Editing McPherson County, South Dakota (section)

==Geography==
McPherson County lies on the north line of South Dakota. The north boundary line of McPherson County abuts the south boundary line of the state of [[North Dakota]]. Its terrain consists of rolling hills, largely devoted to agriculture, and dotted with small lakes and ponds.<ref name="MCSD">{{Cite web |title=McPherson County · South Dakota |url=https://www.google.com/maps/place/McPherson+County,+SD/@45.7983809,-99.1498693,25669m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x52d3dfd2e7d4223b:0x65edd9beb02b19cf!8m2!3d45.7555982!4d-99.2784129 |access-date=April 27, 2024 |website=Google Maps |language=en}}</ref> The terrain generally slopes to the south and east.<ref>{{Cite web|title="Find an Elevation"  Google Maps (accessed February 6, 2019) |url=https://www.daftlogic.com/sandbox-google-maps-find-altitude.htm |access-date=February 6, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190521043409/https://www.daftlogic.com/sandbox-google-maps-find-altitude.htm |archive-date=May 21, 2019 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of {{convert|1151.535|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|1136.668|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|14.867|sqmi}} (1.3%) is water.<ref>{{Cite web|title=2024 County Gazetteer Files – South Dakota|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_gaz_counties_46.txt|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=March 21, 2025}}</ref> It is the 24th largest county in South Dakota by total area.

The Samuel H. Ordway Jr., Memorial Prairie, a {{convert|7800|acre|adj=on}} grassland owned by [[The Nature Conservancy]] on the south side of South Dakota Highway 10 about {{convert|10|mi|km}} west of Leola, is home to a [[Bison bison|bison]] herd.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Quietly Conserving Nature|last=Grove|first=Noel|journal=[[National Geographic (magazine)|National Geographic]]|date=December 1988|volume=174|issue=6|page=841}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/southdakota/placesweprotect/samuel-h-ordway-jr-memorial-preserve.xml|website=[[The Nature Conservancy]]|title=Samuel H. Ordway, Jr., Memorial Prairie|access-date=May 13, 2015}}</ref>

===Major highways===
{{div col|colwidth=33em}}
* [[Image:SD 10.svg|20px]] [[South Dakota Highway 10]]
* [[Image:SD 45.svg|20px]] [[South Dakota Highway 45]]
* [[Image:SD 47.svg|20px]] [[South Dakota Highway 47]]
* [[Image:SD 247.svg|23px]] [[South Dakota Highway 247]]
* [[Image:SD 239.svg|23px]] [[South Dakota Highway 239]]
{{div col end}}

===Adjacent counties===
{{div col|colwidth=33em}}
* [[McIntosh County, North Dakota]] - north
* [[Dickey County, North Dakota]] - northeast
* [[Brown County, South Dakota|Brown County]] - east
* [[Edmunds County, South Dakota|Edmunds County]] - south
* [[Walworth County, South Dakota|Walworth County]] - southwest
* [[Campbell County, South Dakota|Campbell County]] - west
{{div col end}}

===Protected areas===
Source:<ref name=MCSD/>
{{div col|colwidth=33em}}
* Elm Lake State Game Production Area
* Moscow State Game Production Area
* Morlock State Game Production Area
* North Jackson State Game Production Area
* Odessa State Game Production Area
* Pfeiffle-Neuharth State Game Production Area
* Rath State Game Production Area
* Rosenthal State Game Production Area
* Schock State Game Production Area
* Schumacher State Game Production Area
* Simpson State Game Production Area
* School State Game Production Area
* South Jackson State Game Production Area
* Stout State Game Production Area
* Wageman State Game Production Area
* Wolff State Game Production Area
{{div col end}}

===Lakes===
Source:<ref name=MCSD/>
{{div col|colwidth=33em}}
* Crompton Lake
* Elm Lake (partial)
* Eureka Lake
* Feinstein Lake
* Hausauer Lake
* Heufel Lake
* Klooz Lake
* Long Lake
{{div col end}}