Lyman County, South Dakota

Lyman County
County
Lower Brule Indian Reservation
Location within the U.S. state of South Dakota
South Dakota's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 43°54′N 99°51′W
Country	United States
State	South Dakota
Founded	1893
Named for	W. P. Lyman
Seat	Kennebec
Largest community	Lower Brule
Area
• Total	1,707 sq mi (4,420 km^2)
• Land	1,642 sq mi (4,250 km^2)
• Water	65 sq mi (170 km^2)  3.8%
Population  (2020)
• Total	3,718
• Estimate  (2023)	3,705
• Density	2.2/sq mi (0.84/km^2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	At-large
Website	www.lymancounty.org

Lyman County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,718.^[1] Its county seat is Kennebec.^[2]

Lyman County was created by the Dakota Territorial Legislature on January 8, 1873, but was not organized until May 21, 1893. Its boundaries were altered in 1891, 1897, 1898, and 1916.^[3] The county was named for W. P. Lyman, a politician.^[4]

History

Lyman County was created in 1873 and organized in 1893.^[3] Oacoma served as its first county seat in 1891; in 1922 the seat was transferred to Kennebec.^[5]

Geography

Lyman County is bordered on the north and east by the Missouri River, which flows southerly along its edge, and the western portion of its south line is also delineated by the White River, which then continued flowing eastward through the county's eastern area to discharge into the Missouri. Its upper central portion is drained by the Bad Horse Creek, which discharges into the Missouri near the midpoint of the county's north boundary.

The county terrain consists of rolling hills, sloping to the river drainages. Its area is largely devoted to agriculture.^[6][7] The county has a total area of 1,707 square miles (4,420 km²), of which 1,642 square miles (4,250 km²) is land and 65 square miles (170 km²) (3.8%) is water.^[8]

Major highways

• Interstate 90
• U.S. Highway 83
• U.S. Highway 183
• South Dakota Highway 47
• South Dakota Highway 49
• South Dakota Highway 53
• South Dakota Highway 273
• South Dakota Highway 1806

Transit

• Jefferson Lines

Adjacent counties

Confluence of the White and Missouri rivers at the Lyman–Brule county border, taken on July 4, 2022, from the International Space Station

• Hughes County - north
• Hyde County - northeast
• Buffalo County - northeast
• Brule County - east
• Charles Mix County - southeast
• Gregory County - south
• Tripp County - south
• Mellette County - southwest
• Jones County - west
• Stanley County - northwest

Protected areas^[6]

• Brakke State Game Production Area
• Brye Bottom State Game Production Area
• Bull Creek State Game Production Area
• Carpenter State Game Production Area
• Cedar Creek Recreation Area
• Counselor Creek Recreation Area
• Dude Ranch State Lakeside Use Area
• Fate Dam State Game Production Aea
• Fort Pierre National Grassland (part)
• Good Soldier Creek Recreation Area
• Iona State Game Production Area
• Iron Nation Recreation Area
• Lindely State Game Production Area
• Lower Brule Recreation Area
• Narrows Recreation Area
• Neugebauer State Game Production Area
• Reis Bottom State Game Production Area
• Salzmann State Game Production Area

Lakes

• Lake Francis Case (part)
• Lake Sharpe (part)

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1880	124		—
1890	233		87.9%
1900	2,632		1,029.6%
1910	10,848		312.2%
1920	6,591		−39.2%
1930	6,335		−3.9%
1940	5,045		−20.4%
1950	4,572		−9.4%
1960	4,428		−3.1%
1970	4,060		−8.3%
1980	3,864		−4.8%
1990	3,638		−5.8%
2000	3,895		7.1%
2010	3,755		−3.6%
2020	3,718		−1.0%
2023 (est.)	3,705	[9]	−0.3%
U.S. Decennial Census[10] 1790-1960[11] 1900-1990[12] 1990-2000[13] 2010-2020[1]

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 3,718 people, 1,303 households, and 892 families residing in the county.^[14] The population density was 2.3 inhabitants per square mile (0.89/km²). There were 1,546 housing units.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 3,755 people, 1,392 households, and 967 families in the county. The population density was 2.3 inhabitants per square mile (0.89/km²). There were 1,704 housing units at an average density of 1.04 units per square mile (0.40 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 58.3% white, 38.2% American Indian, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% black or African American, 0.1% from other races, and 2.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.1% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 27.3% were German, 9.2% were Irish, 9.1% were Norwegian, and 1.0% were American.

