Potter

Formed January 8, 1873 (15^th county)

Potter County (2,480), Gettysburg (1,106)

The 1910 brown brick and stone Classical Revival courthouse is located on a square at Exene Street, Logan Avenue, East Street, and Lincoln Avenue.  United States Highway 212 is four blocks north of the location.  J. P. Eisentraut is the architect.  The grounds feature veterans’ memorials and a military gun.  There was an 1888 courthouse earlier.  The county was established on January 8, 1873 as the 15^th county.  Forrest City was the first county seat until 1885 when Gettysburg became the seat.  The county is named for Joel A. Potter.  Gettysburg is named for Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. 

Potter County government consists of a sheriff and 5 Commissioners.  Three Circuit Court Judges and One Magistrate Court Judge serve Potter, Bennett, Gregory, Haakon, Hughes, Hyde, Jackson, Jones, Lyman, Mellette, Stanley, Sully, Todd, and Tripp counties.  The county is in northern South Dakota.  The Missouri River forms its western border.  Pierre, South Dakota is south and Rapid City, South Dakota is southwest of the county.  The county center is 6.4 miles North-Northwest of Gettysburg.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Walworth, Edmunds, Faulk, Hyde, Sully, and Dewey counties. 

The area of the county is 866 square miles.  It is 34 out of 66 in the state.  It ranks 52 out of 66 in population in the state.  It has a density of 2.9 persons per square mile making it 48 out of 66 in the state.  Potter County has 62.9% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 83 passes north to south through the county from Walworth County to Sully County.  United States Highway 212 goes east to west from Faulk County to Dewey County.  The county resembles a block capital letter J.  Gettysburg is located in the southern third of the county.  Gettysburg is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 44.6% of the county population.

Tolstoy