Grant

Formed January 8, 1873 (21^st county)

Grant County (7,556), Milbank (3,540)                

The masonry Classical Revival courthouse was constructed in 1917.  The courthouse is on 5^th Avenue at Main Street.  United States Highway 12 passes one block to the north of the site.  Charles E. Bell provided the designs.  The structure features a dome and veterans’ memorials are on the grounds.  Grant County was created on January 8, 1873 as the 21^st county.  Inkpa City was the first county seat until 1881 when Milbank became the seat.  The county is named for United States President Ulysses S. Grant.  The county seat is named for railroad officer Jeremiah Milbank. 

Grant County government consists of a sheriff and 5 Commissioners.  Five Circuit Court Judges and One Magistrate Court Judge serve Grant, Beadle, Brookings, Clark, Codington, Deuel, Hamlin, Hand, Jerauld, Kingsbury, Lake, Miner, Moody, and Sanborn counties.  Grant County is on the eastern border with Minnesota.  Sioux Falls, South Dakota is south and Pierre, South Dakota is southwest of the county.  The county center is 8.1 miles Southwest of Milbank nearer Twin Brooks.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Roberts County and Minnesota and Deuel, Codington, and Day counties. 

The area of the county is 682 square miles.  It is 48 out of 66 in the state.  It ranks 23 out of 66 in population in the state.  It has a density of 11.1 persons per square mile making it 19 out of 66 in the state.  Grant County has 57.7% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 29 travels north to south through the county from Roberts County to Codington County.  United States Highway 12 enters from Minnesota, east, and exits to Day County, west.  United States Highway 81 is joined with Interstate Highway 29 from Roberts to Codington counties.  The county resembles the head of an eagle.  Milbank is located in the northeast quarter of the county.  Milbank is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 46.9% of the county population.