Corson County

Corson County is an administrative county in northern South Dakota with the Missouri River forming its eastern boundary and the Grand River flowing through its interior. The landscape consists of rolling semi-arid terrain with scattered small communities.

The county was established in 1909 and named after Dighton Corson, a lawyer from Maine who began practicing law in Deadwood in 1877. This timing reflected a broader period of administrative organization across the region.

The county sits entirely within the Standing Rock Indian Reservation, where Lakota traditions shape daily life and community identity. These cultural roots are visible in how local communities organize themselves and maintain their way of living.

The county courthouse in McIntosh provides administrative services and local information for visitors. Keep in mind this is a sparsely populated area where services and facilities are spread out across the landscape.

The county ranks as the fifth-largest in South Dakota yet supports a remarkably small population of around 3,900 residents. This combination creates vast open spaces with significant distances between small settlements.

Location: South Dakota

Inception: 1909

Capital city: McIntosh

Shares border with: Sioux County, Adams County, Campbell County, Walworth County, Dewey County, Ziebach County, Perkins County, Emmons County

Website: http://corson.sdcounties.org

GPS coordinates: 45.72000,-101.18000

Latest update: December 8, 2025 13:42