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.
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
John Mundt Buildinglisted 1981
Population over time
2 figuresHartford 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.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 2,534 | |
| 2020 | 3,354 | +820 (+32%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
4 surveys from 8 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 Sioux Falls quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1958 USGS Sioux Falls quadrangle1:250000
- 1962 USGS Hartford South quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1985 USGS Sioux Falls quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
In the county-history sources
5,293 words on this townshipHistory 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 2011Regional 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/undetermined | 7 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 September 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2.0 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | GRASS FIRE |
| 21 August 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 15 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | GRASS FIRE |
| 24 July 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2.0 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | GRASS FIRE |
| 31 March 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 20 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | GRASS FIRE |
| 18 February 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | GRASS |
| 26 December 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5.0 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | GRASS |
| 2 December 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3.0 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | GRASS FIRE |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
3 within 5 milesRegional 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 | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daggett Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | ||
| Johnson Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | ||
| Vincent Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown |
Storms near this place
60 of 65 shownRegional 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.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hartford | 1 hurt, $200,000 | no account filed |
| June 2003 | Tornado (F1) | Hartford | $2,500,000 | A 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 1997 | Hail | Hartford | $2,000,000 | no account filed |
| July 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hartford | $200,000 | no account filed |
| July 2001 | Flash Flood | Hartford | $100,000 | Rainfall 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 2019 | Flood | Hartford | $50,000 | Snow 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 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hartford | $30,000 | no account filed |
| September 2019 | Flood | Hartford | $10,000 | After 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 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hartford | $5,000 | Thunderstorm winds destroyed a barn and caused tree damage. |
| September 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hartford | $2,000 | Large tree limbs downed by thunderstorm winds. Property damage costs are a rough estimate. |
| June 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hartford | $2,000 | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage. One tree that was blown down damaged a mobile home. |
| May 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hartford | - | Thunderstorm wind gust was measured by a personal weather station. |
| July 2025 | Hail | Hartford | - | Hail was mostly pea to dime size, but some was as large as quarters. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hartford | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts measured by a personal weather station. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hartford | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts knocked down a couple of trees. |
| June 2024 | Flood | Hartford | - | 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 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hartford | - | Numerous 3 to 6 inch limbs were downed by thunderstorm winds. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hartford | - | The windows were blown out and roof torn off of a truck stop. |
| June 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hartford | - | A thunderstorm wind gust of 73 mph was measured by a personal weather station. |
| June 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hartford | - | A trailer was blown off the road by strong thunderstorm wind gusts. |
| September 2018 | Flood | Hartford | - | 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 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hartford | - | Large branches dowed. |
| June 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hartford | - | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including one large tree blown down. |
| June 2014 | Tornado (EF0) | Hartford | - | A brief tornado caused no reported damage. |
| June 2010 | Hail | Hartford | - | Large hail accompanied by damaging winds caused an unknown amount of damage to vehicles, homes, and crops. |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hartford | - | Damaging winds, accompanied by large hail, caused an unknown amount of damage to trees, homes, and crops. |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hartford | - | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage. The winds were accompanied by heavy rain. |
| May 2004 | Hail | Hartford | - | Large hail was accompanied by wind gusts to 45 mph. |
| July 2004 | Hail | Hartford | - | Large hail covered the ground along Wall Lake. |
| August 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hartford | - | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage. |
| June 2001 | Tornado (F0) | Hartford | - | A brief tornado caused no reported damage or injuries. |
| July 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hartford | - | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including some trees blown down. |
| August 2025 | Hail | Hartford | - | no account filed |
| June 2014 | Hail | Hartford | - | no account filed |
| June 2014 | Hail | Hartford | - | no account filed |
| August 2013 | Hail | Hartford | - | no account filed |
| August 2013 | Hail | Hartford | - | no account filed |
| August 2006 | Hail | Hartford | - | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Hail | Hartford | - | no account filed |
| May 2005 | Hail | Hartford | - | no account filed |
| November 2005 | Hail | Hartford | - | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Hartford | - | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Hartford | - | no account filed |
| August 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hartford | - | no account filed |
| May 2002 | Hail | Hartford | - | no account filed |
| May 2002 | Hail | Hartford | - | no account filed |
| May 2002 | Hail | Hartford | - | no account filed |
| May 2002 | Hail | Hartford | - | no account filed |
| April 2002 | Hail | Hartford | - | no account filed |
| April 2002 | Hail | Hartford | - | no account filed |
| April 2002 | Hail | Hartford | - | no account filed |
| April 2002 | Hail | Hartford | - | no account filed |
| April 2002 | Hail | Hartford | - | no account filed |
| April 2002 | Hail | Hartford | - | no account filed |
| April 2002 | Hail | Hartford | - | no account filed |
| April 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hartford | - | no account filed |
| April 2002 | Hail | Hartford | - | no account filed |
| June 2002 | Hail | Hartford | - | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Hail | Hartford | - | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Hail | Hartford | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ellis Corner | 6.1 miles | 9 | |
| West Acres Development | 6.7 miles | 9 | |
| Humboldt | 7.1 miles | 6 | |
| Ellis | 7.3 miles | 9 | |
| Johnsons Addition | 7.5 miles | 8 | |
| Crooks | 7.5 miles | 8 | |
| Lyons | 8.0 miles | 8 | |
| Reppert Addition | 8.5 miles | 9 |
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 Hartford | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q2650963 | 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 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.



