De Smet, South Dakota
Encyclopedia
De Smet is a city in and the county seat
of Kingsbury County
, South Dakota
, United States
. The population was 1,089 at the 2010 census
. It was named for Belgian Father Pierre De Smet
, a 19th-century Jesuit missionary
who worked with Native Americans
in the United States and its territories for most of his life.
De Smet was the childhood home of Laura Ingalls Wilder
, the supercentenarian Walter Breuning
, and the birthplace of author Rose Wilder Lane
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²), all of it land.
De Smet has been assigned the ZIP code
57231 and the FIPS place code 16260.
of 2000, there were 1,164 people, 524 households, and 300 families residing in the city. The population density
was 1,102.2 people per square mile (424.0/km²). There were 582 housing units at an average density of 551.1 per square mile (212.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.37% White, 0.95% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 0.09% from other races
, and 0.52% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.69% of the population.
There were 524 households out of which 24.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% were married couples
living together, 3.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.7% were non-families. 39.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 24.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.09 and the average family size was 2.80.
In the city the population was spread out with 20.8% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 21.1% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 31.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females there were 89.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $27,760, and the median income for a family was $41,989. Males had a median income of $24,722 versus $20,417 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $15,372. About 7.3% of families and 11.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.1% of those under age 18 and 18.3% of those age 65 or over.
Since 1971, De Smet has hosted a pageant, held over several weekends in July, to honor Laura Ingalls Wilder. Five of her classic Little House books were based on her experiences in and around the community.
The story of how Charles Ingalls
and his wife Caroline arrived in De Smet in 1879 by covered wagon
from Walnut Grove, Minnesota
, is told by a cast of thirty in an open-air theater near the old Ingalls homestead and the Surveyors' House. Nearby are Silver Lake
and the Big Slough
, locations mentioned in her books. Reminders of De Smet's pioneer past are evident throughout the town, including the First Congregational Church, where the Ingallses worshipped. Laura, husband Almanzo Wilder, and daughter Rose left De Smet in 1894 to live on a farm in the Ozarks near Mansfield, Missouri
. There Laura Ingalls chronicled her De Smet memories in such works as The Long Winter, Little Town on the Prairie, and These Happy Golden Years. Many residents in De Smet have made a special effort to learn the Ingalls story in hopes of assisting inquiring tourists each summer.
De Smet is a popular overnight destination for travelers en route to Mount Rushmore
and the Black Hills
of South Dakota.
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Kingsbury County
Kingsbury County, South Dakota
Kingsbury County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2010 census, the population was 5,148. It's county seat is De Smet. It was named for two brothers, George W. and T. A. Kingsbury, who were prominently involved in the affairs of Dakota Territory and members of...
, 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...
. The population was 1,089 at the 2010 census
United States Census, 2010
The Twenty-third United States Census, known as Census 2010 or the 2010 Census, is the current national census of the United States. National Census Day was April 1, 2010 and is the reference date used in enumerating individuals...
. It was named for Belgian Father Pierre De Smet
Pierre-Jean De Smet
Pierre-Jean De Smet , also known as Pieter-Jan De Smet, was a Belgian Roman Catholic priest and member of the Society of Jesus , active in missionary work among the Native Americans of the Midwestern United States in the mid-19th century.His extensive travels as a missionary were said to total...
, a 19th-century Jesuit missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
who worked with Native Americans
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
in the United States and its territories for most of his life.
De Smet was the childhood home of Laura Ingalls Wilder
Laura Ingalls Wilder
Laura Elizabeth Ingalls Wilder was an American author who wrote the Little House series of books based on her childhood in a pioneer family...
, the supercentenarian Walter Breuning
Walter Breuning
Walter Breuning 1896 2011) was an American supercentenarian. He was the last known surviving man who was born in 1896. Breuning is the oldest undisputed American-born man on record. He was the last verified American man born in the 19th Century. At the time of his death, Breuning was the third...
, and the birthplace of author Rose Wilder Lane
Rose Wilder Lane
Rose Wilder Lane was an American journalist, travel writer, novelist, and political theorist...
.
Geography
De Smet is located at 44°23′9"N 97°33′6"W (44.385871, -97.551703).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²), all of it land.
De Smet has been assigned the ZIP code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
57231 and the FIPS place code 16260.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 1,164 people, 524 households, and 300 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,102.2 people per square mile (424.0/km²). There were 582 housing units at an average density of 551.1 per square mile (212.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.37% White, 0.95% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 0.09% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.52% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.69% of the population.
There were 524 households out of which 24.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 3.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.7% were non-families. 39.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 24.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.09 and the average family size was 2.80.
In the city the population was spread out with 20.8% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 21.1% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 31.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females there were 89.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $27,760, and the median income for a family was $41,989. Males had a median income of $24,722 versus $20,417 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $15,372. About 7.3% of families and 11.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.1% of those under age 18 and 18.3% of those age 65 or over.
Attractions
The story of how Charles Ingalls
Charles Ingalls
Charles Phillip Ingalls was the father of Laura Ingalls Wilder, known for her Little House on the Prairie series of books...
and his wife Caroline arrived in De Smet in 1879 by covered wagon
Covered wagon
The covered wagon, also known as a Prairie schooner, is an icon of the American Old West.Although covered wagons were commonly used for shorter moves within the United States, in the mid-nineteenth century thousands of Americans took them across the Great Plains to Oregon and California...
from Walnut Grove, Minnesota
Walnut Grove, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 599 people, 291 households, and 178 families residing in the city. The population density was 577.7 people per square mile . There were 341 housing units at an average density of 328.9 per square mile...
, is told by a cast of thirty in an open-air theater near the old Ingalls homestead and the Surveyors' House. Nearby are Silver Lake
Silver Lake (Kingsbury County, South Dakota)
Silver Lake in Kingsbury County, South Dakota is actually a former lake. Currently, it is a marsh located immediately east of De Smet, on the north side of U.S. Highway 14.-History:...
and the Big Slough
Big Slough (Kingsbury County, South Dakota)
Big Slough in Kingsbury County, South Dakota is a local marsh, south-east of De Smet.-History:This was the slough that Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote about in her books, " By the Shores of Silver Lake" and "The Long Winter."-External links:*...
, locations mentioned in her books. Reminders of De Smet's pioneer past are evident throughout the town, including the First Congregational Church, where the Ingallses worshipped. Laura, husband Almanzo Wilder, and daughter Rose left De Smet in 1894 to live on a farm in the Ozarks near Mansfield, Missouri
Mansfield, Missouri
Mansfield is a city in Wright County, Missouri, United States. The population was 1,349 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Mansfield is located at ....
. There Laura Ingalls chronicled her De Smet memories in such works as The Long Winter, Little Town on the Prairie, and These Happy Golden Years. Many residents in De Smet have made a special effort to learn the Ingalls story in hopes of assisting inquiring tourists each summer.
De Smet is a popular overnight destination for travelers en route to Mount Rushmore
Mount Rushmore
Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore near Keystone, South Dakota, in the United States...
and the Black Hills
Black Hills
The Black Hills are a small, isolated mountain range rising from the Great Plains of North America in western South Dakota and extending into Wyoming, USA. Set off from the main body of the Rocky Mountains, the region is something of a geological anomaly—accurately described as an "island of...
of South Dakota.