Wounded Knee, South Dakota

Wounded Knee, South Dakota
CDP
Location in Shannon County and the state of South Dakota
Country	United States
State	South Dakota
County	Shannon
Area
• Total	1.1 sq mi (2.8 km2)
• Land	1.1 sq mi (2.8 km2)
• Water	0 sq mi (0 km2)
Elevation	3,235 ft (986 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	382
• Density	347.3/sq mi (136.4/km2)
Time zone	UTC-7 (Mountain (MST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-6 (MDT)
ZIP code	57794
Area code	605
FIPS code	46-72900Template:GR
GNIS feature ID	1265714Template:GR

Wounded Knee (Lakota: Čaŋkpé Opí) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Shannon County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 382 at the 2010 census.

The town is named for the Wounded Knee Creek which runs through the region. The bones and heart of the Sioux chief Crazy Horse were reputedly buried along this creek by his family following his death in 1877. The town lies within the Pine Ridge Reservation, occupied by the Oglala Lakota (Sioux).

History

On December 29, 1890, in the same area, the United States 7th Cavalry killed more than 300 men, women and children who were being relocated to the Sioux reservation at Pine Ridge (see: Wounded Knee Massacre).

In 1973 the American Indian Movement (AIM) occupied the Pine Ridge Reservation near Wounded Knee in protest against the federal government and its policies related to Native Americans. They began the occupation on February 27. A 71-day standoff between federal authorities and the AIM ensued. The militants surrendered on May 8. (see: Wounded Knee Incident)

Chief Long Wolf was one of the warriors in the Battle of the Little Bighorn. He was also a veteran of the Sioux Wars. In 1892, Long Wolf died at age 59 of bronchial pneumonia while taking part in the European tour of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. His interment was in London's Brompton Cemetery. He shared the grave with a 17 month old girl named Star Ghost Dog believed to have fallen from her mother's arms while on horseback.

In 1997, a British woman named Elizabeth Knight traced Long Wolf's family and campaigned with them to have his remains returned to America. His casket was finally moved from to a new plot at Wolf Creek Church's cemetery.

Geography

Wounded Knee is located at 43°8′38″N 102°22′4″W (43.144002, -102.367712).Template:GR

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²), all of it land.

Wounded Knee has been assigned the ZIP code 57794.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 328 people, 54 households, and 52 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 306.0 people per square mile (118.4/km²). There were 56 housing units at an average density of 52.2/sq mi (20.2/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 98.78% Native American and 1.22% White. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 0.91% of the population.

There were 54 households, of which 61.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.9% were married couples living together, 35.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 1.9% were non-families. 1.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and no households had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older. The average household size was 6.07 and the average family size was 6.04.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 50.6% under the age of 18, 10.4% from 18 to 24, 22.0% from 25 to 44, 10.4% from 45 to 64, and 3.7% who were 65 years old or older. The median age was 18 years. For every 100 females, there were 108.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.5 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $12,206, and the median income for a family was $12,206. Males had a median income of $0, females had $13,333. The per capita income for the CDP was $2,403. About 72.2% of families and 81.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 83.8% of those under age 18 and none of those aged 65 or over.