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History · Pukwana Township

Pukwana Township dates to 1881, and 46% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1941 on and the census since 1910.

1881founded
0on the National Register
46%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Pukwana Township began

When was Pukwana Township founded?

1881

Pukwana Township dates its founding to 1881 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1910.

First census: 164 in 19102020 census: 147145 years
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year.

What stands out about Pukwana Township’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Pukwana Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Pukwana Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Pukwana Township’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story so far

Pukwana Township, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Pukwana Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Pukwana is a town in Brule County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 233 at the 2020 census. Pukwana was laid out in 1881. In 1955, the local residents made a push to get the new Brule County Courthouse relocated to town, however the city of Chamberlain managed to keep it after battling petitions were made.

Pukwana Township was established in 1881. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 145 in 2010, 147 in 2020.

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

Pukwana Township, decade by decade

Today1 recent
SDMap-doton-Pukwana2004SDMap-doton-Pukwana
On the map

Pukwana Township on the map, 1941 to 1983

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Pukwana Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Pukwana Township on the 1941 USGS mapPukwana Township on the 1951 USGS mapPukwana Township on the 1983 USGS map1941Pukwana sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Pukwana Township.

People over time

Pukwana Township, census by census

0100200300192019401960198020002020Peak: 307

Between 164 and 307 people in every census since 1910.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Pukwana Township’s Wikipedia page.

Places that used to be

Places now gone and burying grounds

Gone or out of use
Priebe Landing Stripairport
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Pukwana Township
Free Norweigan LutheranNorwegian

Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Cleveland Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townChamberlain Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townRed Lake TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Pukwana Township’s history

What year was Pukwana Township founded?

In 1881, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. the census of 1910 counted 164 people here.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (1), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.