Pickstown, South Dakota
10 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1955 and the latest in 1990. It stands in White Swan Township. It lies in ZIP code area 57367. It lies near Williamson Gulch. The Survey maps it on the Fort Randall Dam quadrangle. 230 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,480 feet above sea level.
On record in Pickstown
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
- Pickstown Fire and Police Stationlisted 2020
Population over time
2 figuresPickstown grew from 201 to 230 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 | 201 | |
| 2020 | 230 | +29 (+14%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
6 surveys from 10 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 Mitchell quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1959 USGS Mitchell quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1964 USGS Fort Randall Dam quadrangle1:24000
- 1977 USGS Fort Randall Dam quadrangle1:24000
- 1986 USGS Lake Andes quadrangle1:100000, 3 printings
- 1990 USGS Mitchell quadrangle1:250000
Fires near this place
48 since 1997Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 48 fires within 5 miles of Pickstown between 1997 and 2020, burning about 833 acres in total. 3 started naturally. 5 were 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 | 17 |
| Debris and open burning | 8 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 5 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 4 |
| Fireworks | 4 |
| Natural | 3 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 3 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 2 |
| Smoking | 1 |
| Firearms and explosives 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 September 1997 | Natural | under an acre | Karl Mundt National Wildlife Refuge | MUNDT SU1 |
| 8 September 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 15 acres | Yankton Agency | LAR12 |
| 6 September 2005 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 1.0 acres | Yankton Agency | A0805022 |
| 4 September 2005 | Fireworks | 1.1 acres | Yankton Agency | A0805021 |
| 10 September 2005 | Recreation and ceremony | 2.0 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | not named |
| 28 August 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4.0 acres | Yankton Agency | SULLY |
| 28 August 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 45 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | WALLEY PAYER |
| 16 August 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | 112 acres | Karl Mundt National Wildlife Refuge | KARL MUNDT |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Storms near this place
43 since 1996Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Pickstown in 43 storm reports between 1996 and 2022: 16 hail, 16 flood, 8 thunderstorm wind, 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Pickstown | $100,000 | Thunderstorm winds destroyed a metal utility shed, damaged campers, damaged several garage roofs, and caused tree damage, including a few large trees blown down. |
| August 2019 | Flood | Pickstown | $50,000 | A continuation of flooding from July, much of the month (August 1-13, 16-31) was spent in moderate flood stage. The Missouri River near Greenwood (gage site GRWS2) crested 1.71 feet above flood stage on August 31, the sixth highest crest on record. Impacts were mainly limited to inundation of agricultural land, as well as closing of numerous recreational boat ramps. The river remained at moderate flood stage at the end of the month. |
| July 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Pickstown | $50,000 | Thunderstorm winds caused damage to trees and camping vehicles, including one camper that was crushed under a falling tree. No one was injured. The winds also moved a garage off its foundation. |
| September 2019 | Flood | Pickstown | $10,000 | As releases from Fort Randall Dam increased following the mid-month rainfall, the Missouri River near Greenwood (gage site GRWS2) rose sharply into major flood stage and crested 2.47 feet above flood stage on September 30. Impacts were mainly limited to inundation of agricultural land, as well as the closing of numerous recreational boat ramps. The river remained in major flood at the end of the month. |
| July 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Pickstown | $10,000 | no account filed |
| June 2020 | Flash Flood | Pickstown | $5,000 | Several county roads were flooded from rainfall which averaged 3 to 4 inches around the area during the overnight and morning hours. Up to 3.95 inches rainfall occurred near Pickstown. Property damage costs are rough estimates. |
| October 2019 | Flood | Pickstown | $5,000 | A continuation of flooding from September, the Missouri River near Greenwood (gage site GRWS2) remained in major flood stage much of the month, and crested 2.51 feet above flood stage on October 18. Impacts were mainly limited to inundation of agricultural land, as well as the closing of numerous recreational boat ramps. The river remained in moderate flood at the end of the month. Property damage costs are rough estimates. |
| July 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Pickstown | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts caused a driver in the westbound lane of South Dakota Highway 46 between Pickstown and Wagner to lose control, cross over into the eastbound lane, and collide head-on with an oncoming car, which resulted in the indirect fatality to both drivers. |
| January 2020 | Flood | Pickstown | - | The Missouri River near Greenwood (gage site GRWS2) crested 1.76 feet above flood stage on January 20, the fifth highest crest on record. Impacts remained generally minor being outside the recreational season, with a few roads near the river inundated. |
| June 2020 | Hail | Pickstown | - | Falling hail was mostly pea sized, but several stones were as large as nickels. |
| June 2019 | Flood | Pickstown | - | Much of the month (June 3-24) was spent in moderate flood stage. The Missouri River near Greenwood (gage site GRWS2) crested 1.85 feet above flood stage on June 20, the third highest crest on record. Impacts were mainly limited to inundation of agricultural land, as well as closing of numerous recreational boat ramps. The river remained in flood at the end of the month. |
