********************************************
********************************************
Lyman County
was
originally created in 1873.
It was named after W. P. Lyman who was a member of the Dakota Territorial Legislature from Yankton County.
In
1890, President Harrison signed a bill opening
for settlement large pieces of the Great Sioux Reservation,
between the White and Cheyenne Rivers.
Up until 1893, the ferry boat was the only transportation to get across the Missouri River. A pontoon bridge was soon invented. A pontoon bridge was a series of flat boats tied together and anchored on each side of the river. When a boat was seen coming, the anchors on one side would be let loose. The bridge would float free until the boat passed.
Small stores with post offices developed in different parts of the county. They became stopping places for people in the community. Some stores were Sweeney, Hotch City, Earling, Dirkstown, McClure, Highland, Kinniknic, Huston, Dowling, and Edna.
Lyman
County was finally officially organized in 1893.
Two unorganized counties, Pratt and Presho, were incorporated into Lyman County in 1898. Jones County was separated from western Lyman County as the result of an election in 1915.
Oacoma was the
original county seat.
The
county seat was
moved to Kennebec in 1922.
The county has a lot of important creeks and water ways that provide drainage. These are used by farmers for good crops. Reservoirs were constructed to help the county control floods in the spring from the winter's snow.
Bluffs also surround creeks and rivers and can be seen for miles. Buttes near these bodies of water are usually large and stand out. Medicine Butte is the largest butte and can be seen from the farthest distance.
Lower Brule Indian Reservation is in the northeast part of Lyman County. The population is 1,362 people on the reservation.
The main towns in Lyman County now are Kennebec, Lower Brule, Oacoma, Presho, Reliance, and Vivian . The population of Lyman County is 3,895.
____________________________________________________________________________________
*Soil is the most important natural resource for crops and grazing land.
*There are four major soil types in Lyman County. They are Millboro, river silt, gumbo, and clay.
*River silt on the shores of the White River comes from the rainwater or melted snow that runs off the land.
*Gumbo is a muddy mixture of soil and clay which is found throughout Lyman County.
*Most soils in Lyman County are classified as Millboro which are deep, drained soils formed in clay on the higher lands.
*Clay has deep cracks when it is dry.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Area: 1643 square miles
Lyman County was originally created in 1873, and it was named after W.P. Lyman.
Kennebec is the current county seat.
Population: Kennebec- 286
Oacoma- 390
Presho- 588
Reliance-206
Vivian- 131
Lower Brule- 599
Elevation: 1300 ft. at
the White River’s edge
2000 ft. on the higher prairie
Click here to view a picture of the bluffs and the White River.
*****
The photo on this page was taken by a ThinkQuest member.