Sioux Falls City Map Poster

About Sioux Falls

The area of Sioux Falls was inhabited by Yankton Sioux when it was first reached by Spanish and French furtrappers in the 17th century. The earliest documented US citizens to live in the future city were trappers who arrived in 1822. When Minnehaha County was established in 1856, the unorganized territory had a population of 1,000; however, its county seat at Fort Pierre (now known as South Dakota's oldest town) fell victim to political infighting and closed later that year due to lack of funding. The next recorded settlement came on May 28, 1856 when Tris Coffin and his wife Ottella settled on what is now known as Coffin Hill just west of present-day downtown Sioux Falls; they built their home using local limestone from a quarry near an area that became known as "Coffin's Corner".