De Smet is a city in and the county seat of Kingsbury County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 1,056 at the 2020 census.
History
Located in the area of South Dakota known as "East River" (east of the Missouri River, which diagonally divides the state), De Smet was platted by European Americans in 1880. It was named for Belgian Father Pierre De Smet, a 19th-century Jesuit missionary who worked with Native Americans in the United States and its territories for most of his life. In the mid-1880s, prairie fires and failures of crops after a three-year period of drought caused many settlers to relocate their farms and homesteads to easier areas. By 1917, De Smet was a cow town, with many trains passing through every day carrying cattle to market.
thumb|left|Currently a [[Christian and Missionary Alliance church, the building was originally the First Congregational Church of De Smet; one of the church's builders was Charles Ingalls.]]
The Charles Ingalls family, originally of Wisconsin, arrived in De Smet in 1879. Their travels and pioneer life in Minnesota, Kansas, Dakota Territory, and Iowa would be later chronicled in the Little House series of books written by the Ingallses' second oldest daughter, Laura Elizabeth - later known as Laura Ingalls Wilder. Laura Ingalls and her husband Almanzo Wilder would first settle in De Smet along with Wilder's brother, Royal. They were later joined by their older sister, Eliza Jane, who took up a claim of her own. She was one of the first women to file a solo claim. There the Wilders lived just outside of De Smet on farmland, as well as Royal's feed store in town. The Ingallses also had a claim outside of town. In the winter they stayed in the town of De Smet, at least while the girls were still in school. After building a home and starting a farm there, Charles Ingalls helped to found the First Congregational Church of De Smet, later helping to build the church building, with the first service being held there on August 30, 1882. Ingalls and his wife, along with oldest daughter Mary, were among the church's eight original charter members.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.
Climate
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, De Smet had a population of 1,056. The median age was 50.0 years. 19.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 30.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 94.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 90.0 males age 18 and over.
There were 473 households in De Smet, of which 19.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 47.4% were married-couple households, 20.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 26.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 38.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 21.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
! Race !! Number !! Percent
|-
| White || 1,007 || 95.4%
|-
| Black or African American || 2 || 0.2%
|-
| American Indian and Alaska Native || 9 || 0.9%
|-
| Asian || 2 || 0.2%
|-
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 0 || 0.0%
|-
| Some other race || 0 || 0.0%
|-
| Two or more races || 36 || 3.4%
|-
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 15 || 1.4%
|}
2010 census
At the 2010 census there were 1,089 people, 478 households, and 290 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 552 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.8% White, 0.1% African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.1% Asian, and 0.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.5%.
Of the 478 households 24.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.3% were married couples living together, 5.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.3% were non-families. 35.6% of households were one person and 22.6% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.83.
The median age was 49.6 years. 22% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 17.9% were from 25 to 44; 26% were from 45 to 64; and 29.9% were 65 or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.2% male and 52.8% female.
2000 census
At the 2000 census there were 1,164 people, 524 households, and 300 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 582 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.37% White, 0.95% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 0.09% from other races, and 0.52% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.69%.