Hutchinson County, South Dakota facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hutchinson County
U.S. county
Former Hutchinson County Courthouse in Olivet
Location within the U.S. state of South Dakota
South Dakota's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	South Dakota
Founded	1862 (created) 1871 (organized)
Named for	John Hutchinson
Seat	Olivet
Largest city	Parkston
Area
• Total	814 sq mi (2,110 km2)
• Land	813 sq mi (2,110 km2)
• Water	1.5 sq mi (4 km2)  0.2%
Population  (2020)
• Total	7,427
• Estimate  (2023)	7,394
• Density	9.124/sq mi (3.5228/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	At-large

Hutchinson County is a county located in the state of South Dakota in the United States. In 2020, about 7,427 people lived here. The main town, or county seat, is Olivet. The county was officially started in 1862 and fully set up in 1871. It was named after John Hutchinson, who was the first secretary of the territory.

History of Hutchinson County

Hutchinson County was created by a special law on May 8, 1862. At first, its borders were a bit different. They included parts of what are now Davison and Hanson Counties. The first county seat was Maxwell City. But in October 1873, people voted to move the county seat to Olivet.

On January 13, 1871, the government set the county's current borders. They also finished setting up how the county would be governed. In 1873, the county was actually split into two parts. The northern half became Armstrong County, with Milltown as its main town. However, Armstrong County was later dissolved in 1879. Its land was then added back to Hutchinson County.

Geography and Nature

The James River flows through the middle of Hutchinson County, heading south. The land here has gentle, rolling hills. Most of the area is used for farming. The land slopes down towards the river valley from both sides. The highest point in the county is in its southwest corner. It is about 1,880 feet (573 meters) above sea level.

Hutchinson County covers a total area of about 814 square miles. Of this, 813 square miles is land. Only about 1.5 square miles (0.2%) is water.

Main Roads in Hutchinson County

Neighboring Counties

Protected Natural Areas

• Mogck Slough State Public Shooting Area
• Weigher Slough State Public Shooting Area

Lakes in Hutchinson County

People of Hutchinson County

In 2020, the census counted 7,427 people living in Hutchinson County. There were 2,797 households and 1,802 families. This means there were about 9.1 people per square mile. There were also 3,212 homes or housing units.

In 2010, there were 7,343 people living in the county. Most people (97.4%) were white. About 0.7% were American Indian. People of Hispanic or Latino background made up 1.6% of the population. Many people in the county have German roots (67.7%). Other common backgrounds include Russian, Norwegian, and Irish.

The average age of people in the county was 46.8 years. The average income for a household was $39,310. For families, it was $52,390. About 10.4% of all people lived below the poverty line. This included 11.5% of those under 18.

Mennonites and Hutterites in Hutchinson County

Hutchinson County has the largest number of Mennonite people in South Dakota. German-speaking Mennonites from Russia started settling here in 1874. They continued to arrive until the early 1880s.

South Dakota also has the largest population of Hutterites in the country. Hutterites are a group that lives in communities. They also came from Russia around the same time as the Mennonites. Both groups share the Anabaptist faith. Hutterites live in special communities, usually with about 150 people.

One Hutterite community is Wolf Creek Colony. It is located where the Wolf Creek meets the James River. This colony is west of Freeman and north of Olivet and Menno. Other Hutterite communities in the county include Maxwell Colony, New Elm Spring Colony, Old Elm Spring Colony, and Tschetter Colony.

Communities in Hutchinson County

Cities

• Freeman
• Parkston

Towns

Census-Designated Places

These are areas that are like towns but are not officially incorporated.

• Kaylor
• Maxwell Colony
• Milltown
• New Elm Spring Colony
• Old Elm Spring Colony
• Tschetter Colony
• Wolf Creek Colony

Unincorporated Communities

These are small settlements that are not officially part of a city or town.

• Clayton
• Lake Tripp
• Wolf Creek

Townships

Townships are smaller areas within a county, often used for local government.

Images for kids

• 

  Former Hutchinson County Courthouse in Olivet

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Hutchinson (Dakota del Sur) para niños