Fort Yates, North Dakota

Fort Yates, North Dakota
City
Location of Fort Yates, North Dakota
Country	United States
State	North Dakota
County	Sioux
Area
• Total	0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2)
• Land	0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	1,634 ft (498 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	184
• Density	1,800/sq mi (920/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	58538
Area code	701
FIPS code	38-27860Template:GR
GNIS feature ID	1029027Template:GR

Fort Yates is a city in Sioux County, North Dakota in the United States. It is the tribal headquarters of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and county seat of Sioux CountyTemplate:GR. The population was 184 at the 2010 census.

History

The first US Army post at this site was established in 1863 as the Standing Rock Cantonment with the purpose of overseeing the Hunkpapa and Blackfeet bands, and the Inhunktonwan and Cutheads of the Upper Yanktonais, of the Lakota Oyate. Its name was changed by the US Army in 1878 to honor Captain George Yates who was killed by the Lakota Oyate at the Battle of Little Big Horn in 1876. The Army post and fort were decommissioned in 1903, leaving the agency town its name.

Fort Yates also served as the headquarters of the US Standing Rock Indian Agency, headed by US Indian Service Agent James McLaughlin who ordered the arrest of Sitting Bull on 14 December 1890. The 19th-century American Indian leader Sitting Bull was once buried at Fort Yates, but reports indicate that his body was possibly removed and transferred to a gravesite overlooking the Missouri River near Mobridge, South Dakota. An historical marker (pictured) notes the location of the Fort Yates burial site. Sitting Bull College is in the city of Fort Yates.

Geography

Fort Yates is located at 46°5′6″N 100°37′49″W (46.084899, -100.630144)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1970	1,153		—
1980	771		−33.1%
1990	183		−76.3%
2000	228		24.6%
2010	184		−19.3%
U.S. Decennial Census

Sitting Bull Monument

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 228 people, 73 households, and 47 families residing in the town. The population density was 3,688.4 people per square mile (1,467.2/km²). There were 78 housing units at an average density of 1,261.8 per square mile (501.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 93.42% Native American, 5.26% White, and 1.32% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.95% of the population.

There were 73 households out of which 35.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 28.8% were married couples living together, 26.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.6% were non-families. 26.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.12 and the average family size was 3.85.

In the town the population was spread out with 35.5% under the age of 18, 15.4% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 14.9% from 45 to 64, and 5.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $25,500, and the median income for a family was $31,875. Males had a median income of $26,125 versus $25,000 for females. The per capita income for the town was $9,512. About 6.4% of families and 14.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.2% of those under the age of eighteen and 17.6% of those sixty five or over.