Clark

History

A post office was established at Clark in 1880. Clark was platted in 1882. The city took its name from Clark County. In 1882, railroad tracks were first built through the middle of Clark. The Burlington Northern railroad and County Highway 212 ran parallel to one another and divided Clark into halves - the north half and the south half. Highway 212 similarly runs through the middle of Clark, and provides a direct travel route starting in Minneapolis, Minnesota, into Clark, then went to the Black Hills and to Yellowstone National Park. Clark was officially founded in 1886, three years before South Dakota became a state. Not long after in June 1899, the local government took action, and the Clark City Council passed Ordinance No. 26. Serving as one of the first regulations enacted in Clark, Ordinance No. 26 made it unlawful for a person to ride a horse or bicycle, faster than eight miles an hour down Commercial Street. Eighteen years later, in 1917, residents from Elrod, a small town east of Clark, made a failed effort to move the county seat from Clark to Elrod. As of 2019, Clark still serves as the county seat and houses the modest Clark County Courthouse and a public library. As for Clark's population, the highest number of residents was during the 1950s and early 1960s, which peaked at nearly 1,500 residents. In 1970, the numbers decreased to approximately 1,356 residents, and has decreased each decade thereafter until the 2020 census, which showed a minor increase. In 2016, the estimated population of Clark was 1,050 residents, or nearly a 30% population drop from the 1960s. In the 1960s, when the town reached its peak population, residents from surrounding municipalities commonly traveled to Clark for work, entertainment, and to attend school with the…

Geography

The town of Clark is located almost exactly in the geographical center of Clark County. The highest point in Clark County is located near the Township of Maydell, and the unnamed peak rises to 1,930 ft. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.

Largest nearby schools

• Clark Elementary - 02
  Elementary · Clark · 201 students · 13.4:1 ratio
• Clark High School - 01
  High · Clark · 102 students · 12.8:1 ratio
• Clark Middle School - 03
  Middle · Clark · 87 students · 14.5:1 ratio
• Hillcrest Colony Elementary - 05
  Elementary · Garden City · 29 students · 9.7:1 ratio
• Silver Lake Colony - 07
  Elementary · Clark · 26 students · 8.7:1 ratio