Yankton dates to 1858, and 10% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 66% of U.S. towns · #13 of 35 in South Dakota. What drives it
25 places in town are on the National Register, among them five historic districts with 194 buildings between them. Below: maps from 1883 on and the census since 1880.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1860.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Yankton’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Yankton is more historic than 66% of U.S. towns, #13 of 35 in South Dakota. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Yankton’s overall grade.
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 Yankton’s 141 sits above most of its state (90% of South Dakota towns have fewer) while its 219 historic buildings outnumber those of 94% 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 (±2.9 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1858.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Yankton’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The site of Yankton was occupied by the Yankton Sioux (Dakota) prior to the arrival of European settlers. As part of the vast Louisiana Purchase, the site of Yankton was visited by Lewis and Clark in 1804. In the journals of the expedition, the explorers write of a meeting on August 30, 1804, with members of the Yankton Sioux Tribe on a Missouri River bluff known as Calumet Bluff. As recently as 1857, the site of Yankton was occupied by a village of Yankton Sioux led by Chief Pa-le-ne-a-pa-pe ("Struck by the Ree"). Two years later, with the signing of the Yankton Treaty of 1858, the land was opened for settlement. The city was founded where the small Rhine Creek (renamed Marne Creek in World War I) flowed into the Missouri River. The city grew as a stop for steamboats to take on fresh water and supplies, especially after steamboat traffic boomed when gold was discovered in the Black Hil…
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Yankton.
Every building
Yankton, building by building, 1883–1916
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.
In 1858, according to Wikidata. Yankton’s post office opened in 1860, and the census of 1880 counted 3,431 people here.
How does Yankton rank for history?
Yankton is more historic than 66% of U.S. towns, #13 of 35 in South Dakota. 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 Yankton?
25 listings: 18 buildings, among them the Bishop Marty Rectory (listed 1974, the first), 5 historic districts with 194 contributing buildings, and 1 structure. 219 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Yankton?
10% of Yankton’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.9 points), against a typical 10% for a South Dakota town; the median home was built in 1976.
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 Wikidata (6), the National Register of Historic Places (24), Wikipedia, 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.
