ABOUT SOUTH DAKOTA: COUNTY OF THE MONTH

County Name: Lake

Largest City: Madison

County Seat: Madison

Population: 11,276

Founded: 1873

Situated in the eastern part of South Dakota, Lake County has an area of 576 square miles and is almost precisely square. The county was named for its most obvious features, a large number of small lakes. The largest of these is Lake Madison, which covers about 2,000 acres.

The largest city in the county is Madison, which was founded in 1870 by William Lee and Charles Walker. Both the new settlement and the neighboring lake were named after Madison, Wisconsin. In 1873, Madison was named the county seat.
In the 1880s, as the railroad industry was booming and gold was discovered in the Black Hills, neighboring communities soon sprang up. At the request of C.B. Kennedy, another settler in the area, the settlement of Madison moved five miles north, where the city remains today.

In 1881, the first teacher education school in the Dakota Territory was founded in Madison. Dakota Normal School began offering classes in 1883. Through the years, the school's name changed to General Beadle State College, to Dakota State College and then to its current name, Dakota State University. The university is a public, four-year institution offering courses in computers, business, education, and physical sciences, among other undergraduate and graduate programs.

Tim's Work in Lake County

Tim Consistently Secures Funding for Lewis and Clark
As a member of the Appropriations Committee, Tim helped secure $26 million in funding for the Lewis and Clark Rural Water Project for Fiscal Year 2008. Over the past several years, Tim has been instrumental in securing more than $130 million in funding for the project, which helps provide clean water in Lake County and throughout South Dakota.

Tim Improves Recreation Facilities
In 2001, Tim announced that Walker's Point Recreation Area would receive a $67,941 grant to construct sports fields and support facilities. Tim also announced that Lake Herman State Park would receive a grant of $93,770 to construct a visitor's center and sports fields. Funding for both efforts came from the National Park Service's Land and Water Conservation Fund.

Tim Secures Funding for Dakota State University
In 2004, Tim announced that Dakota State University would receive a five year grant totaling $1.8 million from the U.S. Department of Education's Strengthening Institutions Program.
In 2003, Tim secured a $900,000 earmark for Dakota State University in Madison to purchase more up-to-date technology for the new $2.5 million Technology Center that was being constructed.

Tim Supports Local Firefighters
In 2004, Tim announced that the Ramona Volunteer Fire Department would receive a $26,049 Assistance to Firefighters Grant from FEMA. The funding was used to purchase breathing apparatus and communications devices.