Sioux Falls (1990 pop. 100,814), is the seat of Minnehaha Co., and is located in SE South Dakota, on the Big Sioux River. Initially settled in 1856, it was incorporated as a village in 1877, and as a city in 1883. Settlers abandoned the site in 1862 because of Native American raids, but with the establishment (in 1865) of Fort Dakota it was resettled. Named for the falls on the Big Sioux River (which furnish power), Sioux Falls is the largest city in the state and the commercial, industrial, and shipping center of an extensive agricultural area. It has an important livestock market (one of the largest in the United States) as well as meat-processing plants. Electronics and machinery are among the principal manufactures. Sandstone (“Sioux Falls granite”) is quarried nearby. Sioux Falls College, Augustana College, a Baptist seminary, and a school for the deaf are there. Also in the city are the state penitentiary, a museum, and a space technological center.
