Wanblee, South Dakota
7 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1950 and the latest in 1980. It stands in the Southwest Jackson unorganized territory. It lies in ZIP code area 57577. The Survey maps it on the Wanblee quadrangle. 674 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 2,638 feet above sea level.
Research this city
Population over time
2 figuresWanblee fell from 725 to 674 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 | 725 | |
| 2020 | 674 | -51 (-7%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
4 surveys from 7 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.
- 1950 USGS Wanblee quadrangle1:24000, 3 printings
- 1955 USGS Martin quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1958 USGS Martin quadrangle1:250000
- 1980 USGS Kadoka quadrangle1:100000
Fires near this place
131 since 1997Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 131 fires within 5 miles of Wanblee between 1997 and 2020, burning about 3,576 acres in total. 9 started naturally. 9 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 | 37 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 28 |
| Debris and open burning | 25 |
| Natural | 9 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 9 |
| Fireworks | 8 |
| Other causes | 6 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 4 |
| Smoking | 4 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 September 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Pine Ridge Agency | WANBLEE CLINIC |
| 8 September 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Pine Ridge Agency | MOVES CAMP |
| 8 September 2000 | Natural | 12 acres | Kadoka Volunteer Fire Department | ALLEN BERRY |
| 6 September 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 30 acres | Martin Volunteer Fire Department | WANBLEE LAGOON |
| 6 September 2001 | Debris and open burning | 5.5 acres | Pine Ridge Agency | LAGOON |
| 27 September 2015 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 13 acres | Pine Ridge Agency | WAMTON |
| 26 September 2020 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Pine Ridge Agency | STOP |
| 24 September 2012 | Misuse of fire by a minor | under an acre | Pine Ridge Agency | POW WOW II |
Mines and quarries near this place
2 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 2 workings within 5 miles of Wanblee: 2 occurrences. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Zeolites. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unidentified Occurrence | Zeolites | Occurrence | Clinoptilolite | |
| Unidentified Occurrence | Zeolites | Occurrence | Clinoptilolite |
Storms near this place
60 of 79 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Wanblee in 79 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 45 thunderstorm wind, 29 hail, 3 tornado, 1 heavy rain. The reports record 2 injuries. 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 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wanblee | 2 hurt, $382,500 | no account filed |
| March 2019 | Flood | Wanblee | $250,000 | Ice jams, combined with runoff from melted snow, caused minor to moderate flooding along the White River and other small creeks in Jackson County. Minor flooding occurred near Interior from March 22 through March 25. Further downstream, south of Kadoka, moderate flooding occurred with widespread flooding of agricultural land and outbuildings. On March 25, the high flows eroded away the river bank where the stream gage south of Kadoka was located. Based on high water marks, the USGS determined the river crested at 15.34 feet at the old location and 16.72 feet at the new upstream location. This would be the fourth highest river level at this location and the highest river level since 1982. Additional flooding occurred around the Long Valley and Wanblee areas, including along Fish Creek Road, where a county bridge was destroyed by flood waters. |
| July 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wanblee | $10,000 | The combination of hail and wind produced minor damage to a home and automobile. |
| June 2010 | Hail | Wanblee | $3,000 | Quarter sized hail and gusty winds broke windows of houses and produced hail drifts. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wanblee | - | SD mesonet recorded wind gust. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wanblee | - | SD Mesonet recorded wind gust. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wanblee | - | SD Mesonet recorded wind gust. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wanblee | - | SD Mesonet recorded wind gust. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wanblee | - | SD Mesonet recorded wind gust. |
| July 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wanblee | - | Half inch sized hail also fell with the storm. |
| July 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wanblee | - | Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph. |
| July 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wanblee | - | Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph. |
| June 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wanblee | - | Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph. |
| August 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wanblee | - | Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph. |
| August 2013 | Heavy Rain | Wanblee | - | Runoff from 2.15 inches of rain caused minor flooding along Pass Creek. |
| May 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wanblee | - | Wind gusts were estimated at 70 mph. |
| June 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wanblee | - | Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph. |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wanblee | - | Police officers estimated wind gusts of 60 mph. |
| April 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wanblee | - | Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph. |
| August 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wanblee | - | Wind gusts were estimated around 70 mph. |
| June 2007 | Hail | Wanblee | - | Winds estimated at 40 mph accompanied the hail. |
| August 2004 | Tornado (F0) | Wanblee | - | Tornado was on the ground for 5 minutes with no damage reported. |
| July 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wanblee | - | no account filed |
| June 2024 | Hail | Wanblee | - | no account filed |
| June 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wanblee | - | no account filed |
| July 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wanblee | - | no account filed |
| September 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wanblee | - | no account filed |
| April 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wanblee | - | no account filed |
| June 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wanblee | - | no account filed |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wanblee | - | no account filed |
| August 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wanblee | - | no account filed |
| July 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wanblee | - | no account filed |
| July 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wanblee | - | no account filed |
| June 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wanblee | - | no account filed |
| June 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wanblee | - | no account filed |
| May 2020 | Hail | Wanblee | - | no account filed |
| May 2020 | Hail | Wanblee | - | no account filed |
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wanblee | - | no account filed |
| August 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wanblee | - | no account filed |
| August 2020 | Hail | Wanblee | - | no account filed |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wanblee | - | no account filed |
| July 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wanblee | - | no account filed |
| May 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wanblee | - | no account filed |
| August 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wanblee | - | no account filed |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wanblee | - | no account filed |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wanblee | - | no account filed |
| May 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wanblee | - | no account filed |
| June 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wanblee | - | no account filed |
| September 2016 | Hail | Wanblee | - | no account filed |
| September 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wanblee | - | no account filed |
| July 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wanblee | - | no account filed |
| July 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wanblee | - | no account filed |
| May 2013 | Hail | Wanblee | - | no account filed |
| June 2013 | Hail | Wanblee | - | no account filed |
| May 2012 | Hail | Wanblee | - | no account filed |
| May 2012 | Hail | Wanblee | - | no account filed |
| August 2011 | Hail | Wanblee | - | no account filed |
| July 2010 | Hail | Wanblee | - | no account filed |
| July 2009 | Hail | Wanblee | - | no account filed |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wanblee | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long Valley | 11.5 miles | 5 | |
| Hisle | 12.3 miles | 5 | |
| Weta | 14.5 miles | 6 | |
| Potato Creek | 17.6 miles | 6 | |
| Sevenmile Corner | 18.4 miles | 6 | |
| Kadoka Junction | 19.8 miles | 6 | |
| Kadoka | 19.9 miles | 6 | |
| Interior | 20.3 miles | 6 |
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 Wanblee | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q2115394 | 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 1267247. 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.



