Seal of South Dakota of Fort Pierre and shall be the basis for all reproductions of the great seal of the State of South Dakota. The South Dakota Secretary of State is the designated custodian of the South Dakota State Seal. Seal of South Dakota The Great Seal of the State of South Dakota was designed while the area was a territory, in 1885. The outer ring of the seal contains the text "State of South Dakota" on the top and "Great Seal" on the bottom. Also the year of statehood, 1889. Inside the inner circle of the seal contains the state motto "Under
Capital punishment in South Dakota death (there is no retrial). The governor has the power of clemency with respect to death sentences. Death row is located in Sioux Falls. Lethal injection is the only method of execution provided by statutes. First-degree murder is a Class A Felony in South Dakota, punishable by death or life imprisonment. It is the only Class A Felony in the state. It is only punishable by death if it involves any of the following aggravating factors: South Dakota executed four men between 1877 and its admission to the union in 1889, and 10 men between that time and the abolition