SOUTH DAKOTA PLACE NAMES
A Guide to Resources: Where to find them and what do they mean

Table of Contents
:: USD Online Catalog
:: Library of Congress Subject Headings
:: Books available in the Library

          South Dakota Resources
          General Resources
          Iowa
          Minnesota
          Nebraska
          Wyoming

:: Online gazetteers and web resources

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USD Online Catalog

The USD Online Catalog (PALS) can assist you in locating citations to books, microforms, Government Documents, videos and other materials. The following Library of Congress Subject Headings may prove useful in locating SD place name information.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Names, Geographical--South Dakota

Books available in the I.D. Weeks Library

South Dakota Resources:

Writers' program. South Dakota. South Dakota Place Names / compiled by workers of the Writers Program of the Work Projects' Administration in the state of South Dakota. Publisher: Vermillion : University of South Dakota, 1941.
(Ref F 649 W75)

Contents: This work was compiled by the S. D. Writers' project with assistance from Dr. Edward C. Ehrensperger (USD English Department). The project gathered more than 6,000 place names. Work Project field workers "interviewed hundreds of people, especially pioneer settlers who spoke from their own personal knowledge." (from preface) S.D. Place Names is an extremely valuable resource that contains both historical and geographical information about places.

Sneve, Virginia., ed. South Dakota Geographic Names. Sioux Falls: Brevet Press, 1973
(Ref F 649 W75 1973)

This work is a reprint of South Dakota Place Names.

United States Geological Survey. The National Gazetteer of the United States of
America - South Dakota. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1989
(Ref F 649 N38 1989)

This work was prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. The gazetteer lists 14,107 geographic names in alphabetical order for places, features, and areas within South Dakota.

Reese, M. Lisle. South Dakota: A guide to the State. Compiled by the Federal Writers'
Project of the Works Progress Administration. New York: Hastings House, 1952.
(Ref F 656 F4.5 1952)

Contents: "This book seeks to describe faithfully, interpret honestly, and present as entertainingly as possible the background and way of life in South Dakota" (from preface). The guide describes locales and places of interest.

Robinson, Doane. Doane Robinson's Encyclopedia of South Dakota. Pierre: Published
by the author. Sioux Falls: Will A. Beach Printing Company, 1925.
(Ref F 649 R65)

Contents: The author in this monumental work attempts to describe in dictionary format the fabric of the State. This work lists people, places and events.

Roberts, Robert B. Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: the Military, Pioneer, and Trading
Posts of the United States. New York: Macmilan Publishing Company, 1988
(Ref UA 26 .A45 1987)

Contents: This work is arranged alphabetically, state-by-state and by post name with each state. More than 50 posts, forts, and camps are listed for South Dakota in this work. A brief historical narrative is included for each fort.

Prucha, Francis P. A Guide to the Military Posts of the United States: 1789-1895.
Madison: The State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1964.
(Ref UA 26 A6 P7)

The guide consists of an alphabetically arranged catalog of army posts in the continental United States. Trading posts built by civilians are not included in this work. A useful feature are the maps included that show the locations of the military posts listed in the guide.

Year, Peggy E. Ghost Towns in South Dakota: A Geographic Perspective. Brookings:
South Dakota State University, M.S. Thesis, 1981 (Ref F 659 A1x Y43)
Identifies and locates 246 abandoned settlements.

Carlberg, Janet Joyce. A Study of Place-Names in Clay County, South Dakota. Vermillion: University of South Dakota, M.A. Thesis, 1962.
LD5071.3x .C1918

Christenson, Winifred Brown. A Study of Place-Names in Lake County, South Dakota. Vermillion: University of South Dakota, M.A. Thesis, 1955.
LD5071.3x .C462499

Clay County Historical Society. Clay County Place-Names. Vermillion: Clay County Historical Society, 1976.
F657 .C6 C55 1976

Daughters, Ted. A Survey of Placenames in Trip County, South Dakota. Vermillion: University of South Dakota, 1989.
F649 T7 D38

Distad, Lucile. A Study of Place-Names in Mellette County, South Dakota. Vermillion: University of South Dakota, M.A. Thesis, 1943.
LD5071.3x .D63325

Federal Writers' Project. South Dakota. Papers, 1860-1944. 25 linear feet of manuscripts.
Richardson Archives, University of South Dakota.

Frybarger, Marjorie L. A Study of Place-Names in Meade County, South Dakota. Vermillion: University of South Dakota, M.A. Thesis, 1941.
LD5071.3x .F9476

Halla, Evelyn Ruth. A Study of Place-Names in Yankton County, South Dakota. Vermillion: University of South Dakota, M.A. Thesis, 1952.
LD5071.3x H1503

Hanson, Agnes Jeanette. A Study of Places-Names in Kingsbury County, South Dakota. Vermillion: University of South Dakota, M.A. Thesis, 1940.
LD5071.3x .H19851

Harlow, Dana Dorothy. A Study of Place-Names in Spink County, South Dakota. Vermillion: University of South Dakota, M.A. Thesis, 1944.
LD5071.3x .H2275

Holland, Ann Jeanette. A Study of Place-Names in Sanborn County, South Dakota. Vermillion: University of South Dakota, M.A. Thesis, 1942.
LD5071.3x H7191

Hutcheson, Floyd E. A Study of Place-Names in Davison County, South Dakota. Vermillion: University of South Dakota, M.A. Thesis, 1944.
LD5071.3x .H9708

