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South Dakota State...
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South Dakota Counties
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South Dakota Counties
There are 66 counties in the state of South Dakota |
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Haakon County, South Dakota
Haakon County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education
County Seat: Philip
Year Organized: 1914
Square Miles: 1,813 |
Court House: PO Box 698
County Courthouse
Philip, SD 57567-0698
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Etymology - Origin of County Name
Haakon is named for Haakon VII of Norway.
Demographics:
County QuickFacts:
Census Bureau Quick Facts
History
Haakon County, organized in 1915, was named for Haakon VII of Norway because of a large number of Scandinavian
settlers. Prior to 1914, the area now known as Haakon County formed a part of Stanley County. Because of the enormous
size of the county and the great distances to travel, the electors submitted a request to the voters to divide Stanley
County. The result of the election was to divide Stanley County into three parts, one to remain as Stanley County with
Fort Pierre as the county seat; one to be called Jackson County with Kadoka as the county seat; and Haakon County with
Philip as the temporary county seat. The battle between towns for the location of the county seat developed into a
lively, although one-sided race. Philip was selected by a large majority at a general election in March 1916.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,827 square miles (4,732 kmē), of which,
1,813 square miles (4,696 kmē) of it is land and 14 square miles (37 kmē) of it (0.78%) is water.
The county was created in 1914 and organized in 1915, and is named for Haakon VII, who became king of Norway in
1905. It is the only county in South Dakota named for a non-American person and is one of only nine counties in
South Dakota named for persons who did not live in South Dakota (Clay, Custer, Douglas, Grant, Hamlin, Lincoln,
McPherson, and Meade are the other eight). Most of the 66 South Dakota counties are named for early South Dakota
officials or legislators, or for physical features (Fall River and Lake), or are derived from Indian words
(Minnehaha and Yankton), or from counties in other states (Jones and Walworth), with one (Aurora) named for a Roman
goddess, one for an animal (Buffalo), and one (Union) for a concept.
Neighboring Counties:
- Ziebach County, South Dakota - north
- Stanley County, South Dakota - east
- Jones County, South Dakota - southeast
- Jackson County, South Dakota - south
- Pennington County, South Dakota - west
Cities and Towns:
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- Midland |
town |
Incorporated Area |
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- Philip
(County Seat) |
city |
Incorporated Area |
County Resources:
Enter County Resources and Information Here
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County Resource Guide
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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." |
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