Armstrong County, South Dakota facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Armstrong County, South Dakota |
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| 1883–1952 | |||||||||||||
 Armstrong County (red) and Stanley County (pink) |
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| Area | |||||||||||||
| • Coordinates | 44°45′N 101°00′W / 44.75°N 101.0°W | ||||||||||||
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• 1950
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1,359.744 km2 (525.000 sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Population | |||||||||||||
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• 1950
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52 | ||||||||||||
| Status | Unorganized county in South Dakota | ||||||||||||
| • Type | Attached to Stanley County with appointed officers | ||||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||||
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• Established
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8 March 1883 | ||||||||||||
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• Disestablished
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1952 | ||||||||||||
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| Today part of | Dewey County | ||||||||||||
Armstrong County was a special kind of county in South Dakota, a state in the United States. It existed from 1883 to 1952. This county was in the western part of South Dakota and was mostly part of the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation. Not many people lived there, and they mainly raised cattle near the Missouri and Cheyenne Rivers.
Armstrong County never had its own local government. Instead, it was managed by Stanley County. The main office for both counties was in Fort Pierre.
Before this Armstrong County, there was another, unrelated "Armstrong County" in eastern Dakota Territory from 1873 to 1879. The Armstrong County we are talking about started as Pyatt County in 1883. It was renamed Armstrong County in 1895. Over time, it lost land to Stanley and Ziebach Counties.
Because of its small size and population, Armstrong County set some interesting records. It was often the only county in the nation to vote entirely for one presidential candidate. By 1940, it was the only county without a post office. By 1950, it was the only county without any federal government employees.
The building of the Oahe Dam later flooded much of the county's best land. Finally, in 1952, Dewey County took over Armstrong County. Today, the area that was once Armstrong County actually has more homes than it did when it was a county.
Contents
History of Armstrong County
First Armstrong County (1873–1879)
The very first Armstrong County was created in 1873 by the Dakota Territorial Legislature. This was in the southeastern part of the territory. It was formed from parts of Charles Mix County and Hutchinson County. This county didn't last long and never had a full government. In 1879, it became part of Hutchinson County.
Pyatt County (1883–1895)
In 1883, Dakota Territory created a new county west of the Missouri River. They named it Pyatt County. This new county was made from undeveloped lands and pieces of Cheyenne, Dewey (which was then called Rusk), and Stanley Counties.
Becoming Armstrong County (1895–1911)
In 1895, Pyatt County was renamed Armstrong. This was to honor Moses K. Armstrong. He was an important person in the territory who helped organize it. He also served in the Territorial Legislature and as a representative in the United States House of Representatives.
The county originally covered a large area, including much of what is now the southern part of the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation. But its size changed. In 1898, some land was added to Stanley County to the south. Then, in 1911, the western part was lost when Ziebach County was created.
Final Years (1911–1952)
During World War II, parts of Armstrong County were used for air gunnery practice. The county lost one citizen who died in the war.
In 1952, Armstrong County was officially ended. It had a very small population, and much of its best land was flooded by the Oahe Dam. So, it was joined with the southern part of Dewey County. Also, tax collectors believed that cattle owners were moving their herds into Armstrong County to pay lower taxes.
Even today, in 2022, Dewey County still has a road called "Armstrong County Road."
Geography of Armstrong County
Armstrong County was about 525 square miles (1,360 km²) in size. The land that was once Armstrong County is mostly made of certain types of soil.
Politics and Government
Armstrong County was never formally organized with its own government. Instead, it was managed by Stanley County. People living in Armstrong County could not vote for Stanley County officials. They could only vote for state and federal positions. This situation was like "taxation without representation" because residents paid taxes but couldn't vote for their local leaders. This caused a small issue in the early 1950s.
The home of a resident named Ethan Alexander was chosen as the voting place. However, there were never enough voters in the county to have a proper election board. Alexander himself worked as the county's tax assessor for many years. Unlike many other counties in South Dakota, Armstrong County was not divided into smaller areas called townships.
In the 1928 presidential election, all seven votes from Armstrong County went to the Democratic candidate, Al Smith. This made it the only county in the entire country to vote completely for one candidate. For the elections from 1932 to 1940, Armstrong County's votes were counted with neighboring counties.
Armstrong County appeared in election records again in 1944. Again, all four votes went to one person, Democratic candidate Franklin D. Roosevelt. In 1948, Harry S. Truman (Democrat) won the county, but he missed a unanimous vote by just one. That single vote went to Republican Thomas Dewey. For its last presidential election in 1952, the county voted Republican. Dwight Eisenhower won with six votes, while Adlai Stevenson II received five.
In 1940, Armstrong County was the only county in the entire nation that did not have a post office.
People and Economy
After 1911, when Ziebach and Dewey Counties were created, Armstrong County had 52 people living in 8 families. Most residents lived near the Missouri and Cheyenne Rivers. These areas had plenty of grass and trees, which were good for the local cattle business. The river bottoms also provided shelter.
Most of the county's land was rented out to cattle companies, like Diamond A. The Norvold family, who lived there, owned land in both Armstrong and Ziebach counties.
Armstrong County had no schools. The Norvold children, for example, went to school in other places like Cheyenne Agency, Eagle Butte, and nearby counties. There were also no roads, telephones, or electric lights in the county.
In 1950, Armstrong County was unique because it was the only county in the United States without a single civilian federal employee. A group called Spiritual Mobilization, which was against government spending, even wrote a song about this fact.
