GHOST TOWNS AND ALMOST GHOST TOWNS OF BENNETT COUNTY, SOUTH DAKOTA

 BENNETT COUNTY, SOUTH DAKOTA

HISTORY 

This land has for centuries been the traditional territory of the Oglala Lakota, also known as the Sioux; it has been part of their legally defined territory since the treaty of 1851 and has remained within its legal boundaries through various other Treaties and Acts that reduced their land base to the current boundaries of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation when the reservation was created by the Act of March 2, 1889 (25 Stat. 888).^[5] Despite its reservation status, most of the county was opened for settlement by the Act of May 27, 1910, where the US Congress "authorized and directed the Secretary of Interior to sell and dispose of all that portion of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, in the State of South Dakota, lying and being in Bennett County". Open settlement was ended by a Secretarial Order of June 10, 1936, which restored "to tribal ownership of all lands which are now, or may hereafter be, classified as undisposed-of surplus opened lands of the Pine Ridge Reservation...."^[6] The allotment process left the county's landownership a "checkerboard" mixture of Indian trust lands and state and private lands.^[7]

The county was created in 1909, with land partitioned from Fall River County.^[8] On April 27, 1912, the county's first board of commissioners was elected. In November 1912, residents chose the town of Martin as the county seat.

Dispute Over Reservation Status[edit]

A 1975 decision of the Eighth Circuit Court decided that Bennett County was not to be considered part of the Pine Ridge Reservation. However, the federal government participated in that lawsuit only as amicus, and did not consider itself bound by that decision because it did not participate in the litigation. The United States was a party in United States v. Bennett County, 394 F.2d 8 (8th Cir. 1968), in which the State of South Dakota had to obtain permission from the Department of the Interior in order to fix roads or condemn property in Bennett County, consistent with the property's reservation status.^[9] Putnam v. United States 248 F.2d 292 (8th Cir. 1957) ruled that "Bennett County is within the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation created by the Act of Congress of March 2, 1889, 25 Stat. 888." The Federal Government recognizes Bennett County as being entirely within the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. In 2004, in State of South Dakota v. Acting Great Plains Regional Director, Bureau of Indian Affairs Docket Number IBIA3-24-A the State of South Dakota argued against an Oglala Sioux Tribal member's application to the BIA to return a 10-acre tract of land in Bennett County into Federal Trust arguing it was outside of the Boundary of the Pine Ridge Reservation. The judge ruled in favor of the applicant and Bureau of Indian Affairs' affirming that Bennett County is indeed within the boundaries of the Reservation.^[10]

Native/Non-Native Relations[edit]

Both Lakota and European Americans have worked during recent decades to improve relations between the groups, which residents commonly refer to as full-bloods, mixed-bloods (usually both identified as Native American) and whites. Intermarriage continues between the groups and cooperation has been increasing.^[11] In the mid-1990s, residents co-sponsored a concurrent powwow and rodeo in the county. By the 1990s, people of Native American descent comprised the majority of county residents. In the 2000 Census, 5.7% of the people in Bennett County identified as mixed-race Native American-European American (more Lakota socially identify as having mixed-race ancestry). This is the highest percentage of any county within US boundaries, except northeastern Oklahoma and White Earth Indian Reservation in northwestern Minnesota.^[12]

Bennett County was in national news in 2014 when the township of Swett was put up for sale. The township's two residents listed six acres and all property in the township for sale for nearly $400,000.^[13] By 2016 the price had been reduced to $250,000, still with no takers.^[14]

TOWNS

Blackpipe 

Post office 1939-1955

Gamble 

Post office from 1902-1914

Graham

 Post office from 1912-1917 

Harrington 

Post office from 1924-1976

Harrington was laid out in 1924.^[2] A post office was established at Harrington in 1924, and remained in operation until 1976.^[3]

Hishield

 Post office from 1914-1915

Lacreek

Post office from 1909-1921

Masopia

Post office from 1926-1928

Patricia

 Post office from 1927-1955

Patricia was laid out in 1927, and named in honor of Patricia Tutsch, the wife of a first settler.^[2] A post office called Patricia was established in 1927, and remained in operation until 1955.^[3]

Swett 

Post office from 1931-1945

Swett was founded in 1931.^[6] In 1932 a post office was started in the local grocery store, which was owned by a farmer named Swett.^[5] In the 1940s there were 40 residents. At the time the community included a post office, a grocery store, and several houses.^[3] The post office was closed in 1945, leaving the community to be known for the saloon. Later the saloon was converted into a home after the building of the current Swett Tavern.^[5]

As time passed, the number of people owning property decreased. Eventually one person owned all of the properties and land in the community. The property was passed from person to person. In 1998 Lance Benson acquired the town. Benson divorced a previous wife, and she received the town after he signed away the property. In 2012 Benson re-acquired the town. In June 2014 Benson offered to sell the town for $399,000.^[3] The hamlet's sale became international news.^[4] In October 2015, the bank in Gordon, Nebraska, holding the mortgage foreclosed on the hamlet property. The selling price was reduced to $250,000 in 2015.^[7] The three mobile homes were removed in a general clean up of the property.^[5] 

Vetal 

Post office from 1912-1967

The community was named for Vetal Valandry, a pioneer settler.^[2] A post office was established in 1912, and remained in operation until 1967.^[3]