Bennett County

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administration
US state : South Dakota
Administrative headquarters : Martin
Foundation : 1909
Demographics
Residents : 3431  (2010)
Population density : 1.1 inhabitants / km 2
geography
Total area : 3084 km²
Water surface : 14 km²
map
Map of Bennett County within South Dakota
Historical map of the Dakota Territory, according to which Bennet County was part of the Pine Ridge Reservation. (Oglala Indian Reservation)

Bennett County is a county in the state of South Dakota in the United States . The county has 3574 residents. The county seat is Martin .

geography

The county is located in southwest South Dakota, borders Nebraska to the south and covers an area of ​​3,084 square kilometers; 14 square kilometers (0.45 percent) of this is water. It is bordered clockwise by the following other counties: Jackson County , Todd County , Cherry County, and Oglala Lakota Counties .

history

The county was founded on March 9, 1909 and named after the politician and lawyer Granville G. Bennett . Originally part of the Great Sioux Reservation , the county became part of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation on March 2, 1889 .

In 1910 the area was divided into parcels. This did not correspond to the legal opinion and the culture of the indigenous people, who knew no real property. The Sioux moved through the area as nomads and knew no permanent settlements. The legal basis for this provided the Dawes Act of 1887 and a resolution of the US Congress of 1910 to open the area of ​​the county, together with areas of what is now Jackson and Mellette Counties, for settlement by white settlers. Indian families received 160 acres , which were forced to give up their nomadic life and to settle down. (One acre is 4046.9 m² of land). The rest of the area was cleared for settlement under the Homestaead Act of 1862. Interested US citizens (indigenous people were not considered US citizens at the time) could apply for a plot of land in Chamberlain , Dallas , Gregory and Rapid City . As there was a drought with 54,000 people for 2 years and there were more interested parties for the approximately 8,000-10,000 available plots, the lot had to decide. In October 1911 the winners were determined.

On April 27, 1912, the first county administration elections were held. Only US citizens were eligible to vote. Marin was elected as the county seat in November 1912. After clearing the prairie grass, the white settlers primarily grew wheat. This had fatal consequences and the reclamation resulted in massive droughts. The deep roots of the prairie grass, the stalks of which caught the dust, had protected the upper layers of soil from erosion, which was now setting in on a massive scale. The harvests were destroyed by drought and dust storms and people were literally blown into their homes. As a result, many farmers had to leave their soil when their financial resources were exhausted. They often looked for work in other regions of the United States, particularly in agricultural production in California. Here they competed with other migrant workers. At that time, the USA was hit hard by the global economic crisis and recorded extremely high unemployment (see Dust Bowl ). By order of the Interior Minister on June 10, 1936, freed areas were again attached to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. About 1/3 of the county's area was again under the reservation. In the meantime, the natives make up the majority of the population again. Today Bennet County is the highest mixed race county in the United States outside of Oklahoma .

The influence of the Sioux Indians has increased significantly over time. In 2002 Charles Cummings was elected as the first indigenous to be the county sheriff. Pine Ridge Reservation continues to claim the entire county.

Inland Theater (2013)

One of the county's buildings is on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) (as of July 29, 2018), the Inland Theater .

Population development

Population development
Census Residents ± in%
1910 96 -
1920 1924 1,904.2%
1930 4590 138.6%
1940 3983 -13.2%
1950 3396 -14.7%
1960 3053 -10.1%
1970 3088 1.1%
1980 3044 -1.4%
1990 3206 5.3%
2000 3574 11.5%
2010 3431 -4%
1900-1990

2000

Web links

Commons : Bennett County  - collection of pictures, videos, and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Bennett County in the United States Geological Survey's Geographic Names Information System . Retrieved February 22, 2011
  2. ↑ Charles Curry Aiken, Joseph Nathan Kane: The American Counties: Origins of County Names, Dates of Creation, Area, and Population Data, 1950-2010 . 6th edition. Scarecrow Press, Lanham 2013, ISBN 978-0-8108-8762-6 , p. 21 .
  3. ^ Such was the case with Bennett, Washabaugh and Mellette counties in the fall of 1911. Even though the region had endured an intense two-year drought, 54,000 people applied for between 8,000 and 10,000 homesteads. Applicants registered at sites in Chamberlain, Dallas, Gregory and Rapid City. A drawing of lots in October 1911 determined the winners.
  4. ^ 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
  5. ↑ Less than a year into his term, Bennett County Sheriff Charles Cummings, a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe resigned unexpectedly and accusations raging about racism are rampant.
  6. ^ They Treated Us Just Like Indians ": The Worlds of Bennett County, South Dakota, Paula L. Wagoner (2002). Today Bennett County sits awkwardly between the Pine Ridge and Rosebud Sioux Reservations, with nearly one-third of its land classified as "Indian Country" and the rest considered by many Pine Ridge Lakotas to still belong to the reservation. The county is home to a dynamic population, divided by the residents into three groups— "whites," "fullbloods," and "mixedbloods." Tensions between the three groups lurk admid the quiet harmony of Bennett County's everyday rural life and emerge in moments of community crisis.
  7. ↑ Google Maps marks the entire county as Indian territory
  8. ↑ Search mask database in the National Register Information System. National Park Service , accessed July 29, 2018.
  9. ↑ Extract from Census.gov . Retrieved February 28, 2011
  10. ↑ Excerpt from factfinder.census.gov.Retrieved February 28, 2011

Coordinates: 43 ° 11 ′  N , 101 ° 40 ′  W