Bennett County, South Dakota

Bennett County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

County Seat: Martin
Year Organized: 1909
Square Miles: 1,185

Court House:

P.O. Box 460
County Courthouse
Martin, SD 57551-0460

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Bennett is named for either John E. Bennett, a judge of the state supreme court, or local politician Granville C. Bennett.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

History

Bennett County was created in 1909 and organized in 1912. Prior to 1912, Bennett County formed a part of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Although the county was created in 1909, it remained attached to Fall River County for judicial purposes until 1911. The first election and county Commissioners meeting was held in Martin in April 27, 1912. A decision on the location of the county seat took some time and discussion. At the general election held in November 1912, Martin was chosen

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,191 square miles (3,084 km²), of which, 1,185 square miles (3,070 km²) of it is land and 5 square miles (14 km²) of it (0.45%) is water.

Bennett County, which is located in the southwestern part of the state

Neighboring Counties:

Jackson County, South Dakota - north
Todd County, South Dakota - east
Cherry County, Nebraska - south
Shannon County, South Dakota - west

Cities and Towns:

- Allen	township
- Martin (County Seat)	city	Incorporated Area

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

County Resource Guide

Counties: US Map

The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we've given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of our country!"

But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.

Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally, act locally."

Custom Search