ABOUT SOUTH DAKOTA: COUNTY OF THE MONTH

This Month's County: Moody

County Name: Moody

Largest City: Flandreau

County Seat: Flandreau

Population: 6,595

Founded: 1873

Moody County was founded in 1873 and has an area of 517 square miles. It was named in honor of Gideon Curtis Moody, the first U.S. Senator from South Dakota.

The Big Sioux River is a very distinctive physical feature in Moody County. The river provided transportation and food for early settlers and explorers. The timber along its banks offered building materials and an oasis of shelter from the treeless, wind-swept prairie. Even today, the many streams that flow into the river make Moody County one of the best-suited counties for farming.

Moody County is rich in American Indian history. Several hundred years ago, the area was a hunting and camping ground for the Omaha Indians, who reportedly had settlements near the ���Big Bend' and Sioux Falls. Later, Sioux tribes migrated from the Minnesota woodlands to the Dakota prairies, giving the region much of its traditional Plains Indian culture.

The largest town in the county, Flandreau, was settled in 1857 and is named for former U.S Indian Agent Charles E. Flandreau. Moody County was officially organized in 1873, and Flandreau was selected as the county seat in 1889. Richard F. Pettigrew of Sioux Falls, a relative of Pettigrew settlers in Flandreau, established the Indian School at Flandreau as part of his successful 1889 campaign for the U.S. Senate. Today, the Flandreau Indian School is one of the oldest continually-operated federal Indian boarding schools in the country.

Interesting Fact: U.S. Senator Tim Johnson also attended the 4th grade in Flandreau, where his father was superintendent.

Tim's Work in Moody County:

Tim Gets Airport Enhancements
In 2007, Tim secured $33,250 in Federal Aviation Administration funding for the Flandreau Municipal Airport to expand the apron, assist the airport in meeting FAA regulations and support general aviation services.

Tim Continues Big Sioux River Control Project
Over the years, Tim has announced millions of dollars in funding to prevent flooding. Flood control has been an ongoing concern along the river for many years. In 2007, Tim announced that the City of Trent would receive a $108,000 in funding to improve the city's water infrastructure. The funding, from the USDA's Rural Development, would allow the city's water supply to be connected to Big Sioux Rural Water System, as the previous well had nitrate contamination. He also announced an additional $831,000 to the Big Sioux Community Water System to construct a 500,000 gallon reservoir.

Tim Improves Health Facilities
In 2007, Tim announced a $99,723 federal grant for the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe. The funding will make medical records electronically accessible, allowing better access, as well as statistical analysis.

Tim Improves Infrastructure
In 2006, Tim secured $2 million in appropriations to repair streets on the Flandreau Indian Reservation. The funding was used to pave and improve streets on the reservation.

Tim Supports Local Firefighters
In 2004, Tim announced that the Trent Volunteer Fire Department would receive a $67,320 Assistance to Firefighters Grant from FEMA. The funding was used to overhaul the town's existing pumper truck, which was more than 25 years old. This funding also allowed the fire department to buy a new tank for hauling water.

Tim Promotes Local Community Activity
In 2003, Tim secured $200,000 for the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe. The funding, from the U.S. Department of Transportation, was used to create a bike and pedestrian trail.

Tim Works to Improve Schools
In 2001, Tim secured $2.2 million for the Flandreau Indian School. The funding went to improve the curriculum, hire more teachers, and improve the overall quality of education.

Tim Works to Get a Weather Radio in Every Home
Tim forged a partnership between the National Weather Service and South Dakota Public Broadcasting to fit public broadcasting towers with weather radio transmitters. He went to the floor of the U.S. Senate and secured funding for those transmitters, as well as additional towers to carry the alert broadcasts throughout South Dakota.

More than 95 percent of South Dakotans are now covered by the early warning system. Homes and businesses with working weather radios in these areas will be alerted when a damaging storm approaches their area, even if it comes in the middle of the night while they sleep, or during a power outage.

A weather radio receiver can provide the advanced warning families need in order to find shelter. When activated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), weather radios sound an alert, letting people know that a dangerous weather system is approaching and giving them as much time as possible to find shelter.

Weather radios come in a variety of sizes and styles, with prices typically ranging from $25 to $100. They are available at electronics and hardware stores throughout South Dakota. When severe weather strikes, they turn on automatically, broadcasting an alert or sounding a siren. They work even when everyone in a household is sleeping. Because they run on batteries or have a battery back-up, they continue to work even if there is a power outage.