Faith, South Dakota
Encyclopedia
Faith is a city in Meade County
, South Dakota
, United States
. The population was 421 at the 2010 census
. Sue
, the most complete Tyrannosaurus rex
skeleton known, was discovered about 15 miles north and east of Faith in December 1990.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 1.2 square miles (3.1 km²), all of it land.
Faith has been assigned the ZIP code
57626 and the FIPS place code 20980.
to live out on the prairie
. However, the story of the city as documented in various informal, locally published histories, is that the town was named for Faith Rockefeller, one of the daughters of a major investor in the railroad responsible for founding the town. This is in keeping with the names of other towns on the route of the old railroad (now abandoned), such as Isabel, South Dakota
. Faith was the permanent end of the railroad, a local spur off the Milwaukee Road Railroad.
of 2000, there were 489 people, 201 households, and 139 families residing in the city. The population density
was 408.0 people per square mile (157.3/km²). There were 274 housing units at an average density of 228.6 per square mile (88.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 89.78% White, 0.20% African American, 6.13% Native American, and 3.89% from two or more races.
There were 201 households out of which 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.2% were married couples
living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.8% were non-families. 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.02.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.8% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 21.5% from 25 to 44, 24.9% from 45 to 64, and 20.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 100.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $27,708, and the median income for a family was $38,333. Males had a median income of $22,250 versus $17,222 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $16,276. About 7.5% of families and 10.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.8% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those age 65 or over.
, and South Dakota state highway 73. The nearest commercial airports are located at Pierre
, the state capital, and Rapid City
, the major market city of the region, located 100 miles to the southwest. The railroad was constructed in 1910 and abandoned in the 1960s; there is presently no scheduled passenger bus service or freight service to the city.
region of South Dakota
, that part of the state located west of the Missouri River
, and in the Northern Great Plains, on a ridge dividing the Cheyenne River
to the south and the Grand River
and its major tributary, the Moreau River
to the north (both are tributaries of the Missouri). Faith is the center of a vast cattle and sheep ranching area, and is the community center for hundreds of scattered ranchsteads. It is located in the extreme northeast corner of Meade County, South Dakota's largest: it is approximately 75 miles to Sturgis
, the county seat. It is also located immediately west of the boundary of the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation
, home to several Lakota bands organized into the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe or CRST. The region is well known for deer hunting and also offers pheasant, elk, and recently, prairie mountain lion hunting. A small reservoir, Durkee Lake, is approximately three miles south and offers a local recreation venue, with its boating, fishing, golf course, beach, and camping.
of the 1930s quickly replaced abnormally wet conditions of the early 20th Century, and the harsh winters of the Northern Plains quickly drove many sodbusters to more hospitable regions. The town's location allows for ranch families in the area to have schools and stores closer than Sturgis, Fort Pierre, or other regional market towns, but early expectations of steady growth were never realized. Faith is still well known for its rodeos and livestock sales. The town's location made it a necessary stop on the Sunset Trail also known as the Yellowstone Trail
.
Although like most small rural cities of the Great Plains, Faith has declined in population, its distance from alternative locations for schools and businesses and its geographic location near county and reservation boundaries mean that it is unlikely to become a ghost town or see its institutions consolidated out of existence.
Meade County, South Dakota
As of the census of 2000, there were 24,253 people, 8,805 households, and 6,700 families residing in the county. The population density was 7 people per square mile . There were 10,149 housing units at an average density of 3 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...
. The population was 421 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...
. Sue
Sue (dinosaur)
"Sue" is the nickname given to FMNH PR 2081, which is the largest, most extensive and best preserved Tyrannosaurus rex specimen ever found. It was discovered in the summer of 1990 by Sue Hendrickson, a paleontologist, and was named after her...
, the most complete Tyrannosaurus rex
Tyrannosaurus
Tyrannosaurus meaning "tyrant," and sauros meaning "lizard") is a genus of coelurosaurian theropod dinosaur. The species Tyrannosaurus rex , commonly abbreviated to T. rex, is a fixture in popular culture. It lived throughout what is now western North America, with a much wider range than other...
skeleton known, was discovered about 15 miles north and east of Faith in December 1990.
Geography
Faith is located at 45°1′18"N 102°2′22"W (45.021648, -102.039502).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 1.2 square miles (3.1 km²), all of it land.
Faith 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...
57626 and the FIPS place code 20980.
History
Local residents have been known to say the town was named because it took faithFaith
Faith is confidence or trust in a person or thing, or a belief that is not based on proof. In religion, faith is a belief in a transcendent reality, a religious teacher, a set of teachings or a Supreme Being. Generally speaking, it is offered as a means by which the truth of the proposition,...
to live out on the prairie
Prairie
Prairies are considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the dominant vegetation type...
. However, the story of the city as documented in various informal, locally published histories, is that the town was named for Faith Rockefeller, one of the daughters of a major investor in the railroad responsible for founding the town. This is in keeping with the names of other towns on the route of the old railroad (now abandoned), such as Isabel, South Dakota
Isabel, South Dakota
Isabel is a town in Dewey County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 135 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Isabel is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land....
. Faith was the permanent end of the railroad, a local spur off the Milwaukee Road Railroad.
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 489 people, 201 households, and 139 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 408.0 people per square mile (157.3/km²). There were 274 housing units at an average density of 228.6 per square mile (88.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 89.78% White, 0.20% African American, 6.13% Native American, and 3.89% from two or more races.
