Pierre, South Dakota Pierre, South Dakota Pierre (; Lakota: "čhúŋkaške", "fort") is the state capital of the U.S. state of South Dakota, and the county seat of Hughes County. The population was 13,646 at the 2010 census, making it the second-least populous state capital in the United States after Montpelier, Vermont, and the eighth-most populous city in South Dakota. Founded in 1880 on the east bank of the Missouri River opposite Fort Pierre, Pierre has been the state capital since South Dakota gained statehood on November 2, 1889. It was challenged by Huron for the capital and won because of its location in
South Dakota Highway 22 by 1936, and included a north–south segment from Hazel to US 212. This north–south segment was decommissioned in the 1990s. South Dakota Highway 22 Spur (SD 22 Spur) was a spur route of SD 22 that extended from the mainline, at a point south of Gary, and traveled into that city. It was established between 1965 and 1971 and was redesignated as SD 101 in 1976. South Dakota Highway 22 South Dakota Highway 22 (SD 22) is a state highway in the east-central part of the U.S. state of South Dakota. It connects Hazel, Castlewood, and Clear Lake, within the