Of the 1,392 households, 35.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.1% were married couples living together, 15.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.5% were non-families, and 27.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.19. The median age was 36.1 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $36,323 and the median income for a family was $45,045. Males had a median income of $32,760 versus $25,512 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,930. About 17.4% of families and 18.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.4% of those under age 18 and 5.8% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

City

• Presho

Towns

• Kennebec (county seat)
• Oacoma
• Reliance

Census-designated places

• Lower Brule
• Vivian
• West Brule

Other unincorporated communities^[6]

• Iona
• Lyman

Townships

• Bailey
• Butte
• Dorman
• Fairland
• Iona
• Morningside
• Oacoma
• Pleasant
• Pratt
• Reliance
• Rex
• Rose
• Rowe
• Sioux
• Stony Butte

Unorganized territories

• Black Dog
• Lafayette
• Lower Brule
• McClure
• Northwest Lyman
• South Lyman

Politics

Lyman County voters have been Republican for decades. In no national election has the county selected a Democratic Party candidate since 1964, although Jimmy Carter, Michael Dukakis, Bill Clinton, John Kerry, and Barack Obama have all managed to exceed forty percent. When Hillary Clinton ran on the Democratic ticket in 2016, she won 26 percent of the county's vote, for the lowest Democratic result since Alton B. Parker in 1904 (22 percent).

United States presidential election results for Lyman County, South Dakota^[15]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	993	68.62%	422	29.16%	32	2.21%
2020	1,042	65.25%	525	32.87%	30	1.88%
2016	977	68.75%	369	25.97%	75	5.28%
2012	933	59.46%	605	38.56%	31	1.98%
2008	894	54.48%	710	43.27%	37	2.25%
2004	1,029	53.04%	872	44.95%	39	2.01%
2000	875	63.13%	482	34.78%	29	2.09%
1996	726	47.67%	646	42.42%	151	9.91%
1992	669	45.20%	486	32.84%	325	21.96%
1988	843	56.96%	631	42.64%	6	0.41%
1984	1,120	69.78%	478	29.78%	7	0.44%
1980	1,256	66.88%	486	25.88%	136	7.24%
1976	892	51.29%	831	47.79%	16	0.92%
1972	1,166	59.98%	774	39.81%	4	0.21%
1968	1,063	57.87%	643	35.00%	131	7.13%
1964	862	44.92%	1,057	55.08%	0	0.00%
1960	1,166	57.78%	852	42.22%	0	0.00%
1956	1,151	56.87%	873	43.13%	0	0.00%
1952	1,561	70.09%	666	29.91%	0	0.00%
1948	993	51.94%	904	47.28%	15	0.78%
1944	867	57.92%	630	42.08%	0	0.00%
1940	1,409	56.05%	1,105	43.95%	0	0.00%
1936	1,090	44.67%	1,321	54.14%	29	1.19%
1932	811	29.71%	1,879	68.83%	40	1.47%
1928	1,488	54.75%	1,222	44.96%	8	0.29%
1924	1,061	44.30%	387	16.16%	947	39.54%
1920	1,050	59.63%	463	26.29%	248	14.08%
1916	981	45.65%	1,052	48.95%	116	5.40%
1912	0	0.00%	766	39.79%	1,159	60.21%
1908	1,524	53.12%	1,183	41.23%	162	5.65%
1904	986	73.53%	306	22.82%	49	3.65%
1900	429	66.61%	210	32.61%	5	0.78%
1896	114	59.07%	78	40.41%	1	0.52%

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Lyman County, South Dakota
• USS Lyman County (LST-903)

References

1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. Individual County Chronologies/Lyman County (accessed February 5, 2019)
4. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. US Government Printing Office. p. 192.
5. Hellmann, Paul T. (May 13, 2013). Historical Gazetteer of the United States. Routledge. p. 994. ISBN 978-1135948597. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
6. "Lyman County · South Dakota". Google Maps. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
7. ""Find an Altitude" Google Maps (accessed February 5, 2019)". Archived from the original on May 21, 2019. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
8. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved March 28, 2015.
9. "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2023". Retrieved March 17, 2024.
10. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 28, 2015.
11. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved March 28, 2015.
12. Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 28, 2015.
13. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved March 28, 2015.
14. "US Census Bureau, Table P16: Household Type". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
15. Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 15, 2018.

External links

• Lyman County Herald
• Lyman County website

43.90°N 99.85°W / 43.90; -99.85