James, Leta May. A Place-Name Study of Beadle County, South Dakota. Vermillion: University of South Dakota, M.A. Thesis, 1939.
LD5071.3x J2345

Kleinsasser, Anne. A Study of Place-Names in Charles Mix County, South Dakota. Vermillion: University of South Dakota, M.A. Thesis, 1938.
LD5071.3x K67421

Kuehl, Gladys N. A Study of Place-names in Hand County, South Dakota. Vermillion: University of South Dakota, 1946.
LD5071.3x K9535

Molumby, Joseph A. A Study of Place-Names in Clark County, South Dakota. Vermillion: University of South Dakota, M.A. Thesis, 1939.
LD5071.3x .M7386

Nicholas, Kenneth L. A Study of Place-names in Lincoln County, South Dakota. Vermillion: University of South Dakota, M.A. Thesis, 1960.
LD5071.3x N51483

Sneve, Virginia Driving Hawk. Dakota's Heritage; a Compilation of Indian Place-Names in South Dakota. Sioux Falls: Brevet Press, 1973.
E78 .S63 S58

Snyder, Mary Phoebe. A Study of Place-Names in Turner County, South Dakota. Vermillion: University of South Dakota, M.A. Thesis, 1940.
LD5071.3x Sn926

Swenson, LuVern F. South Dakota Names: Cities and Towns. Vermillion: [s.n.], 1973.
Chilson Collection F649.S7

Van Balen, John. Dakota Place-Names: Geographical Names on 18th & 19th Century Maps. Vermillion: University of South Dakota, 1998.
Ref F655 .V36 1998

Van Roekel, Winerva J. A Study of Place-Names in Douglas County, South Dakota. Vermillion: University of South Dakota, M.A. Thesis, 1961
LD5071.3x .V3583

What's that Name?: A pronunciation guide to South Dakota Names. Brookings, S.D. : Department of Printing and Journalism, 1963.
Ref F649.S6xW3

Writers' Program. South Dakota Place-Names. Vermillion: University of South Dakota, 1941.
F649 .W75 1941

General Resources:

Stewart, George Rippey. American P lace-Names; a Concise and Selective Dictionary for the Continental United States of America [by] George R. Stewart. New York: Oxford University Press, 1970.
Ref E155 .S79

Sealock, Richard Burl. Bibliography of Place-Name literature: United States, Canada, Alaska and Newfoundland. Chicago: American Library Assn., 1948.
Z6824 .S4

Lambert, Eloise. The Book of Place-Names. New York, Lothrop, Lee and Shepard, 1961.
G106 .L33

Stennett, William H. A History of the Origin of the Place-Names Connected with the Chicago & North Western and Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railways. Chicago, 1908.
Chilson Collection F597 .S82

Harder, Kelsie B. Illustrated Dictionary of Place-Names, United States and Canada. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Co., 1976.
Ref E155 . H37

Quimby, Myron J. Scratch Ankle, U.S.A.; American Place-Names and their Deviation. South Brunswick: A.S. Barnes, 1969.
Ref E155 .Q5

Geographic Names Information System. Reston, VA: U.S. Geological Survey, 1995?.Gov Docs I 19.16/2

Iowa:

Vogel, Virgil J. Iowa Place-Names of Indian Origin. Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 1983.
Ref F619 .V63 1983

Minnesota:

Federal Writers' Project. A Manual of Procedure for the Minnesota Gazetteer: A study of Minnesota Place-Names Sponsored by the Minnesota Geographic Board. Minneapolis: Minnesota Writers' Project, 1900.
Chilson Collection F604 .F43x

Woolworth, Alan R. Indian Place-Names of the Minnesota Region. St. Paul, MN: Minnesota Archaeological Society, 1976.
Chilson Collection E98 .N2 W66x

Nebraska:

Link, John Thomas. The Origin of the Places-Names of Nebraska. Lincoln: Printed by the authority of the state of Nebraska, 1933.
F664 .L55x

Federal Writers' Project. Origin of Nebraska Place-Names. Lincoln, 1938.
F664 .F44

Fitzpatrick, Lilian Linder. Nebraska Place-Names. Lincoln, 1960.
F664 .F55

North Dakota:

Williams, Mary Ann. Origins of North Dakota Place-Names. Washburn, ND: Bismark Tribune, 1966
Chilson Collection F634 .W55

Wyoming:

Urbanek, Mae Bob. Wyoming Place-Names. Boulder: Johnson Pub. Co., 1974.
Chilson Collection F759 .U72

Online Gazetteers and Web Resources

Geographic Nameserver. Access: http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnis/web_query.gnis_web_query_form
Purpose: Emphasis on the United States. Provides telephone area code, latitude, longitude,population, elevation and zip code.

National Imagery and Mapping Agency's (NIMA) GEOnet Names Server (GNS).
Access: http://164.214.2.59/gns/html/index.html%20
Purpose: Foreign geographic names, provides latitude and longitude.

Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names. Access: http://www.getty.edu/research/tools/vocabulary/tgn/
Purpose: Search for place names and retrieve records for places, including vernacular and historical names, coordinates and place types.

U.S. Census Bureau. U.S. Gazetteer. Access: http://www.census.gov/cgi-bin/gazetteer
Purpose: Search for places, counties or MCDs by entering the name and state, or 5-digt