Wasta, South Dakota
8 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1953 and the latest in 1984. It stands in Wasta town. It lies in ZIP code area 57791. It lies near Hawk Canyon. The Survey maps it on the Wasta quadrangle. 65 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 2,320 feet above sea level.
On record in Wasta
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 4 records
Calumet Hotellisted 2000
South Dakota Department of Transportation Bridge No. 52-824-300listed 1999
Wasta Rest Stop Tipi-Eastboundlisted 2015
Wasta Rest Stop Tipi-Westboundlisted 2015
Population over time
2 figuresWasta fell from 80 to 65 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 | 80 | |
| 2020 | 65 | -15 (-19%) |
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.
- 1953 USGS Rapid City quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1954 USGS Wasta quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1957 USGS Rapid City quadrangle1:250000
- 1984 USGS New Underwood quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
23 since 2004Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 23 fires within 5 miles of Wasta between 2004 and 2020, burning about 1,004 acres in total. 7 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 | 8 |
| Natural | 7 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 4 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 September 2016 | Natural | 2.0 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | LYTLE HAY FIRE |
| 19 September 2008 | Natural | 17 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | not named |
| 5 August 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | 30 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | not named |
| 25 August 2016 | Equipment and vehicle use | 50 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | SUNDQUIST FIRE 2 |
| 23 August 2020 | Natural | 570 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | FITZGERALD CA |
| 14 August 2006 | Natural | 15 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | not named |
| 1 August 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | 11 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | not named |
| 1 August 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3.0 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | not named |
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 Wasta: 2 producers, 1 past producer. 2 still produce. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birdsall Sand & Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Everist Sand & Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer |
Storms near this place
60 of 94 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Wasta in 94 storm reports between 1994 and 2026: 72 thunderstorm wind, 20 hail, 1 lightning, 1 flood. The reports record 1 death. 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 2011 | Lightning | Wasta | 1 killed | no account filed |
| July 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wasta | $10,000 | Winds estimated at 70 mph blew away a storage building, tipped over a horse trailer, and blew down several trees. |
| May 2010 | Hail | Wasta | $7,000 | Golf ball sized hail caused minor damage to automobiles. |
| June 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wasta | $5,000 | Winds toppled a large trailer being pulled along Interstate 90. |
| June 1994 | Hail | Wasta | $5,000 | Numerous windshields were broken. |
| April 2026 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wasta | - | Partner submitted report. |
| April 2026 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wasta | - | SDOT submitted this wind gust report. |
| April 2026 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wasta | - | SD mesonet recorded wind gust at this location. |
| April 2026 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wasta | - | SDOT submitted wind gust report. |
| April 2026 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wasta | - | Law enforcement report. |
| April 2026 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wasta | - | SDOT submitted wind gust report. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wasta | - | SD mesonet recorded wind gust. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wasta | - | SD mesonet recorded wind gust. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wasta | - | SD mesonet recorded wind gust. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wasta | - | SD mesonet recorded wind gust. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wasta | - | SD Mesonet measured wind gust. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wasta | - | SD Mesonet measured wind gust. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wasta | - | SD Mesonet measured wind gust. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wasta | - | SD Mesonet recorded wind gust. Heat burst. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wasta | - | SD Mesonet recorded wind gust. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wasta | - | SD Mesonet recorded wind gust. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wasta | - | SD Mesonet recorded wind gust. |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wasta | - | The spotter estimated wind gusts at 60 mph. |
| July 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wasta | - | Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph. |
| July 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wasta | - | The spotter estimated wind gusts at 60 mph. |
| May 2016 | Hail | Wasta | - | Hail to quarter size covered the ground. |
| May 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wasta | - | Wind gusts were estimated around 60 mph. |
| May 2015 | Flood | Wasta | - | Minor flooding of agricultural land occurred along the Cheyenne River. At the Interstate 90 eastbound rest area near Wasta, water overflowed into the parking lot and surrounded the building. |
| July 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wasta | - | The spotter estimated wind gusts at 60 mph. |
| June 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wasta | - | Wind gusts were estimated at 70 mph. |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wasta | - | Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph. |
| July 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wasta | - | A semi-truck was blown onto its side by thunderstorm wind gusts. Event time was estimated from dispatch reports. |
| June 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wasta | - | 10 inch diameter tree was blown down. |
| August 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wasta | - | no account filed |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wasta | - | no account filed |
| July 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wasta | - | no account filed |
| June 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wasta | - | no account filed |
| June 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wasta | - | no account filed |
| April 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wasta | - | no account filed |
| April 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wasta | - | no account filed |
| April 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wasta | - | no account filed |
| September 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wasta | - | no account filed |
| September 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wasta | - | no account filed |
| August 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wasta | - | no account filed |
| June 2023 | Hail | Wasta | - | no account filed |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wasta | - | no account filed |
| August 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wasta | - | no account filed |
| July 2022 | Hail | Wasta | - | no account filed |
| July 2022 | Hail | Wasta | - | no account filed |
| July 2022 | Hail | Wasta | - | no account filed |
| June 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wasta | - | no account filed |
| June 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wasta | - | no account filed |
| June 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wasta | - | no account filed |
| June 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wasta | - | no account filed |
| May 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wasta | - | no account filed |
| June 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wasta | - | no account filed |
| June 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wasta | - | no account filed |
| July 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wasta | - | no account filed |
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wasta | - | no account filed |
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wasta | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wicksville | 7.8 miles | 9 | |
| Owanka | 8.2 miles | 9 | |
| Wall | 12.0 miles | 8 | |
| Creston | 17.3 miles | 8 | |
| Quinn | 17.8 miles | 8 | |
| Creighton | 18.0 miles | 7 | |
| Mawl Springs | 18.8 miles | 8 | |
| Scenic | 20.8 miles | 10 |
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 Wasta | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q940087 | 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 1258837. 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.



