Hand

Formed January 8, 1873 (23^rd county)

Hand County (3,146), Miller (1,346)

The masonry Classical Revival courthouse was built in 1926.  The courthouse is on West 1^st Avenue, 4^th Street, 2^nd Avenue, and 5^th Street.  The structure is one block west of United States Highway 14.  There was an 1890 version earlier in Miller, the only county seat.  John G. Ralston designed the courthouse.  He also designed a “twin” courthouse in Fayette County, Iowa.  A hidden rotunda is inside with stained glass windows.  Veteran memorials are on the grounds.  The county was created on January 8, 1873 as the 23^rd county.  Hand County is named for settler George H. Hand.  The county seat is named for founder Henry Miller. 

Hand County government consists of a sheriff and 5 Commissioners.  Five Circuit Court Judges and One Magistrate Court Judge serve Hand, Beadle, Brookings, Clark, Codington, Deuel, Grant, Hamlin, Jerauld, Kingsbury, Lake, Miner, Moody, and Sanborn counties.  The county is in the central part of the state.  Pierre, South Dakota is southwest and Sioux Falls, South Dakota is southeast of the county.  The county center is 2.5 miles North-Northeast of Miller.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Faulk, Spink, Beadle, Jerauld, Buffalo, and Hyde counties. 

The area of the county is 1437 square miles.  It is 19 out of 66 in the state.  It ranks 46 out of 66 in population in the state.  It has a density of 2.2 persons per square mile making it 52 out of 66 in the state.  Hand County has 50.1% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 14 travels through the county from east to west from Beadle County to Hyde County.  The county is an overall rectangle.  Miller is located near the center of the county.  Miller is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 42.8% of the county population.

Wessington