Siouxland
Encyclopedia
Siouxland is a vernacular region that encompasses the entire Big Sioux River
Big Sioux River
The Big Sioux River is a tributary of the Missouri River, long, in eastern South Dakota and northwestern Iowa in the United States. The United States Board on Geographic Names settled on "Big Sioux River" as the stream's name in 1961....

 drainage basin in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 states of South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...

, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...

, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....

 and Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...

.

A "vernacular region" is a distinctive area where the inhabitants collectively consider themselves interconnected by a shared history, mutual interests, and a common identity. Such regions are "intellectual inventions" and a form of short-hand to identify things, people, and places. Vernacular regions reflect a "sense of place," but rarely coincide with established jurisdictional borders.

The lower Big Sioux River drainage basin stretches from Sioux City, Iowa
Sioux City, Iowa
Sioux City is a city in Plymouth and Woodbury counties in the western part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 82,684 in the 2010 census, a decline from 85,013 in the 2000 census, which makes it currently the fourth largest city in the state....

 to Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Sioux Falls is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Dakota. Sioux Falls is the county seat of Minnehaha County, and also extends into Lincoln County to the south...

, an area that includes much of northwestern Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...

, the northeast corner of Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....

, the southeast corner of South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...

, and the extreme southwest corner of Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...

.

The term "Siouxland" was coined by author Frederick Manfred
Frederick Manfred
Frederick Feikema Manfred was a noted Western author.Manfred was born in Doon, Iowa. He was baptized Frederick Feikes Feikema, VII, and he used the name Feike Feikema when he published his first books...

 in 1946. Manfred was born in Doon, Iowa
Doon, Iowa
Doon is a city in Lyon County, Iowa, United States, along the Rock River. The population was 533 at the 2000 census. The BNSF, or Burlington, Northern & Santa Fe Railway, passes through Doon.-History:...

, a small town in Lyon County
Lyon County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 11,581 in the county, with a population density of . There were 4,848 housing units, of which 4,442 were occupied.-2000 census:...

.

Origin

Frederick Manfred, who grew up in this region, set his novels in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...

, South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...

, Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...

, and Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....

, but these names alone did not meet his needs. Manfred said, "I wanted to find one name that meant this area where state lines have not been important. I tried Land of the Sioux, but that was too long, so Siouxland was born" in 1946.

The following year, it was first used in the prologue to Manfred's third novel, This Is the Year


The cock robin winged on, north.


At last, in late March, he arrived in Siouxland. He wheeled over the oak-crested, doming hills north of Sioux City, flew up the Big Sioux River, resting in elms and basswoods....


Time magazine, reviewing the novel on 31 March 1947, introduced Siouxland to its readers by quoting from the book: "By a river in the Siouxland he stood weeping." By the summer of 1948, Alex Stoddard, Sports Editor of the Sioux City Journal, had begun referring to "Siouxland teams". Soon after Manfred's fictional naming of Siouxland, commercial and political entities adopted the name and made it widely known.

Occurrence

Orlyn A. Swartz, who came to Sioux City in 1948, purchased the local office of O'Dea Finance Co. and renamed it Siouxland Finance Co. Swartz told Book Remarks that the idea was so new that he asked Harold Murphey, of the Chamber of Commerce, if there would be any objection to using the name. What was perhaps the first business application of Siouxland was still in use after four decades (in 1991), in Siouxland Insurance Agency, a successor company.

A sampling of telephone directories (completed in 1991) showed two businesses using Siouxland in 1950 and nine in 1953, two of which were spelled Sioux Land. By contrast, in the 1990 Sioux City telephone directory there were sixty-five listings under Siouxland, including spelling variants (Sioux Land, Sooland, and Soo Land), and another eleven in the 1990 Sioux Falls telephone directory.

Boundaries

As a vernacular region, the boundaries of Siouxland have no official designation. As the term is frequently used by Sioux City media
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...

, it is often assumed that Siouxland is roughly synonymous with the Sioux City area, but not everyone agrees with this assumption. The Sioux City media bias towards Sioux City was illustrated in January 1990, when a letter to the Sioux City Journal asked, "Just where is Siouxland?" The writer, a resident of Ida Grove, was disputing that the "first baby born in Siouxland" was born in Sioux City at 3:30 a.m. on January 1, because a baby was born in Ida Grove at 1:42 a.m. the same day.

As residents of the Sioux Falls area wanted their own regional name, they adopted Sioux Empire. Manfred, in a 1991 interview with Book Remarks, expressed disappointment that so many residents of Sioux Falls believed Siouxland to mean Sioux City, to the extent that they came up with a new name of Sioux Empire. Manfred drew a map of Siouxland for the cover of This Is the Year; his version encompassed the lower Big Sioux River drainage basin. At that time, Manfred lived in Luverne, Minnesota
Luverne, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,617 people, 1,968 households, and 1,247 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,356.1 people per square mile . There were 2,161 housing units at an average density of 634.7 per square mile...

