Fort Pierre, South Dakota

On March 30, 1743, Francois and Louis-Joseph Gaultier de La Vérendrye reached the area of present-day Fort Pierre during an expedition west from Quebec, a French colony in present-day Canada.{{Cite book|last1=Hogan |first1=Edward Patrick |last2=Fouberg |first2=Erin Hogan |year=2001 |title=The Geography of South Dakota |edition=Third |publisher=The Center for Western Studies – Augustana College |location=Sioux Falls, SD |isbn=0-931170-79-6}} They left a lead plate buried in a hill in what is now the city to claim the land for the King of France.{{cite web|url=http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/pierre_fortpierre/verendrye_site_pierre.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091023070340/http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/pierre_fortpierre/verendrye_site_pierre.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 23, 2009 |website=National Park Service |title=Vérendrye Museum |access-date=March 12, 2015}} In the 1803 Louisiana Purchase, the United States acquired this area and the remainder of France's vast territory west of the Mississippi River.

President Thomas Jefferson commissioned the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery Expedition in 1804 to explore the territory, especially by traveling west to the Upper Missouri and Platte rivers, in the hope of finding a water route to the Pacific Ocean. They met with the Teton Sioux on the south side of the mouth of the Bad River on September 24–28, 1804.

In 1817 fur trader Joseph La Framboise, Jr., an agent for the American Fur Company, established Fort Tecumseh a mile to the north, on what is now La Framboise Island in the Missouri River. The fur trade was highly lucrative and attracted competitors. In 1832, Pierre Chouteau, Jr., a major fur trader from St Louis, replaced that early facility with Fort Pierre Chouteau, a trading post and fort on the west side of the Missouri and north side of the Bad River's mouth in what is now the city.

The city of Fort Pierre gradually developed around the trading post. Fort Pierre celebrated its Bicentennial in 2017, marking 200 years of continuous permanent settlement at the confluence of the Missouri and Bad rivers.

In 1880, the settlement of Pierre was founded on the east side of the Missouri River in Hughes County. Because it was centrally located and reached first by the railroad, it was designated by the state legislature as the state capital when South Dakota was admitted as a state.

Across the Missouri River from Fort Pierre is the state capital of South Dakota, Pierre.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of {{convert|3.16|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, of which {{convert|3.11|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is land and {{convert|0.05|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is water.{{cite web |title=US Gazetteer files 2010 |url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=June 21, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120702145235/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |archive-date=July 2, 2012}}

Although Fort Pierre is located in the Mountain Time Zone, most residents of the city use Central Time because of close social and economic ties with Pierre, which is located in the Central Time Zone.

{{US Census population

|1880= 287

|1890= 360

|1900= 395

|1910= 792

|1920= 805

|1930= 683

|1940= 764

|1950= 951

|1960= 2649

|1970= 1448

|1980= 1789

|1990= 1854

|2000= 1991

|2010= 2078

|2020= 2115

|estyear=2022

|estimate=2142

|estref={{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-total-cities-and-towns.html |date=January 8, 2024|title=City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2022|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=January 8, 2024}}

|align-fn=center

|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|author=United States Census Bureau|author-link=United States Census Bureau|access-date=October 20, 2014}}
2020 Census

}}

File:Karl Bodmer Travels in America (43).jpg from the book Maximilian, Prince of Wied’s Travels in the Interior of North America, during the years 1832–1834]]

As of the census of 2010, there were 2,078 people, 893 households, and 586 families living in the city. The population density was {{convert|668.2|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 959 housing units at an average density of {{convert|308.4|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the city was 89.4% White, 0.3% African American, 6.6% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 3.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.7% of the population.

There were 893 households, of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.4% were non-families. 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.86.

The median age in the city was 41.8 years. 24.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.2% were from 25 to 44; 30% were from 45 to 64; and 16% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.4% male and 50.6% female.

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,991 people, 810 households, and 538 families living in the city. The population density was {{convert|686.6|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 875 housing units at an average density of {{convert|301.8|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the city was 92.16% White, 0.20% African American, 5.22% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.15% from other races, and 1.96% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.40% of the population.

There were 810 households, out of which 34.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.4% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.5% were non-families. 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 28.0% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.8 males.

As of 2000 the median income for a household in the city was $41,181, and the median income for a family was $47,885. Males had a median income of $29,948 versus $21,208 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,478. About 7.4% of families and 8.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.2% of those under age 18 and 14.8% of those age 65 or over.

