Wakpala, South Dakota

Wakpala, South Dakota
unincorporated community
Coordinates: 45°40′36″N 100°32′18″W / 45.67667°N 100.53833°WCoordinates: 45°40′36″N 100°32′18″W / 45.67667°N 100.53833°W
Country United States
State South Dakota
County Corson
Area
  Total 18.7 sq mi (48.5 km2)
  Land 18.7 sq mi (48.5 km2)
  Water 0.0 sq mi (0.1 km2)
Elevation 1,726 ft (526 m)
Population (2000)
  Total 234
  Density 12.5/sq mi (4.8/km2)
Time zone Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
  Summer (DST) MDT (UTC-6)
ZIP code 57658
Area code(s) 605
FIPS code 46-68180[1]
GNIS feature ID 1269112[2]

Wakpala is an unincorporated community in Corson County, South Dakota, United States. Although not tracked by the Census Bureau, Wakpala has been assigned the ZIP code of 57658. Wakpala is within the boundaries of the Standing Rock Indian Reservation and its name loosely translates to "creek" in the Lakota language.

Chief Gall (Phizi) is buried at Saint Elizabeth Episcopal Cemetery here and Chief Sitting Bull (Tatanka Iyotake) is possibly buried under a concrete bust bearing his name a few miles south of town in the Mobridge area. Sitting Bull was originally buried at Fort Yates, North Dakota but an effort was made to exhume his bones and rebury him at the present site, but some individuals assert that the bones moved are not his.

The annual Wakpala Wacipi (dance or powwow) is usually held on a weekend in late August.

References