, which he considered to be part of Siouxland.

In 1995, Siouxland Libraries—sometimes called the Siouxland Public Library—was created out of the merger of the Sioux Falls Public Library and the Minnehaha County Rural Public Library.

"Just where is Siouxland?" The answer varies geographically. Like most vernacular regions, Siouxland is more-or-less where one wants it to be—or where popular perception places it.

Major cities

The two largest Siouxland cities are Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Sioux Falls is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Dakota. Sioux Falls is the county seat of Minnehaha County, and also extends into Lincoln County to the south...

 and Sioux City, Iowa
Sioux City, Iowa
Sioux City is a city in Plymouth and Woodbury counties in the western part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 82,684 in the 2010 census, a decline from 85,013 in the 2000 census, which makes it currently the fourth largest city in the state....

. Another prominent city in this area is Norfolk, Nebraska
Norfolk, Nebraska
Norfolk is a city in Madison County, Nebraska, United States, 113 miles northwest of Omaha and 83 miles west of Sioux City at the intersection of U.S. Routes 81 and 275. The population was 24,210 at the 2010 census, making it the ninth-largest city in Nebraska. It is the principal city of the...

, a major commercial area of northeast Nebraska, but this city is marginally in what is considered to be Siouxland.

Sioux Empire

The area around Sioux Falls (the metropolitan area
Sioux Falls metropolitan area
The Sioux Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of four counties in South Dakota, anchored by the city of Sioux Falls...

 including the counties of Minnehaha County
Minnehaha County, South Dakota
As of the census of 2000, there were 148,281 people, 57,996 households, and 37,581 families residing in the county. The population density was 183 people per square mile . There were 60,237 housing units at an average density of 74 per square mile...

, Lincoln County
Lincoln County, South Dakota
As of the census of 2000, there were 24,131 people, 8,782 households, and 6,665 families residing in the county. The population density was 42 people per square mile . There were 9,131 housing units at an average density of 16 per square mile...

, McCook County
McCook County, South Dakota
As of the census of 2000, there were 5,832 people, 2,204 households, and 1,558 families residing in the county. The population density was 10 people per square mile . There were 2,383 housing units at an average density of 4 per square mile...

, and Turner County
Turner County, South Dakota
As of the census of 2000, there were 8,849 people, 3,510 households, and 2,478 families residing in the county. The population density was 14 people per square mile . There were 3,852 housing units at an average density of 6 per square mile...

) is often referred to as the "Sioux Empire." This region (which includes adjacent areas in the southwest corner of Minnesota) is part of Manfred's original conception of Siouxland.

Iowa

  • Bronson, Iowa
    Bronson, Iowa
    Bronson is a city in Woodbury County, Iowa, United States. It is part of the Sioux City, IA–NE–SD Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 269 at the 2000 census....

  • Cherokee, Iowa
    Cherokee, Iowa
    Cherokee is a city in Cherokee County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,932 at the 2010 Census, up from 5,369 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Cherokee County. Cherokee is also the home of the Cherokee Mental Health Institute, under the Iowa Department of Human Services...

  • Climbing Hill, Iowa
    Climbing Hill, Iowa
    Climbing Hill is an unincorporated community in Woodbury County, Iowa, United States. Its elevation is 1,135 feet . The community was named by C. E. Ostrander, the first settler and postmaster, whose home was on high ground and could not be reached except by climbing a hill...

  • Denison, Iowa
    Denison, Iowa
    Denison is a city in Crawford County, Iowa, United States, along the Boyer River. The population was 7,339 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Crawford County.-Geography:Denison is located at ....

  • Hinton, Iowa
    Hinton, Iowa
    As of the census of 2000, there were 808 people, 303 households, and 226 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,386.1 people per square mile . There were 319 housing units at an average density of 547.2 per square mile...

  • Hornick, Iowa
    Hornick, Iowa
    Hornick is a city in Woodbury County, Iowa, United States. It is part of the Sioux City, IA–NE–SD Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 253 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Hornick is located at ....

  • Ida Grove, Iowa
    Ida Grove, Iowa
    Ida Grove is a city in Ida County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,350 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Ida County.-Geography:Ida Grove is located at...

  • LeMars, Iowa
  • Lawton, Iowa
    Lawton, Iowa
    Lawton is a city in Woodbury County, Iowa, United States. It is part of the Sioux City, IA–NE–SD Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 697 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Lawton is located at ....

