History of South Dakota County Government

South Dakota is divided into sixty-six counties which range in population from 124,000 in Minnehaha to 1,300 people in Jones County. Most of the current county boundaries were originally established in the middle and latter part of the nineteenth century, and some in the early part of the twentieth century. At one time, South Dakota consisted of many more counties than the present day sixty-six. But, as transportation improved in South Dakota it became easier to travel to the county seat and the population shifted.