Ralph, South Dakota
6 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1935 and the latest in 1980. It stands in the North Harding unorganized territory. It lies in ZIP code area 57650. The Survey maps it on the Ralph quadrangle. It stands 2,736 feet above sea level.
On record in Ralph
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 3 records
Golden Valley Norwegian Lutheran Churchlisted 1987
Peace Valley Evangelical Church and Cemeterylisted 1987- Emmanuel Lutheran Church and Cemeterylisted 1987
Topographic sheets covering this place
5 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.
- 1935 USGS Reva quadrangle1:125000
- 1954 USGS Lemmon quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1957 USGS Lemmon quadrangle1:250000
- 1968 USGS Ralph quadrangle1:24000
- 1980 USGS Camp Crook quadrangle1:100000
Fires near this place
5 since 1999Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 5 fires within 5 miles of Ralph between 1999 and 2018, burning about 83 acres in total. 1 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 |
|---|---|
| Equipment and vehicle use | 1 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1 |
| Other causes | 1 |
| Natural | 1 |
| Debris and open burning | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 August 2018 | Equipment and vehicle use | 20 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | WAGNER ROAD FIRE |
| 5 August 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 15 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | JUELFS FIRE |
| 20 August 2000 | Other causes | 45 acres | Sorum/Reva Volunteer Fire Department | DOLL 1 |
| 12 July 2013 | Natural | under an acre | Harding County | RISTY STACK |
| 12 April 1999 | Debris and open burning | 3.0 acres | Colome Volunteer Fire Department | R.C. STENSEN |
Mines and quarries near this place
1 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 1 working within 5 miles of Ralph: 1 producer. All of them still produce. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reva Quad - Deposit 7 | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer |
Storms near this place
60 of 65 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Ralph in 65 storm reports between 2000 and 2025: 35 hail, 29 thunderstorm wind, 1 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2008 | Flood | Ralph | $100,000 | The Little Missouri River at Camp Crook crested at 14.04 feet, about 2 feet above flood stage. Minor flooding was reported around Camp Crook, Redig, and along the north fork of the Moreau River. Highway 79 was closed from Reva, south to the Butte County line. |
| September 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralph | $20,000 | The combination of hail and wind broke windows, destroyed a Quonset hut, and blew several 1700 pound hay bales off a stack. |
| September 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralph | $10,000 | Strong winds blew 500 gallon tanks off their stands, destroyed a Quonset hut, and moved a mobile home off its foundation. |
| September 2013 | Hail | Ralph | $5,000 | The combination of large hail and gusty winds broke windows and skylights in a home and destroyed a garden. |
| September 2013 | Hail | Ralph | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralph | - | SD mesonet recorded wind gust. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralph | - | SD mesonet recorded wind gust. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralph | - | SD mesonet recorded wind gust. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralph | - | SD mesonet recorded wind gust. |
| June 2025 | Hail | Ralph | - | Public reported large hail. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralph | - | SD Mesonet recorded wind gust. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralph | - | SD Mesonet recorded wind gust. |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralph | - | Wind gusts as high as 84 mph were recorded. |
| July 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralph | - | Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph. |
| June 2022 | Hail | Ralph | - | Wind gusts of 50 to 55 mph accompanied the storm. |
| August 2019 | Hail | Ralph | - | Hail and wind gusts to 50 mph destroyed much of the wheat crop. |
| August 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralph | - | Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph. |
| June 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralph | - | Wind gusts were estimated at 70 mph. |
| July 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralph | - | The sportter estimated wind gusts at 60 mph. |
| June 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralph | - | Spotter estimated wind gusts around 60 mph. |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralph | - | Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph. |
| July 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralph | - | Wind gusts were estimated between 50 and 70 mph. |
| August 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralph | - | Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph. |
| July 2000 | Hail | Ralph | - | Over 2,000 acres of crops were damaged by the large hail. |
| July 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralph | - | no account filed |
| June 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralph | - | no account filed |
| June 2024 | Hail | Ralph | - | no account filed |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralph | - | no account filed |
| July 2023 | Hail | Ralph | - | no account filed |
| July 2022 | Hail | Ralph | - | no account filed |
| June 2022 | Hail | Ralph | - | no account filed |
| July 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralph | - | no account filed |
| August 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralph | - | no account filed |
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralph | - | no account filed |
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralph | - | no account filed |
| July 2020 | Hail | Ralph | - | no account filed |
| July 2020 | Hail | Ralph | - | no account filed |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralph | - | no account filed |
| July 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralph | - | no account filed |
| August 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralph | - | no account filed |
| August 2019 | Hail | Ralph | - | no account filed |
| June 2018 | Hail | Ralph | - | no account filed |
| June 2015 | Hail | Ralph | - | no account filed |
| July 2014 | Hail | Ralph | - | no account filed |
| July 2014 | Hail | Ralph | - | no account filed |
| May 2013 | Hail | Ralph | - | no account filed |
| May 2013 | Hail | Ralph | - | no account filed |
| September 2013 | Hail | Ralph | - | no account filed |
| June 2012 | Hail | Ralph | - | no account filed |
| July 2011 | Hail | Ralph | - | no account filed |
| August 2011 | Hail | Ralph | - | no account filed |
| August 2011 | Hail | Ralph | - | no account filed |
| July 2010 | Hail | Ralph | - | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Hail | Ralph | - | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Hail | Ralph | - | no account filed |
| July 2005 | Hail | Ralph | - | no account filed |
| July 2005 | Hail | Ralph | - | no account filed |
| July 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ralph | - | no account filed |
| September 2005 | Hail | Ralph | - | no account filed |
| July 2004 | Hail | Ralph | - | 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.
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 Ralph | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q7287122 | 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 1261059. 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.




