Charles Mix

Formed April 5, 1862 (3^rd county)

Charles Mix County (9,370), Lake Andes (707), Wagner (1,486)

The tan brick Prairie School design courthouse was erected in 1917.  The courthouse is on Main Street, 4^th Avenue, Lake Street, and 5^th Avenue.  United States Highway 18 is two blocks south of the site.  William L. Steele designed the courthouse.  The structure sits on a hill.  The county was founded on April 5, 1862 as an original county (3^rd county.)  Papineau (1862), Platte Creek (1869), Wheeler (1878), and Lake Andes (1916) have all served as the county seat.  Charles Mix County is named for a settler, Charles Mix.  The county seat is named for a local lake. 

Charles Mix County government consists of a sheriff and 3 Commissioners.  Six Circuit Court Judges and One Magistrate Court Judge serve Charles Mix, Aurora, Bon Homme, Brule, Buffalo, Clay, Davison, Douglas, Hanson, Hutchinson, McCook, Turner, Union and Yankton counties.  The county is on the southern border with Nebraska.  The Missouri River forms its western border.  Pierre, South Dakota is northwest and Sioux Falls, South Dakota is northeast of the county.  The county center is 13.2 miles Southwest of Lake Andes nearer Pickstown.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Brule, Aurora, Douglas, Hutchinson, and Bon Homme counties and Nebraska and Gregory and Lyman counties. 

The area of the county is 1098 square miles.  It is 27 out of 66 in the state.  It ranks 19 out of 66 in population in the state.  It has a density of 8.5 persons per square mile making it 24 out of 66 in the state.  Charles Mix County has 42.8% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 18 passes through the county from east to west from Douglas County to Gregory County.  United States Highway 281 enters from the northeast, Douglas County, and joins with United States Highway 18 into Gregory County.  The county looks like a check mark lying on its side.  Lake Andes is slightly east of center in the county.  Wagner is in the southeast quarter of the county.  Lake Andes is the county seat and Wagner is the largest city.  Lake Andes is 7.6% of the county population while Wagner is 15.9% of the county population.  The county seat is pronounced LAEK AN-DIS.

Wagner