| November 2019 | Flood | Pickstown | - | A continuation of flooding from October, the Missouri River near Greenwood (gage site GRWS2) remained in major flood stage much of the month, and crested 2.27 feet above flood stage on November 5. Impacts were mainly limited to inundation of agricultural land, as well as the closing of numerous recreational boat ramps. The river remained in minor flood at the end of the month. |
| July 2019 | Flood | Pickstown | - | Much of the month (July 3-7, 12-31) was spent in moderate flood stage, and was in flood for the entire month other than a brief period from July 9-11. The Missouri River near Greenwood (gage site GRWS2) crested 1.75 feet above flood stage on July 28, the fifth highest crest on record. Impacts were mainly limited to inundation of agricultural land, as well as closing of numerous recreational boat ramps. The river remained at moderate flood stage at the end of the month. |
| July 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Pickstown | - | Large picnic table blown over and moved a considerable distance. |
| May 2019 | Flood | Pickstown | - | Increased releases from upstream Fort Randall Dam along with heavy rainfall over the preceding week produced minor flooding on the Missouri River near Greenwood (gage site GRWS2). Agricultural areas near the river were subjected to flooding as the river rose to 0.08 feet above flood stage on May 31. The river remained in minor flood stage at the end of the month. |
| December 2019 | Flood | Pickstown | - | A continuation of flooding from November, the Missouri River near Greenwood (gage site GRWS2) began the month in minor flood at 0.96 feet above flood stage, and fell below flood stage on December 3. Impacts were minor. |
| July 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Pickstown | - | Numerous broken limbs up to 6 inches in diameter. |
| September 2019 | Flood | Pickstown | - | A continuation of flooding from August, the start of September was spent in moderate flood stage. The Missouri River near Greenwood (gage site GRWS2) crested 1.47 feet above flood stage on September 11. However, the excessive precipitation on September 10-12 led to a drastic drop in Fort Randall dam releases which allowed the river to rapidly fall below flood stage on September 11. Impacts were mainly limited to inundation of agricultural land, as well as closing of numerous recreational boat ramps. |
| July 2018 | Flood | Pickstown | - | Minor flooding of mainly agricultural areas occurred as the Missouri River near Greenwood (gage site GRWS2) rose above flood stage on July 21. The river remained in minor flood through the end of the month. |
| September 2018 | Flood | Pickstown | - | Other than a brief period from September 20 to September 27, minor flooding of mainly agricultural areas persisted through the entire month along the Missouri River near Greenwood (gage site GRWS2). The river crested at 0.5 feet above flood stage on September 19. The river dropped below flood stage at 0800CST September 30. |
| October 2018 | Flood | Pickstown | - | Increased releases from Fort Randall Dam resulted in a return to minor flooding of mainly agricultural areas at the start of October. The Missouri River near Greenwood (gage site GRWS2) crested at 0.5 feet above flood stage on October 13. The river dropped below flood stage on October 14, then returned briefly above flood stage from October 21 to October 25. |
| August 2018 | Flood | Pickstown | - | Other than a brief period from August 20 to August 23, minor flooding of mainly agricultural areas persisted through the entire month along the Missouri River near Greenwood (gage site GRWS2). The river remained in minor flood through the end of the month. |
| October 2018 | Flood | Pickstown | - | Increased releases from Fort Randall Dam resulted in a return to minor flooding of mainly agricultural areas at the start of October. The Missouri River near Greenwood (gage site GRWS2) crested at 0.3 feet above flood stage on October 3. The river dropped below flood stage on October 7, but would return above flood stage a couple more times during the month. |
| November 2018 | Flood | Pickstown | - | Continued above normal releases from Fort Randall Dam resulted in several periods of minor flooding during November, with impacts limited to flooding of mainly agricultural areas. The Missouri River near Greenwood (gage site GRWS2) crested at 0.1 feet above flood stage on November 9. |
| May 2016 | Hail | Pickstown | - | Golf ball size hail was observed at a campground. |
| September 2015 | Heavy Rain | Pickstown | - | Heavy rainfall was estimated at 3.50 inches. |
| June 2007 | Flash Flood | Pickstown | - | Heavy rain caused flooding of numerous roads, fields, and other low areas. |
| August 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Pickstown | - | Estimated 60 mph wind gusts were accompanied by small hail. |
| August 2002 | Hail | Pickstown | - | Large hail, driven by strong winds, destroyed area crops. The amount of crop damage was not known. |
| June 2020 | Hail | Pickstown | - | no account filed |
| August 2019 | Hail | Pickstown | - | no account filed |
| August 2019 | Hail | Pickstown | - | no account filed |
| June 2017 | Hail | Pickstown | - | no account filed |
| March 2011 | Hail | Pickstown | - | no account filed |
| May 2011 | Hail | Pickstown | - | no account filed |
| May 2011 | Hail | Pickstown | - | no account filed |
| July 2010 | Hail | Pickstown | - | no account filed |
| August 2007 | Hail | Pickstown | - | no account filed |
| July 2004 | Hail | Pickstown | - | no account filed |
| August 2002 | Hail | Pickstown | - | no account filed |
| August 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Pickstown | - | no account filed |
| June 1996 | Hail | Pickstown | - | no account filed |
| June 1996 | Hail | Pickstown | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Andes | 6.2 miles | 11 | |
| Dezera | 7.0 miles | 11 | |
| Ravinia | 7.4 miles | 10 | |
| Marty | 7.7 miles | 10 | |
| Lake View Colony | 11.1 miles | 10 | |
| Greenwood | 12.5 miles | 10 | |
| Wagner | 12.7 miles | 11 | |
| Geddes | 15.5 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 Pickstown | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q2477696 | 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 1257040. 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.





