RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of South Dakota >> Corson County >> WakpalaIndex...

Welcome to Wakpala ...

Wakpala is located in Corson County<1>.

The pronunciation of Wakpala: wahk-PAH-luh<2>

While we don't have a date for the founding of Wakpala, you might consider that their post office opened in 1898.

From the 2010 Census (the most recent Census number we have), Wakpala had a population of 301 people.<3> (see below for details).

Wakpala is 1,630 feet [497 m] above sea level.<4>.

Time Zone: Wakpala lies in the Mountain Time Zone (MST/MDT) and observes daylight saving time

Note: If you travel east from Wakpala (for example, toward Mound City), you will leave Mountain Time and cross into the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT).

Area Code for Wakpala: 605

The ZIP code for Wakpala: 57658<5>

Communities near Wakpala ...

We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Wakpala.

  • Mobridge
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Sitka
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Sitka is located in Walworth County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sitka
    • Estimated population in 2014: 2,473 people
  • McLaughlin
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Jeffrey ‑ Historic
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jeffrey is located in Corson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeffrey
    • Estimated population in 2014: 535 people
  • Little Eagle
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
  • Glenham
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Kenel
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
  • Mahto
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Trail City
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Pollock
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)

To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.

We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Wakpala. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Wakpala.

Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Wakpala. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Wakpala.

We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Wakpala. See our Newspapers Page for Wakpala.

TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Wakpala ...

Looking for more information about Wakpala? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.

In addition to the Tourism page for Wakpala, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Wakpala.

Adding Wakpala to Our Gazetteer ...

We originally found mention of Wakpala in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.

From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found (so far) for Wakpala was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<7>

From that list, the Wakpala post office opened in 1898.

For more details, see References and Mentions for Wakpala.

Footnotes ...

<1>If you're interested in how the shape of South Dakota's counties, including Corson, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
<2>The pronunciation we've provided is our attempt to give a phonetic pronunciation for Wakpala. While it might not be exactly right, hopefully it will be close. If we have it wrong or there's a better way to pronounce the name, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
<3>Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Wakpala.
<4>The elevation is an estimate for the area around Wakpala - it will be higher in some places and lower in others.
<5>ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a community (such as Wakpala). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Wakpala or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS).
<6>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<7>A copy of the Blevins & Helbock Post Office list with background information can be found at:

      https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/