Sioux

Formed September 3, 1914 (51^st county)

Sioux County (3,897), Fort Yates (178)

The Modern red brick courthouse was built in 1981.  There was an earlier 1922 wooden courthouse in Fort Yates, the only county seat.  The county was established on September 3, 1914 as the 51^st county.  The facility is on 2^nd Avenue at Belden Street.  North Dakota State Highway 24 passes two miles to the northwest of the location.  The courthouse was designed by Don D. Jiran.  Sioux County is named for the Native American tribe.  The county seat is named for an officer of the fort, Captain George Yates. 

Sioux County government consists of a recorder, a sheriff, an attorney, and a treasurer (executive).  It has 3 Commissioners (legislative.)  Seven District Court Judges serve Sioux, Burleigh, Emmons, Grant, Kidder, Logan, McIntosh, McLean, Mercer, Morton, Oliver, and Sheridan counties and a court clerk serves Sioux County (judicial.)  Sioux County is on the southern border with South Dakota.  Bismarck, North Dakota is north and Fargo, North Dakota is northeast of the county.  The Missouri river forms its eastern border.  The county center is 34.1 miles West of Fort Yates nearer Selfridge.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Morton and Emmons counties and South Dakota and Adams and Grant counties. 

The area of the county is 1094 square miles.  It is 34 out of 53 in the state.  It ranks 29 out of 53 in population in the state.  It has a density of 3.6 persons per square mile making it 29 out of 53 in the state.  Sioux County has 9.7% of its population in its incorporated areas.  There are no Interstates or United States Highways in the county.  The county is shaped like a plow blade.  Fort Yates is located on the southeast border of the county.  Fort Yates is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 4.6% of the county population.  The county is pronounced SUE.