  • Moville, Iowa
    Moville, Iowa
    Moville is a city in Woodbury County, Iowa, United States. It is part of the Sioux City, IA–NE–SD Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,618 in the 2010 census, an increase from 1,583 in the 2000 census...

  • Okoboji, Iowa
    Okoboji, Iowa
    Okoboji is a city in Dickinson County, Iowa, United States, along the eastern shore of West Okoboji Lake in the Iowa Great Lakes region. The population was 820 at the 2000 census. Pikes Point State Park is located within the city limits...

  • Onawa, Iowa
    Onawa, Iowa
    Onawa is a city in Monona County, Iowa, United States. The population was 3,091 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Monona County. It is the largest town on the Iowa side of the Missouri River between Council Bluffs and Sioux City....

  • Orange City, Iowa
    Orange City, Iowa
    As of the census of 2000, there were 5,582 people, 1,719 households, and 1,285 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,808.5 people per square mile . There were 1,805 housing units at an average density of 584.8 per square mile...

  • Sac City, Iowa
    Sac City, Iowa
    Sac City is a city in and the county seat of Sac County, Iowa, United States, located in the rolling hills along the valley of the North Raccoon River, in one of America's prime agricultural regions. U.S. Route 20 bisects the city, forming its Main Street, and the city is one of 45 designated Main...

  • Salix, Iowa
    Salix, Iowa
    Salix is a city in Woodbury County, Iowa, United States. It is part of the Sioux City, IA–NE–SD Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 370 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Salix is located at ....

  • Sergeant Bluff, Iowa
    Sergeant Bluff, Iowa
    As of the census of 2000, there were 3,321 people, 1,137 households, and 891 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,668.7 people per square mile . There were 1,176 housing units at an average density of 590.9 per square mile...

  • Sheldon, Iowa
    Sheldon, Iowa
    Sheldon is a city in O'Brien and Sioux Counties in the U.S. state of Iowa, along the Floyd River. The population was 4,914 at the 2000 census; it is the largest city in O'Brien County.- History and culture :...

  • Sioux Center, Iowa
    Sioux Center, Iowa
    Sioux Center is a city in Sioux County, Iowa, United States. The population was 6,002 at the 2000 census; a special census in 2005 counted 6,327 residents. The first report of Sioux Center's population from the 2010 census is 7,048...

  • Sioux City, Iowa
    Sioux City, Iowa
    Sioux City is a city in Plymouth and Woodbury counties in the western part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 82,684 in the 2010 census, a decline from 85,013 in the 2000 census, which makes it currently the fourth largest city in the state....

  • Sloan, Iowa
    Sloan, Iowa
    Sloan is a city in Woodbury County, Iowa, United States. It is part of the Sioux City, IA–NE–SD Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,032 at the 2000 census.-Economy:...

  • Spencer, Iowa
    Spencer, Iowa
    Spencer is a city in the state of Iowa , and the county seat of Clay County . It is located at the confluence of the Little Sioux and Ocheyedan Rivers. The population was 11,233 in the 2010 census, a decline from 11,317 in the 2000 census. Spencer is famous as the home of the Clay County Fair,...

  • Storm Lake, Iowa
    Storm Lake, Iowa
    Storm Lake is a city in Buena Vista County, Iowa, United States. The population was 10,600 in the 2010 census, an increase from 10,076 in the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Buena Vista County. Storm Lake is home to Buena Vista University, originally Buena Vista College...


Nebraska

  • Allen, Nebraska
    Allen, Nebraska
    Allen is a village in Dixon County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Sioux City, IA–NE–SD Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 411 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Allen is located at ....

  • Bancroft, Nebraska
    Bancroft, Nebraska
    Bancroft is a village in Cuming County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 520 at the 2000 census.John Neihardt, who later became Nebraska's poet laureate, lived in Bancroft for twenty years and wrote many of his works there. His study is preserved at the John G...

  • Beemer, Nebraska
    Beemer, Nebraska
    Beemer is a village in Cuming County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 773 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Beemer is located at on the table lands adjoining the Elkhorn River bottoms, 84 miles from Omaha and nine miles northwest of West Point, near the geographic center of Cuming County...

  • Dakota City, Nebraska
    Dakota City, Nebraska
    Dakota City is a city in Dakota County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Sioux City, IA–NE–SD Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,821 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Dakota County...

  • Hartington, Nebraska
    Hartington, Nebraska
    Hartington is a city in Cedar County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 1,554 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Cedar County.-Geography:Hartington is located at ....

  • Homer, Nebraska
    Homer, Nebraska
    Homer is a village in Dakota County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Sioux City, IA–NE–SD Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 590 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Homer is located at ....

