Alsen, South Dakota
Encyclopedia
Alsen is a small unincorporated community
in Union County
, South Dakota
, United States
. It is located nine miles southwest of Beresford
and is on the border between Clay and Union
counties in South Dakota
.
, Jamtland
District, Sweden
. Olof Erickson was an early homesteader as well as the town's first blacksmith. Alsen started when Erickson established his blacksmith shop in 1871. Erickson established the Alsen post office in 1874 and served as its first postmaster. The post office was closed in 1900.
During its early days, Alsen had a creamery, a general store, a telephone exchange, a harness shop, a blacksmith shop, and a Model T garage. The creamery closed in 1933. The garage was sold in 1938. Part of the Alsen store was remodeled into living quarters in 1948.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in Union County
Union County, South Dakota
As of the census of 2000, there were 12,584 people, 4,927 households, and 3,517 families residing in the county. The population density was 27 people per square mile . There were 5,345 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile...
, South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is located nine miles southwest of Beresford
Beresford, South Dakota
Beresford is a city in Lincoln and Union counties in the U.S. state of South Dakota. The population was 2,005 as of the 2010 census. The southern two-thirds is part of the Sioux City, IA–NE–SD Metropolitan Statistical Area, while the northern one-third is part of the Sioux Falls...
and is on the border between Clay and Union
Union County, South Dakota
As of the census of 2000, there were 12,584 people, 4,927 households, and 3,517 families residing in the county. The population density was 27 people per square mile . There were 5,345 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile...
counties in South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
.
History
Alsen was named by Olof Erickson in honor of his birthplace, Alsen ParishAlsen, Sweden
Alsen is a parish and former municipality in Krokom Municipality, Jämtland in the middle of Sweden. The seat of the former municipality Alsen, Hov, is situated 50 kilometres northwest of Östersund, the capital of Jämtland....
, Jamtland
Jämtland
Jämtland or Jamtland is a historical province or landskap in the center of Sweden in northern Europe. It borders to Härjedalen and Medelpad in the south, Ångermanland in the east, Lapland in the north and Trøndelag and Norway in the west...
District, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. Olof Erickson was an early homesteader as well as the town's first blacksmith. Alsen started when Erickson established his blacksmith shop in 1871. Erickson established the Alsen post office in 1874 and served as its first postmaster. The post office was closed in 1900.
During its early days, Alsen had a creamery, a general store, a telephone exchange, a harness shop, a blacksmith shop, and a Model T garage. The creamery closed in 1933. The garage was sold in 1938. Part of the Alsen store was remodeled into living quarters in 1948.