Hours of Operation:

Monday-Friday

8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

(Closed 12-1 p.m.)

About Gregory

Population (2010 Census): 1,295

Gregory, South Dakota is closely tied to the cultural geography and history of the area. But Gregory owes its existence to a presidential proclamation made in 1904, which opened up western Gregory County to settlement. Gregory continued to grow and prosper, making its mark as a service center for the farmers and ranchers in the area. The hospitality and service-oriented people of the community continued to cater to the residents of the area. Honest, hard-working people continue to make up the core of the area's population, making Gregory today a tremendous place to live and grow. The natural resources around Gregory, including pheasant hunting, continue to attract visitors from around the country. Source: Gregory Comprehensive Plan, 2011

Gregory County is a hunter’s paradise! The hunting season attracts a large number of sportsmen from across the nation and the area also hosts some of the finest deer hunting to be found in the country. The Gregory area not only boasts glorious hunting opportunities, but a long list of recreational activities as well. For boaters and campers, the Missouri River is only a mere 30 minute drive away, and one can experience the breathtaking scenery that adorns the river's banks. Lake Francis Case offers great fishing all year round with ample walleye, bass, catfish and perch.

History About the Gregory Area

As the United States was racing into the 20th century, Gregory County was part of the "Last Frontier" opened to settlers. The Arikara and Ree Indians had long since vanished. The Sioux, who roamed the area since the mid 1800's, had been regulated to the Rosebud, Pine Ridge, Cheyenne, Standing Rock and Lower Brule reservations, and and ambitious congressmen had persuaded President Roosevelt to open the territory for settlement.

The presidential proclamation was made public on May 15, 1904 which opened western Gregory County for settlement. Registration was held throughout the month of July, and on the 28th of that month, 2600 lucky land seekers received their 160 acre tracts.

August 8, 1904, Gregory was formally opened to the public as a government town-site. By June 23, 1905, Gregory was boasting 250 buildings and 500 inhabitants that filled an area which consisted of four surveyor's holes and a stake just the August before. Some of the larger businesses included two banks, two hardware stores, a meat market, two lumber companies, three hotels, a restaurant, a grocery, a furniture store, a pool hall, a photographer's studio, a drug store, two newspapers, three livery barns and three blacksmith and machine shops. The community also now had a public school with 56 pupils, a U.S. Land Commissioner, and the Interstate Telephone Company was building an exchange.