South Dakota Gazetteers

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U.S. Gazetteers

South Dakota

Gazetteers

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Online Gazetteers

• FamilySearch Places
• USGS US and its Territories
• Alphabetical listing of Places in South Dakota
• The Leading business men of Dakota cities : accompanying the map of Dakota territory, name and address The Leading Business Men of Dakota Cities : accompanying the map of Dakota territory, name and address. Microfilm of original published: Minneapolis, Minn. : Warner & Foote, 1883. [105] p
• Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Montana gazetteer and business directory 1880-81 R L Polk. Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Montana gazetteer and business directory 1880-81. Minneapolis, [etc.], R. L. Polk and Co 1879
• The National gazetteer of the United States of America. South Dakota 1989 U.S. Geological Survey. The National gazetteer of the United States of America. South Dakota 1989. Washington : U.S. G.P.O. ; 1989
• Interment.net South Dakota

Print Only Gazetteers

• The Post Offices of South Dakota, 1861-1930 George H Phillips. The Post Offices of South Dakota, 1861-1930. Crete, Nebraska : J-B Pub. Co., c1975

Why Use Gazetteers

A gazetteer is a dictionary of place-names. Gazetteers list or describe towns and villages, parishes, states, populations, rivers and mountains, and other geographical features. They usually include only the names of places that existed at the time the gazetteer was published. Within a specific geographical area, the place-names are listed in alphabetical order, similar to a dictionary. You can use a gazetteer to locate the places where your family lived and to determine the civil and religious jurisdictions over those places.

There are many places within a state with similar or identical place-names. You will need to use a gazetteer to identify the specific town where your ancestor lived, the state the town was or is in, and the jurisdictions where records about the person was kept.

Gazetteer Contents

Gazetteers may also provide additional information about towns, such as:

• Different religious denominations
• Schools, colleges, and universities
• Major manufacturers, canals, docks, and railroad stations
• The population size.
• Boundaries of civil jurisdiction.
• Ecclesiastical jurisdiction(s)
• Longitude and latitude.
• Distances and direction from other from cities.
• Schools, colleges, and universities.
• Denominations and number of churches.
• Historical and biographical information on some individuals (usually high-ranking or famous individuals)