The data here are for a weather station 17 miles west-southwest of Fort Pierre, near Wendte. Fort Pierre's reading of 120 °F is tied for the highest temperature recorded in the state of South Dakota (the other occurrence of 120 °F was at Gann Valley in 1934).{{Cite web|url=https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/extremes/scec/records|title=State Climate Extremes Committee (SCEC) {{!}} Extremes {{!}} National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI)|last=Enloe|website=www.ncdc.noaa.gov|language=en|access-date=December 30, 2017}} {{Weather box|Jan record high F=75|Jan high F=33.5|Jan low F=8.2|Jan precipitation inch=0.34|Jan snow inch=5.2|Jan record low F=-44|Feb record high F=76|Feb high F=38.6|Feb low F=12.8|Feb record low F=-47|Feb precipitation inch=0.51|Feb snow inch=6.1|Mar record high F=88|Mar high F=49.9|Mar low F=23.2|Mar record low F=-26|Mar precipitation inch=1.08|Mar snow inch=5.7|Apr record high F=99|Apr high F=62.5|Apr low F=34.1|Apr record low F=2|Apr precipitation inch=1.99|Apr snow inch=3.2|May record high F=105|May high F=72.8|May low F=45.2|May record low F=19|May precipitation inch=2.53|May snow inch=0.1|Jun record high F=111|Jun high F=82.5|Jun low F=55.5|Jun precipitation inch=2.78|Jun snow inch=0|Jul record high F=120|Jul high F=90.3|Jul low F=61.5|Jul record low F=43|Jul precipitation inch=2.19|Jul snow inch=0|Aug record high F=111|Aug high F=90.1|Aug low F=59.4|Aug record low F=37|Aug precipitation inch=1.66|Aug snow inch=0|Sep record high F=110|Sep high F=80.6|Sep low F=48.5|Sep record low F=18|Sep precipitation inch=1.41|Sep snow inch=0|Oct record high F=101|Oct high F=64.4|Oct low F=35.0|Oct record low F=-3|Oct precipitation inch=1.33|Oct snow inch=0.8|Nov record high F=87|Nov high F=47.7|Nov low F=21.3|Nov record low F=-16|Nov precipitation inch=0.53|Nov snow inch=3.5|Dec record high F=75|Dec high F=35.0|Dec low F=10.7|Dec record low F=-40|Dec precipitation inch=0.37|Dec snow inch=4.8|single line=Y|precipitation colour=green|location=Fort Pierre, SD|source 1=http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?sd3076|Jun record low F=32}}

AM Radio

• KGFX (AM) 1060, (Country music)
• KCCR AM 1240, (Adult Contemporary)

FM Radio

• KGFX-FM 92.7, (Adult Contemporary)
• KPLO-FM 94.5, (Country music)
• KLXS FM 95.3, (Classic Hits)
• KJBI FM 100.1, (Classic Hits)

Television

• KTSD-TV Ch. 10 PBS
• KPLO-TV Ch. 13 CBS
• KDLV-TV Ch. 26 NBC

The Capital Journal is the local newspaper.

• Pierre Chouteau Jr. (1789-1865) - French merchant, trader and entrepreneur after whom Pierre and Fort Pierre, South Dakota, are named.
• Walter Dale Miller - Former governor.
• George Philip Jr. - World War II naval officer, commanding officer of {{USS|Twiggs|DD-591}}, Navy Cross recipient, and namesake of {{USS|George Philip|FFG-12}}
• Clint Roberts - U.S. Representative
• Mike Rounds - U.S. Senator; 31st Governor of South Dakota; former state senator{{Cite web |date=2021-12-10 |title=Grounded in faith, Rounds seeks Christmas spirit after life-altering loss |url=https://www.sdpb.org/kevinwoster/2021-12-10/grounded-in-faith-rounds-seeks-christmas-spirit-after-lifealtering-loss |access-date=2025-05-11 |website=South Dakota Public Broadcasting |language=en}}
• Casey Tibbs - American cowboy and actor.
• John C. Waldron - World War II aviator from Fort Pierre.

• [https://www.fortpierre.com/ City of Fort Pierre Official Website]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20120127235213/http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/pierre_fortpierre/fort_pierre_chouteau_site.html Travel: Fort Pierre Chouteau], National Park Service website

{{Reflist}}

{{Stanley County, South Dakota}}

{{South Dakota county seats}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Cities in South Dakota

Category:Cities in Stanley County, South Dakota

Category:County seats in South Dakota

Category:Pierre, South Dakota micropolitan area

Category:South Dakota populated places on the Missouri River

Category:Forts in South Dakota

Category:Forts along the Missouri River