East Sioux Falls, South Dakota facts for kids

East Sioux Falls was once a small city in South Dakota. It was located about 6 miles east of Sioux Falls. This town was built near the Big Sioux River and South Dakota Highway 42. It was known for its special pink stone quarries.

The Story of East Sioux Falls

How the City Began

In the 1880s, a special pink stone called quartzite became very popular. It was used for building. In 1887, the Sioux Falls Granite Company opened four stone quarries. These were about six miles east of downtown Sioux Falls.

This area had lots of quartzite stone near the Big Sioux River. The stone was easy to dig up because it was close to the surface. Hundreds of workers and their families moved to a nearby community. At that time, this community was called Ives.

The Railroad Arrives

In 1888, officials from Sioux Falls convinced the Illinois Central Railroad to build tracks. The railroad extended its line west from Iowa. Because of the stone mining, the tracks were routed past the quarries. This helped the stone reach big cities like Chicago.

Railroad workers named the train station East Sioux Falls. This new name replaced Ives in official records. By 1890, the community had grown to over 600 people. Because of this growth, East Sioux Falls officially became a city.

Life in East Sioux Falls

Many buildings were constructed in East Sioux Falls. These included homes for workers, a post office, and a town hall. There was also a train station, a school, a general store, and a hotel. The town even had a grain elevator, a stable, saloons, and a jail. You can still see parts of some of these old buildings today.

Sign marking the site of the former town.

The pink quartzite stone was cut into building blocks. It was also made into paving blocks for roads. This stone was sent to building projects all over the country. The pink quartzite was very strong and had a beautiful color. It was used in many buildings in Sioux Falls. These include the Old Courthouse Museum and the Federal Courthouse. Hundreds of miles of roads in larger cities were paved with this stone.

Why East Sioux Falls Disappeared

In 1891, the economy started to slow down. Things got even tougher during a big economic problem in 1893. These hard times caused the Sioux Falls Granite Company to go bankrupt. Another company took over the quarries for a while.

By the early 1900s, concrete became a popular building material. It started to replace stone. These changes caused many people to leave East Sioux Falls. In 1913, the city had to give up its official city status. People continued to live there until the last few buildings were taken down in the late 1980s.