PIERRE

capital of South Dakota, U.S., seat (1880) of Hughes county, on the Missouri River, in the geographic centre of the state. Before 1800 the capital of the Arikara Indian nation was located on its site. Founded in June 1880 as the western terminus of the Chicago and North Western Railway, it was first known as Mahto (Sioux: Bear) but was renamed in December 1880 for Pierre Chouteau, a French fur trader. Growth was spurred by its position as a railhead for the mining industry and as a trade centre for a large area, including three Indian reservations and prosperous farming and cattle country. In 1889, when South Dakota became a state, Pierre was named the temporary capital; in elections in 1890 and 1904 it was chosen the permanent capital. The capitol building (190510) is on a 30-acre (12-hectare) tract overlooking the Missouri River, which includes a war memorial building housing the State Historical Society and Museum (1930), the governor's mansion (1936), state office building (1951), state highway building (1955), and a 7-acre (3-hectare) artesian-fed lake. The Oahe Dam (194862), a power, irrigation, and flood-control project 5 miles (8 km) north of Pierre, has impounded a 200-mile (320-kilometre) lake along the Missouri River. Fort Pierre, across the river, was the fur-trade capital of the Northwest from 1817 to about 1867. A monument there marks the place where Louis and Franois Vrendrye buried a lead plate in 1743 (found in 1913) claiming the region for France. Pierre is the hub of a large diversified agricultural area. Lakes created by the Missouri Basin Development Plan form the basis of a large tourist industry. The Farm Island State Recreation Area is 4 miles (6 km) east. Inc. city, 1883. Pop. (1993 est.) 13,371.