Spink Township, Union County, South Dakota

Spink Township is a township in Union County, South Dakota, United States. Its population was 245 at the 2000 census.[1]

Spink Township
Street in Spink
Street in Spink
Spink Township is located in South Dakota
Spink Township
Spink Township
Location within the state of South Dakota
Coordinates: 42°51′07″N 96°44′49″W / 42.85194°N 96.74694°W / 42.85194; -96.74694
CountryUnited States
StateSouth Dakota
CountyUnion
Population
 (2000)
 • Total245
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)

Located in western Union County, Spink Township borders the following other townships:[2]

A community, also named Spink, was established in the township in 1871. At its peak, the community was strong enough to compete for the title of county seat.[3]

Toward the end of the 20th century only a few business remained in the community of Spink. The Spink Cafe was the center of life in the township and was still a place where farmers would gather. Gary's Repair was a place where people could get the truck or tractor a little work and the old Co-Op that went by the name of Spink Oil was the town's gas station. Spink Oil closed in 1997 and the Spink Cafe was destroyed in a fire in 2019. Today a few homes remain, along with storage facilities for the Union County Dept. of Transportation and a Valley Ag plant and distributor.

A proposed refinery by Hyperion Refining, LLC is now working to build the nation's first new oil refinery in years in the United States, this proposed refinery has created a large split in the corn and bean farmers of Union County. A few family farms were given money for options on the land that makes up the family farms that have been a part of the county since the late 19th century. This split lead to the formation of the save union county group and attracted a lot of media attention.

References

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  1. ^ "Subcounty population estimates: South Dakota 2000-2007" (CSV). United States Census Bureau, Population Division. March 18, 2009. Retrieved April 4, 2009.
  2. ^ Official map by the United States Census Bureau; Union County listed on page 7
  3. ^ Spink Settlement, Union County Historical Society. Accessed July 27, 2009.