Page Contents for Plankinton, South Dakota

Statistics & Facts

Historical Events

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Statistics & Facts

The South Dakota state capital is Pierre.
The population of Plankinton is approximately 604 (1990), 707 (2010).
The approximate number of families is 306 (1990), 294 (2010).
The amount of land area in Plankinton is 1.69 sq. kilometers.
The amount of surface water is 0 sq kilometers.
The distance from Plankinton to Washington DC is 1224 miles.
The distance to the South Dakota state capital is 110 miles. (as the crow flies)
Plankinton is positioned 43.71 degrees north of the equator and 98.48 degrees west of the prime meridian.

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Plankinton Historical Events

2000, November 17
Explosion at Plankinton Public School
A disaster of catastrophic proportions touched Plankinton on this date. There was anexplosion and fire at the local school. Two men died and the school was virtually destroyed. Luckily, the gas lead was detected early enough to evacuate any children at the school before the explosion. A full report of the disaster complete with pictures and interviews may be found at: www.fema.gov/reg-viii/plankntn.htm
The following is based on excerpts from the above webpage.
The fire destroyed the school building, gymnasium and classrooms for grades kindergarten through high school and caused the death of two people.

The school board president, J.P. Studeny said this: "Very, very tough. Thekids have been through a lot. They lost not just their school building, but some people they were really close to."

The explosion may have been caused by a propane leak. At the time the leak was detected, the wrestling team and other children in an after-hours program were evacuated

School leaders were concerned for the emotional impact of the disaster on the students. Wrestling Coach, Charlie Geppert had this to say: "We had a get together at the church. Counselors were present, teachers showed up. We just sat around and talked. Sometimes we talked about what happened. Sometimes we talked about the deer season that was coming up -- just anything. Some kids felt like talking about what happened, and some didn't. We're providing the time to be together, and it's helped a lot."

The community has already received much help from all over the country. Board President, Studeny said this: "If anything positive can come out of this tragedy it's that people do come out and support one another. It has been very heartwarming to see."

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November 1996
1996 State 9A Football Champs
In 1996 the warrriors started their season not knowing what it held in store for them.They ended up the season at 12-1 and their only loss came to their long time rivals the Woonsocket Redmen. It was a stellar season and in the next season the warriors went 10-1 and their only loss came from the eventual state champions the Freeman Flyers.