651. 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.