South Dakota State University

South Dakota State University at Brookings; land-grant support; coeducational; chartered 1883 as Dakota Agricultural College, opened 1884. In 1907 it became South Dakota State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, and in 1964 its present name was adopted. Research facilities include the Northern Plains Biostress Laboratory and an animal disease and diagnostic laboratory.

South Dakota State in the n central USA, on the Great Plains. The capital is Pierre; the largest cities are Sioux Falls and Rapid City. The land rises gradually from the e to the Black Hills (featuring Mount Rushmore) in the w and the Badlands in the sw, with the Missouri River bisecting the state. One fifth of the area w of the river is semi-arid plain, inhabited mainly by Native Americans, and the rest is divided into large cattle and sheep ranches. French trappers claimed the region for France in the 1740s, and the USA acquired part of the land in the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. Dakota Territory formed in 1861. In 1874, the discovery of gold in the Black Hills led to an increase in population, and the territory divided into the states of North and South Dakota, both of which joined the Union in 1889. Agriculture is important, with livestock rearing e of the Missouri; major crops include wheat, maize, oats, and soya beans. South Dakota is the largest producer of gold in the USA, but tin, beryllium, stone, sand, and gravel are also mined. Industries: meat packing, food processing. Area: 199,551sq km (77,047sq mi). Pop. (2000) 754,844.