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Hutchinson County, South Dakota facts for kids

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Hutchinson County
Former Hutchinson County Courthouse in Olivet
Former Hutchinson County Courthouse in Olivet
Map of South Dakota highlighting Hutchinson County
Location within the U.S. state of South Dakota
Map of the United States highlighting 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 Decrease
 • 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

  • US 18.svg U.S. Highway 18
  • US 81.svg U.S. Highway 81
  • SD 25.svg South Dakota Highway 25
  • SD 37.svg South Dakota Highway 37
  • SD 44.svg South Dakota Highway 44

Neighboring Counties

Protected Natural Areas

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

Lakes in Hutchinson County

  • Lake Dimock
  • Lake Menno
  • Silver Lake
  • Tripp Lake

People of Hutchinson County

Historical population
Census Pop.
1870 37
1880 5,573 14,962.2%
1890 10,469 87.9%
1900 11,897 13.6%
1910 12,319 3.5%
1920 13,475 9.4%
1930 13,904 3.2%
1940 12,668 −8.9%
1950 11,423 −9.8%
1960 11,085 −3.0%
1970 10,379 −6.4%
1980 9,350 −9.9%
1990 8,262 −11.6%
2000 8,075 −2.3%
2010 7,343 −9.1%
2020 7,427 1.1%
2023 (est.) 7,394 0.7%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2020

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

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.

  • Capital
  • Clayton
  • Cross Plains
  • Fair
  • Foster
  • German
  • Grandview
  • Kassel
  • Kaylor
  • Kulm
  • Liberty
  • Mittown
  • Molan
  • Oak Hollow
  • Pleasant
  • Sharon
  • Silver Lake
  • Starr
  • Susquehanna
  • Sweet
  • Valley
  • Wittenberg
  • Wolf Creek

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Hutchinson (Dakota del Sur) para niños

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