Exploration and Early Settlement

The land that later became South Dakota was originally claimed by France as part of its colonial empire in North America. The vast area that included South Dakota was named Louisiana in honor of Louis XIV. An expedition led by Daniel Greysolon, Sieur Dulhut (Duluth), may have reached South Dakota soil around 1679. Other groups under the leadership of Pierre Le Sueur possibly reached the site of Sioux Falls between 1683 and 1700.

In 1738 Sieur de La Vérendrye, a French-Canadian explorer and fur trader, attained the upper reaches of the Missouri River. His sons led an expedition (1742–43) that got within sight of the Black Hills. They were the first white men known for certain to have visited the area. During their return trip to Canada, they buried a small lead tablet, inscribed with the names of three members of the party and the date of their visit, on a hill overlooking the site of present Fort Pierre, on the Missouri River. (The tablet was discovered in 1913.)

In 1762, France ceded western Louisiana to Spain. Spanish explorers made several trips into the Dakota region to develop trade with the Indians, but established no permanent settlements. Spain returned western Louisiana to France under a treaty signed in 1800. In 1803 the region that became South Dakota came into the possession of the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase. The first United States explorers to pass through the region were the members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, in 1804 and 1806.