Pierre South Dakota History & Facts

Pierre is the capital city of South Dakota and the seat of Hughes County. The population was 14,091 at the 2020 census, making it the second-least populous state capital in the United States, following Montpelier, Vermont. It is the ninth-most populous city in South Dakota. Founded in 1880, it was selected as the state capital when the territory was admitted as a state. Pierre is the principal city of the Pierre Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Hughes and Stanley counties.

The city was founded in 1880 on the east bank of the Missouri River opposite Fort Pierre, a former trading post that developed as a community. Pierre was designated as the state capital when South Dakota gained statehood on November 2, 1889.

Huron challenged the city to be selected as the capital, but Pierre was selected because of its location in the geographic center of the state. Fort Pierre had developed earlier, with a permanent settlement since circa 1817 around a fur trading post. Fort Pierre Chouteau, preceding the city, was named after Pierre Chouteau, Jr., a major American fur trader from St. Louis, Missouri, who was of colonial French origin.

Development of Pierre was also influenced by construction of the Rapid City, Pierre and Eastern Railroad, which runs east–west through the city. It increased access to markets for regional products and improved transportation for passengers. The railroad crosses the Missouri River on the Chicago and North Western Railroad Bridge.

But the capital city became relatively isolated in the post-World War II era of federally subsidized highway construction, as travelers and freight companies began to use automobiles and trucking. It is one of four state capitals that is not served by the Interstate Highway System.

Pierre is located at 44°22′21″N 100°19′12″W.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 13.07 square miles (33.85 km2), of which 13.06 square miles (33.83 km2) is land and 0.01 square miles (0.03 km2) is water.

Pierre is sited on rough river bluffs above the east bank of the Missouri River, overlooking its expanse. It is a few miles away from Lake Oahe, one of the largest man-made lakes in the world. Developed for flood control and irrigation, the lake has become a popular fishing destination.

Famous Peoples From Pierre South Dakota

Catherine Bach

(born Catherine Bachman; March 1, 1954) 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. In 2012, she joined the cast of the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless as Anita Lawson.

Bach was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the daughter of Norma Jean Kucera (née Verdugo), an acupuncturist, and Bernard Bachman, a rancher. She lived in nearby Warren, Ohio. Her mother was of Mexican descent, and her father was of German ancestry. She is descended from the Verdugo family, one of California's earliest landed families.

She spent some of her childhood on a ranch in South Dakota, and she visited her grandparents in Faith, South Dakota. In 1970, Bach graduated from Stevens High School in Rapid City, South Dakota. She briefly majored in drama at UCLA where she supplemented her income by making clothes for friends and theater groups.

We also serve Huron city.

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