Union County, South Dakota
Historic newspapers, landmarks, and county history layers for genealogists and local historians.
At a glance
SummaryThe National Register of Historic Places includes 16 listed properties in the county, first listed in 1979. Most listings are in or near Alcester, Beresford, Elk Point.
Summary generated automatically from the source data on this page.
Newspapers
Library of CongressNewspaper directory data for South Dakota is not yet loaded on this site. Browse Union titles at the Library of Congress.
National Register of Historic Places
NPS NRHP10 of 16 listings mapped; some locations are restricted by NPS to protect sensitive sites.
16 listed properties
| Property | City | Listed |
|---|---|---|
| Baker House | Alcester | 1979 |
| Bulow, Governor William J., House | Beresford | 1986 |
| Chicago and Northwestern Railroad Depot | Beresford | 1985 |
| Hultgren Farm | Big Springs | 2004 |
| Hyden House | Alcester | 1996 |
| Junction City Rest Stop Tipi | Junction City | 2015 |
| Larson, John August, Home | Beresford | 1985 |
| Murtha, Charles, House and Brick Yard | Elk Point | 1982 |
| Nora Store | Alcester | 2007 |
| Reedy, J. W., House | Beresford | 1984 |
| South Dakota Dept. of Transportation Bridge No. 64-061-199 | Elk Point | 1993 |
| St. Paul Lutheran Church and Cemetery | Richland | 2018 |
| St. Peter's Catholic Church | Jerrerson | 1989 |
| Star School District 61 | Alcester | 2008 |
| Swanson House | Alcester | 2006 |
| United Brethren Church | West Akron | 2001 |
Source: National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Property links open NRHP nomination files at the National Archives.
County formation
Newberry AHCBUnion was formed in 1864 (1864-01-07) from Lincoln, all of COLE.
UNION created by Dakota Territory in present South Dakota from LINCOLN and all of COLE; COLE eliminated. UNION included a small piece of present Nebraska.
Source: Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
Population by decade
CensusUnion County population from 1870 to 2020 (Census historical series).
| 1870 | 1880 | 1900 | 1920 | 1940 | 1950 | 1960 | 1980 | 2000 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3,507 | 6,813 | 11,153 | 11,099 | 11,675 | 10,792 | 10,197 | 10,938 | 12,584 | 16,811 |
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau historical county population (Forstall 1790–1990) and public-domain / CC0 county population series through 2020.
Cemeteries & historical places
USGS GNIS34 cemeteries and 0 historical populated places (ghost towns / former settlements) recorded in USGS GNIS for this county.
Cemeteries — 34 of 34 listed
| Name |
|---|
| Ahlsborg Lutheran Cemetery |
| Beresford Cemetery |
| Beresford Memorial Park Cemetery |
| Big Springs Cemetery |
| Brule Creek Cemetery |
| Civil Bend Cemetery |
| Elk Point Cemetery |
| Elmwood Cemetery |
| Emmanuel Lutheran Cemetery |
| Erickson Cemetery |
| Gores Bluff Cemetery |
| Gothland Cemetery |
| McCook Cemetery |
| Mount Hope Cemetery |
| Nora Cemetery |
| Olbue Lerseth Cemetery |
| Old Big Springs Cemetery |
| Old Brule Creek Cemetery |
| Peace Lutheran Cemetery |
| Pleasant Hill Cemetery |
| Pleasant Hill Cemetery |
| Pleasant Hill Cemetery |
| Pleasant Valley Cemetery |
| Richland Cemetery |
| Roseni Lutheran Church Cemetery |
| Saint John's Cemetery |
| Saint Joseph Catholic Cemetery |
| Saint Joseph Cemetery |
| Saint Mary Cemetery |
| Saint Paul Cemetery |
| Saint Peter's Cemetery |
| Steadman Cemetery |
| Union County Cemetery |
| Union Creek Cemetery |
Source: USGS Geographic Names Information System (public domain). Cemeteries from the 2021 NationalFile archive; historical places from GNIS HistoricalFeatures topical extract.
Historical markers
HMdb linkMarker text and photos from the Historical Marker Database (HMdb) are not embedded here. HMdb allows non-commercial reuse with attribution, but commercial/compensated use needs written permission; this is a commercial site, so we only link out.
Search HMdb for Union County, South Dakota
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