Origin of "South Dakota"

South Dakota State Name Origin

SiouxIndian1899nativeAmerican.jpg

Sioux Indian

Sioux Indian Eddie Plenty Holes (1899); public domain image on Wikipedia.‎

What does "South Dakota" mean?

"Dakota" is the word for "friend" in the Native American Sioux language. All State Name Origins

President James Buchanan signed the bill creating the Dakota Territory in 1861. The Dakota Territory originally included the area covered today by North and South Dakota as well as Montana and Wyoming. On November 2, 1889, both North and South Dakota were admitted to the Union, becoming the 39th and 40th states. Dates of Statehood

South Dakota

Images

South Dakota geology and topography; image from USGS: A Tapestry of Time and Terrain (public domain image).

South Dakota geology and topography map

The state of South Dakota USA (public domain image).

Map of South Dakota USA

Videos

The Beauty of South Dakota.