Esmond, South Dakota facts for kids

Esmond is a small place in Kingsbury County, South Dakota. It is known as an "unincorporated community." This means it is a group of homes and businesses that does not have its own local government, unlike a city or town.

Esmond's Story

Esmond was not always called Esmond. When it first started in 1883, its name was Sana. In that same year, the community was "platted." This means people drew official maps to plan out its streets and land lots.

Just one year later, in 1884, Sana was renamed Esmond. There are two main ideas about how it got its new name. Some people believe it was named after a famous book. The book was called The History of Henry Esmond by William Makepeace Thackeray. Others think the community was named after Esmond, Illinois. This was the original home of one of the first people to settle in the area.

A post office was first set up in Sana in 1883. It was renamed Esmond in 1884, just like the community. The post office served the area for many years before it finally closed in 1973.