There were 201 households out of which 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.2% 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, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.8% were non-families. 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.02.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.8% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 21.5% from 25 to 44, 24.9% from 45 to 64, and 20.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 100.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $27,708, and the median income for a family was $38,333. Males had a median income of $22,250 versus $17,222 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 $16,276. About 7.5% of families and 10.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.8% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those age 65 or over.
Transportation
Faith is accessed from U.S. Route 212U.S. Route 212
U.S. Route 212 is a spur of U.S. Route 12. Though it currently never intersects U.S. 12, it once had an eastern terminus at U.S. 12 in St. Paul, Minnesota. It runs for 949 miles from Minnesota Highway 62 at Edina, Minnesota to Yellowstone National Park.U.S. 212 passes through the states of...
, and South Dakota state highway 73. The nearest commercial airports are located at Pierre
Pierre, South Dakota
Pierre is the capital of the U.S. state of South Dakota and the county seat of Hughes County. The population was 13,646 at the 2010 census, making it the second least populous state capital after Montpelier, Vermont...
, the state capital, and Rapid City
Rapid City, South Dakota
Rapid City is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of South Dakota, and the county seat of Pennington County. Named after Rapid Creek on which the city is established, it is set against the eastern slope of the Black Hills mountain range. The population was 67,956 as of the 2010 Census. Rapid...
, the major market city of the region, located 100 miles to the southwest. The railroad was constructed in 1910 and abandoned in the 1960s; there is presently no scheduled passenger bus service or freight service to the city.
Region
Faith is located in the West RiverWest River
-Rivers:Canada*West River in Antigonish County, Nova Scotia*West River in Pictou County, Nova Scotia*West River in Sheet Harbour, Nova Scotia...
region 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...
, that part of the state located west of the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
, and in the Northern Great Plains, on a ridge dividing the Cheyenne River
Cheyenne River
The Cheyenne River is a tributary of the Missouri River in the U.S. states of Wyoming and South Dakota. It is approximately 295 mi long and drains an area of...
to the south and the Grand River
Grand River (South Dakota)
The Grand River is a tributary of the Missouri River in North Dakota and South Dakota in the United States. The length of the combined branch is 110 mi...
and its major tributary, the Moreau River
Moreau River
The Moreau River is a tributary of the Missouri River, approximately 200 mi long, in South Dakota in the United States.It rises in two forks in northwestern South Dakota, in the Badlands of Harding County. The North Fork rises approximately 10 mi northeast of Crow Buttes...
to the north (both are tributaries of the Missouri). Faith is the center of a vast cattle and sheep ranching area, and is the community center for hundreds of scattered ranchsteads. It is located in the extreme northeast corner of Meade County, South Dakota's largest: it is approximately 75 miles to Sturgis
Sturgis, South Dakota
Sturgis is a city in Meade County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 6,627 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Meade County. Sturgis is famous for being the location of one of the largest annual motorcycle events in the world, which is held annually on the first full week...
, the county seat. It is also located immediately west of the boundary of the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation
Cheyenne River Indian Reservation
The Cheyenne River Indian Reservation was created by the United States in 1889 by breaking up the Great Sioux Reservation, following its victory over the Lakota in a series of wars in the 1870s. The reservation covers almost all of Dewey and Ziebach counties in South Dakota...
, home to several Lakota bands organized into the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe or CRST. The region is well known for deer hunting and also offers pheasant, elk, and recently, prairie mountain lion hunting. A small reservoir, Durkee Lake, is approximately three miles south and offers a local recreation venue, with its boating, fishing, golf course, beach, and camping.
Past and Future
Founded as the town at the end of the railroad, Faith was originally the hub of a homestead boom in the period 1910-1920; but the drought conditions of the 1920s that led to the Dust BowlDust Bowl
The Dust Bowl, or the Dirty Thirties, was a period of severe dust storms causing major ecological and agricultural damage to American and Canadian prairie lands from 1930 to 1936...
of the 1930s quickly replaced abnormally wet conditions of the early 20th Century, and the harsh winters of the Northern Plains quickly drove many sodbusters to more hospitable regions. The town's location allows for ranch families in the area to have schools and stores closer than Sturgis, Fort Pierre, or other regional market towns, but early expectations of steady growth were never realized. Faith is still well known for its rodeos and livestock sales. The town's location made it a necessary stop on the Sunset Trail also known as the Yellowstone Trail
Yellowstone Trail
The Yellowstone Trail was the first transcontinental automobile highway through the upper tier of states in the United States. It ran from Massachusetts to Seattle. It was conceived by J.W. Parmley of Ipswich, South Dakota in 1912. Originally, Parmley and his business colleagues wanted a good road...
.
Although like most small rural cities of the Great Plains, Faith has declined in population, its distance from alternative locations for schools and businesses and its geographic location near county and reservation boundaries mean that it is unlikely to become a ghost town or see its institutions consolidated out of existence.
Notable residents
- Catherine BachCatherine BachCatherine Bach is an American actress. She is known for playing Daisy Duke in the television series The Dukes of Hazzard and Margo Dutton in African Skies.-Career:...
, actress - Boyd RaeburnBoyd RaeburnAlbert Boyd Raeburn was an American jazz bandleader and bass saxophonist.Boyd Raeburn was born in Faith, South Dakota, and became one of the greatest and least-known of jazz bandleaders during the 1940s...
, jazz bandleader and Baritone saxophonist (1913–1966)