Corson County, South Dakota

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File:WLA hmns Hell Creek Formation Triceratops.jpg

Triceratops skull from Corson County. Collections of Houston Museum of Natural Science.

Corson County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,902.<ref name="QF">Template:Cite web</ref> Its county seat is McIntosh.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The county was named for Dighton Corson, a native of Maine, who came to the Black Hills in 1876, and in 1877 began practicing law at Deadwood.

The county is encompassed within the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, which extends into North Dakota. The Lakota people reside primarily in the South Dakota part of the reservation; the Yanktonai and Dakota live in that part in North Dakota. The Grand River, a tributary of the Missouri River, runs through the reservation.

Geography

Corson County lies on the north line of South Dakota. Its north boundary line abuts the south boundary line of the state of North Dakota. The Missouri River flows south-southeastward along its eastern boundary line. The county terrain consists of semi-arid rolling hills. A portion of the land is dedicated to agriculture.<ref name="CCSD">Corson County SD Google Maps (accessed February 1, 2019)</ref> The Grand River flows eastward through the central part of the county to discharge into the river, and Standing Cloud Creek flows eastward through the county's lower SW area. The terrain generally slopes to the east and south; its highest point is near its NW corner, at Template:Convert ASL.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Corson County has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (2.4%) is water.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It is the fifth-largest county in South Dakota by area. The entire county lies within the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, which also includes Sioux, Ziebach, and Dewey counties.

The eastern portion of South Dakota's counties (48 of 66) observe Central Time; the western counties (18 of 66) observe Mountain Time. Corson County is the easternmost of the SD counties to observe Mountain Time.<ref>Map of Time Zone Line through South Dakota (accessed January 30, 2019)</ref>

Major highways

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Adjacent counties

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Sioux County, North Dakota – north (eastern half of county observes Central Time)
Campbell County – east (observes Central Time)
Walworth County – southeast (observes Central Time)
Dewey County – south
Ziebach County – southwest
Perkins County – west
Adams County, North Dakota – northwest

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Protected areas

Grand River National Grassland (partial)
C.C. Lee State Game Production Area

Lakes

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Mallard
McGee
McIntosh
Morristown East
Morristown West
Lake Oahe (part)
Pudwell
Trail City

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Rivers and Streams

Missouri River
Grand River
White Shirt Creek
Hump Creek
Stink Creek
Black Horse Butte Creek
Soldier Creek
Firesteel Creek
Oak Creek
Rock Creek
Cottonwood Creek
High Bank Creek

Peaks

Hump Butte
Black Horse Butte
Rattlesnake Butte
Elk Butte

Demographics

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2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 3,902 people, 1,196 households, and 825 families residing in the county.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The population density was Template:Convert. There were 1,362 housing units.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 4,050 people, 1,260 households, and 939 families in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 1,540 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 67.0% American Indian, 29.7% white, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% black or African American, 0.3% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.6% of the population. In terms of ancestry,

Of the 1,260 households, 45.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.6% were married couples living together, 21.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 25.5% were non-families, and 22.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 3.21 and the average family size was 3.73. The median age was 29.7 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,877 and the median income for a family was $36,500. Males had a median income of $32,037 versus $23,167 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,359. About 24.1% of families and 35.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 46.7% of those under age 18 and 16.9% of those age 65 or over.