1941: South Dakota

Area and Population.

Admitted to statehood Nov. 2, 1889, South Dakota ranks 14th in size among the states, with an area of 77,047 sq. mi., including 511 sq. mi. of inland water surface, according to remeasurements of the United States undertaken for the 16th census in 1940. In population it ranks 37th, numbering 642,961 according to that census. The largest cities are Sioux Falls, 40,832; Aberdeen, 17,015; Rapid City, 13,844; and Huron, 10,843. Pierre, the capital, has a population of 4,322. In 1941 the total population was appreciably decreased, due to widespread emigration to out-of-state defense areas.

Agriculture.

South Dakota's principal industry is agriculture, and 1941 brought the best crop season in years. A report of the state's agricultural statistician shows that the production of major crops was well above the 1940 figures and much larger than the average of the past ten years. In cash terms an increase of 51 per cent was noted, from $84,000,000 in 1940 to $127,000,000 in 1941.

In national production of important crops, South Dakota ranked second in durum wheat, third in other spring wheat, second in rye, fourth in barley and wild hay, fifth in flax and sweet sorghum, and sixth in oats. In total acreage of crops harvested the state ranked eighth in the United States. This large production was combined with price advances to the farmers' advantage and tended to halt the farm-to-town migration which has seriously depopulated the rural areas during the years of less favorable results.

Meat-packing companies, creameries, poultry plants, and all manufacturing plants connected with farming reported increased production for the year.

Education.

In 1940 the school census (ages 6-21) included 186,251; the total school enrollment was 136,447; elementary 98,441; high schools, 38,006. There were 4,497 schools in operation in 3,429 districts, employing 8,016 teachers at a total salary expenditure of $6,644,623.67. The average annual elementary salary was $682.03; high school, $1,139.53. The total value of school property is $41,559,422.66.

Mining.

The mining industry, confined largely to the Black Hills region, had a prosperous year. Gold production alone, for which South Dakota ranks second in the Union, totaled more than $20,000,000, making an all-time total of approximately $500,000,000 — ample justification of the belief in the 1870's that there was 'gold in them thar hills.' Great activity is being displayed in mining various minerals not usually worked because of low prices and non-demand. The extensive manganese deposits in the Chamberlain vicinity are being examined by the Federal Government, which is carrying on experimentation in an effort to free the ore. Surveys indicate that a supply of manganese ample for the nation's needs for many years can readily be obtained by strip-mining.

Finance.

The state disposed of a considerable acreage acquired for foreclosure under the Rural Credit venture. The state debt was $41,436,000 on June 30, 1941. Receipts for the fiscal year ended on this date were $32,665,669, with disbursements of $29,934,593; total balance, $17,671,000.

The increased prosperity among the farm population is reflected in the report of the State Division of Taxation, which reported collections for the fiscal year 1940-41 of $7,150,943. The three-per-cent sales tax produced $4,258,227; ore tax, $1,059,777; auto registration, $595,000; net income tax, $910,000.

Legislative and Other Matters.

The Legislature convened for its twenty-seventh regular session, on Jan. 7, 1941, with Republicans in complete control. Harlan John Bushfield, Republican, was inaugurated Governor for his second term, with party members holding all elective state offices except the non-political posts. The Legislature passed many amendatory, regulatory, and routine laws necessary to the conduct of the state's affairs. Legislators toiled with a grist of 766 bills, passing a total of 375 laws. George Mickelson, Speaker of the House, and Lieutenant Governor A. C. Miller, President of the Senate, proved able heads in expediting the Legislature's work. Reduction of the general sales tax from three to two cents, and the lowering of the state income tax, although obviously done to aid the executive in a 1942 bid for the United States Senatorship, met with popular approval.

The year brought the completion of the great Rushmore Memorial in the Black Hills. The work was carried to a successful conclusion by Lincoln Borglum, following the death of his father Gutzon Borglum, on March 6, 1941. The memorial is being given great publicity as the Shrine of Democracy, because it depicts four great Americans: Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt. The State Highway Commission estimates that more than a million tourists visited Mr. Rushmore in 1941.

State Officers.

Governor, Harlan J. Bushfield; Lieutenant Governor, A. C. Miller; Secretary of State, Olive A. Ringsrud; Treasurer, W. G. Douglas; Auditor, W. W. Warner; Attorney General, Leo A. Temmey; Superintendent of Public Instruction, J. F. Hines.

United States Senators:

William J. Bulow, Chan Gurney.