Red Shirt, South Dakota
Encyclopedia
Red Shirt is a small unincorporated
Oglala Lakota village southeast of Hermosa
in Shannon County
, South Dakota
, United States
. It is on the Pine Ridge Reservation
, just outside Badlands National Park
.
Red Shirt is located just past the east end of SD 40, which becomes BIA Highway 41 at the bridge over the Cheyenne River
(boundary between Custer County and Shannon County and of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The built-up area of the community, including Red Shirt School, is located on the flats of the valley of the Cheyenne River, below the north end of Red Shirt Table
, a prominent feature of the landscape of northwestern Shannon County.
Red Shirt, as are many Oglala and Lakota communities, was named for chief Red Shirt
, (Ógle Lúta, ca 1845-1925) whose band settled in the area in the late 1870s.
In 2009, the village consisted of approximately 23 houses (including some mobile homes) in two clusters (Upper and Lower Red Shirt), the Red Shirt School (both the modern (constructed 2005-2008) school with two large domes, and the older school buildings), a dance ring, sports fields, several community buildings, and a sewage plant. As the community is the closest on Pine Ridge Reservation to Rapid City, it is a desirable place to live as it offers a relatively easy year-round commute. Red Shirt is the last community (that is, at the end of the pipeline) served by the massive Mni Wiconi water project which pumps water from the Missouri River
near Fort Pierre, South Dakota
up to the Rosebud and Pine Ridge Reservations. The village is located near the Cheyenne River but outside the Special Flood Hazard Area
(100-year floodplain) of the river.
Red Shirt School is part of the Shannon County School District, and is an elementary school, but also is a campus/coordinating/test center for the Shannon County Virtual High School (SCVHS), which provides instruction via internet and is the only public high school located on the Pine Ridge Reservation.
References:
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...
Oglala Lakota village southeast of Hermosa
Hermosa, South Dakota
Hermosa is a town in Custer County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 398 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Hermosa is located at ....
in Shannon County
Shannon County, South Dakota
As of the census of 2000, there were 12,466 people, 2,785 households, and 2,353 families residing in the county. The population density was 6 people per square mile . There were 3,123 housing units at an average density of 2 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 on the Pine Ridge Reservation
Pine Ridge Indian Reservation
The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is an Oglala Sioux Native American reservation located in the U.S. state of South Dakota. Originally included within the territory of the Great Sioux Reservation, Pine Ridge was established in 1889 in the southwest corner of South Dakota on the Nebraska border...
, just outside Badlands National Park
Badlands National Park
Badlands National Park, in southwest South Dakota, United States preserves of sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles, and spires blended with the largest protected mixed grass prairie in the United States....
.
Red Shirt is located just past the east end of SD 40, which becomes BIA Highway 41 at the bridge over 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...
(boundary between Custer County and Shannon County and of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The built-up area of the community, including Red Shirt School, is located on the flats of the valley of the Cheyenne River, below the north end of Red Shirt Table
Red Shirt Table
Red Shirt Table is a table mountain in Shannon County, South Dakota part of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation of the Oglala Sioux Tribe. The table, named after Chief Red Shirt is approximately long, generally extending in a north-south direction, and is located along the western boundary of...
, a prominent feature of the landscape of northwestern Shannon County.
Red Shirt, as are many Oglala and Lakota communities, was named for chief Red Shirt
Red Shirt (Oglala)
Red Shirt was an Oglala Sioux warrior who served in the capacity of chief at two Sioux peace delegations to Washington in 1870 and in 1880. He was officially appointed chief of the Oglala at the Pine Ridge Agency in 1878...
, (Ógle Lúta, ca 1845-1925) whose band settled in the area in the late 1870s.
In 2009, the village consisted of approximately 23 houses (including some mobile homes) in two clusters (Upper and Lower Red Shirt), the Red Shirt School (both the modern (constructed 2005-2008) school with two large domes, and the older school buildings), a dance ring, sports fields, several community buildings, and a sewage plant. As the community is the closest on Pine Ridge Reservation to Rapid City, it is a desirable place to live as it offers a relatively easy year-round commute. Red Shirt is the last community (that is, at the end of the pipeline) served by the massive Mni Wiconi water project which pumps water from 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...
near Fort Pierre, South Dakota
Fort Pierre, South Dakota
Fort Pierre is a city in Stanley County, South Dakota, United States. It is part of the Pierre, South Dakota Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,078 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Stanley County. Lily Park, in Fort Pierre, is situated at the mouth of the Bad River. The...
up to the Rosebud and Pine Ridge Reservations. The village is located near the Cheyenne River but outside the Special Flood Hazard Area
National Flood Insurance Program
The National Flood Insurance Program is a program created by the Congress of the United States in 1968 through the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 . The program enables property owners in participating communities to purchase insurance protection from the government against losses from flooding...
(100-year floodplain) of the river.
Red Shirt School is part of the Shannon County School District, and is an elementary school, but also is a campus/coordinating/test center for the Shannon County Virtual High School (SCVHS), which provides instruction via internet and is the only public high school located on the Pine Ridge Reservation.
References: