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B+History
History · Sisseton

Sisseton’s post office opened in 1892, and 27% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 66% of U.S. towns. What drives it

4 places in town are on the National Register. Below: 12 old photos and papers, maps from 1904 on, and the census since 1900.

1892first post office
4on the National Register
27%homes built before 1940
12old photos & papers
4famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Sisseton’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Sisseton began

When was Sisseton founded?

1892

The Sisseton post office opened in 1892, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1907.

First census: 928 in 19002020 census: 2,479134 years

How historic is Sisseton?

B+

More historic than 66% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Sisseton post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1907.
History grade

What drives Sisseton’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Sisseton is more historic than 66% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.

B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Sisseton’s overall grade.
Founding era1892, from the first post office: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 194027.3% of homes (±4.6) · typical SD town 10.4% · U.S. 8.4%A−National Register4 listings, 15.0 per 10,000 residents · typical SD town 37.3 · U.S. 2.4B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 66%
NewerOlder

South Dakota towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical South Dakota town has 37.3 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Sisseton’s 15.0 sits near the middle of its state (50% of South Dakota towns have fewer) while its 4 listings outnumber those of 68% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.6 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata gives 1907.

Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Sisseton’s past

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

A town in old photos12 old photos, postcards and papers.Mapped building by building3 fire insurance maps, 1904 to 1916, drew every building in Sisseton.Landmarks on the Register4 places on the National Register.Old housesHalf of Sisseton’s homes were built before 1959.
★ What stands out · By decade

Sisseton, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1900s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1900s12 items
Sisseton, S. Dak1909Sisseton, S. DakSisseton, S. Dak1909Sisseton, S. DakTen elevators1909Ten elevatorsPublic School1909Public SchoolBusiness Street1909Business StreetDepot and elevators1909Depot and elevatorsA row of elevators1909A row of elevatorsWest side Main Street1909West side Main StreetFirst Ave. east1909First Ave. eastPortion of business section1909Portion of business sectionRoberts Co. Court House1909Roberts Co. Court HousePortion of residence section1909Portion of residence section
1910s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Every building

Sisseton, building by building, 1904–1916

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Sisseton fire insurance map, 1904, sheet 11904Sheet 1 of 3
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

On the National Register

4 historic places in Sisseton

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
4
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
4
each building in a district counts
first listed
1976
Roberts County Courthouse
Roberts County CourthouseSisseton Carnegie Library, built 1916Andrew and Mary Stavig House, built 1916Sisseton School
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Renaissance Revival1
Neo-Classical1
Late Victorian1
Queen Anne1
Roberts County CourthouseRenaissance Revival
Sisseton Carnegie LibraryNeo-Classical · Built 1916
Andrew and Mary Stavig HouseLate Victorian · Built 1916
All 4 listings
Sisseton SchoolBuilding · listed 2020

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

The story so far

Sisseton, in brief

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

Sisseton is a city in Roberts County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 2,479 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Roberts County. Sisseton is home to several tourist attractions, including the Nicollet Tower, and is near the "Song to the Great Spirit" building on the Sisseton Wahpeton College campus. The city is named for the Sisseton division of the Sioux people. It also serves as an important part of the Lake Traverse Indian Reservation.

Its first post office opened in 1892. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 2,470 in 2010, 2,479 in 2020.

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

Timeline

Sisseton, 1892 to 1970

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1892Post officeThe Sisseton post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1909In the archiveSisseton, S. Dak
  5. 1916BuiltSisseton Carnegie Library is built
  6. 1916BuiltAndrew and Mary Stavig House is built
  7. 1916Born hereJoe Robbie is born here
  8. 1949Born hereGary D. Hanson is born here
  9. 1953Born hereSteven McCleerey is born here
  10. 1966Born hereTamara St. John is born here
  11. 1970On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
On the map

Sisseton on the map in 1970

The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Sisseton.

Sisseton on the 1970 USGS map1970Sisseton sheet · 1:24,000

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

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Sisseton, S. Dak
Retake this viewSisseton, S. Dak, 1909

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Sisseton’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Sisseton, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 3,218

Between 928 and 3,218 people in every census since 1900.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

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

Famous people

4 famous people were born in Sisseton

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Joe RobbieNFL Team Owner · b. 1916
G
Gary D. HansonAmerican politician in South Dakota · b. 1949
Tamara St. JohnSisseton Dakota-American politician · b. 1966
S
Steven McCleereyAmerican politician · b. 1953
Help out

Finish Sisseton’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewSisseton, S. Dak: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Questions about Sisseton’s history

What year was Sisseton founded?

The Sisseton post office opened in 1892, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1907.

How does Sisseton rank for history?

Sisseton is more historic than 66% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Sisseton?

4 listings: 4 buildings, among them the Roberts County Courthouse (listed 1976, the first).

How old are the homes in Sisseton?

27% of Sisseton’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.6 points), against a typical 10% for a South Dakota town; the median home was built in 1959.

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
Start a conversation
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).

From the Library of Congress (12), the National Register of Historic Places (4), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.