Jackson County, South Dakota

Jackson County Education, Geography, and History

Jackson County is a county located in the state of South Dakota. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 3,031. Its county seat is Kadoka. The county was created in 1883 and organized in 1915. Washabaugh County was merged into Jackson County in 1983.

Etymology - Origin of Jackson County Name

Jackson is named for territorial legislator J.R. Jackson.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Jackson County History

Jackson County was created in 1914 with the county seat at Kadoka. Previous to this time it was a part of Stanley County. Early historical sketches indicate Jackson County was named for President Andrew Jackson; however, it is now considered certain that it was named for J. R. Jackson, a member of the Territorial Legislature when the original Jackson County was created in 1883. Following the various legislative shuffles Jackson vanished from the map. First, the northern part of Jackson was joined to Stanley County and the southern half part of Washabaugh. Finally in 1914 Stanley County was split up and Jackson County was reborn as it is today

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,871 square miles (4,846 km²), of which, 1,869 square miles (4,841 km²) of it is land and 2 square miles (5 km²) of it (0.11%) is water. About 57 percent of its land, the portion south of the White River, is on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The county includes the easternmost portion of Badlands National Park.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• Haakon County, South Dakota - north
• Jones County, South Dakota - northeast
• Mellette County, South Dakota - east
• Bennett County, South Dakota - south
• Shannon County, South Dakota - southwest
• Pennington County, South Dakota - northwest

Education

Compare More Colleges and Universities

Find more schools to match to your needs.

Start Now