  • Maskell, Nebraska
    Maskell, Nebraska
    Maskell is a village in Dixon County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Sioux City, IA–NE–SD Metropolitan Statistical Area...

  • Newcastle, Nebraska
    Newcastle, Nebraska
    Newcastle is a village in Dixon County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Sioux City, IA–NE–SD Metropolitan Statistical Area...

  • Obert, Nebraska
    Obert, Nebraska
    Obert is a village in Cedar County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 49 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Obert is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all of it land....

  • Pender, Nebraska
    Pender, Nebraska
    Pender is a village in Thurston County, Nebraska, United States, located on the Omaha Indian Reservation. The population was 1,002 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Thurston County...

  • Pilger, Nebraska
    Pilger, Nebraska
    Pilger is a village in Stanton County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Norfolk, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 378 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Pilger is located at ....

  • Ponca, Nebraska
    Ponca, Nebraska
    Ponca is a city in Dixon County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Sioux City, IA–NE–SD Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 961 at the 2010 census...

  • Rosalie, Nebraska
    Rosalie, Nebraska
    Rosalie is a village in Thurston County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 194 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Rosalie is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all land....

  • South Sioux City, Nebraska
    South Sioux City, Nebraska
    -2000 Census:As of the census of 2000, there were 11,925 people, 4,304 households, and 2,961 families residing in the city. Of the 11,925 people, 48.6% are male and 51.4% are female. The population density was 2,431.6 people per square mile . There were 4,557 housing units at an average density of...

  • St. Helena, Nebraska
    St. Helena, Nebraska
    St. Helena is a village in Cedar County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 96 at the 2010 census.-Geography:St. Helena is located at ....

  • Wakefield, Nebraska
    Wakefield, Nebraska
    Wakefield is a city in Dixon and Wayne Counties in the U.S. state of Nebraska. The population was 1,411 at the 2000 census.The Dixon County portion of Wakefield is part of the Sioux City, IA–NE–SD Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...

  • Walthill, Nebraska
    Walthill, Nebraska
    Walthill is a village in Thurston County, Nebraska, United States, within the Omaha Reservation. The population was 909 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Walthill is located at...

  • Wayne, Nebraska
    Wayne, Nebraska
    Wayne is a city in Wayne County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 5,660 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Wayne County and the home of Wayne State College.-Geography:Wayne is located at ....

  • Winnebago, Nebraska
    Winnebago, Nebraska
    Winnebago is a village in Thurston County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 768 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Winnebago is located at...

  • Wisner, Nebraska
    Wisner, Nebraska
    Wisner is a city in Cuming County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 1,270 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Wisner is located at ....

  • Wynot, Nebraska
    Wynot, Nebraska
    Wynot is a village in Cedar County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 166 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Wynot is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all of it land....


South Dakota

  • Dakota Dunes, South Dakota
    Dakota Dunes, South Dakota
    Dakota Dunes is an unincorporated, master-planned residential and commercial development covering about in Union County in the extreme southeast corner of the U.S. state of South Dakota. The development is sandwiched between the Big Sioux River and the Missouri River...

  • Elk Point, South Dakota
    Elk Point, South Dakota
    Elk Point is a city in Union County, South Dakota, United States. It is part of the Sioux City, IA–NE–SD Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,963 as of the 2010 census...

  • Gayville, South Dakota
    Gayville, South Dakota
    Gayville is a town in Yankton County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 407 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Gayville is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all land....

  • Jefferson, South Dakota
    Jefferson, South Dakota
    Jefferson is a city in Union County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 547 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Sioux City, IA–NE–SD Metropolitan Statistical Area. Jefferson was founded in 1859...

  • North Sioux City, South Dakota
    North Sioux City, South Dakota
    As of the census of 2000, there were 2,288 people, 916 households, and 621 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,021.7 people per square mile . There were 953 housing units at an average density of 425.6 per square mile...

  • Sioux Falls, South Dakota
    Sioux Falls, South Dakota
    Sioux Falls is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Dakota. Sioux Falls is the county seat of Minnehaha County, and also extends into Lincoln County to the south...

  • Vermillion, South Dakota
    Vermillion, South Dakota
    Vermillion is a city in and the county seat of Clay County, in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of South Dakota, and the tenth largest city in the state. According to the 2010 Census, the population was 10,571. Vermillion lies atop a bluff near the Missouri River.The area has been home to...

  • Yankton, South Dakota
    Yankton, South Dakota
    Yankton is a city in, and the county seat of, Yankton County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 14,454 at the 2010 census. Yankton was the original capital of Dakota Territory. It is named for the Yankton tribe of Nakota Native Americans...

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