Siouxland is a geographic area encompassing parts of South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, and Nebraska, with no official boundaries. The term was coined by Frederick Manfred and popularized by media, causing controversy over which areas should be included. The region is divided between Sioux City and Sioux Falls, but both terms are used interchangeably.
Siouxland is an alternate geographic location that encompasses the entire Big Sioux River drainage basin and includes parts of southeastern South Dakota, northwestern Iowa, southwestern Minnesota, and northeastern Nebraska. The term “Siouxland” was created by the late author Frederick Manfred in his 1947 book, This Is the Year. As a vernacular region, Siouxland has no official boundaries and it can be difficult to define exactly where it is. In some parts of Siouxland, residents are more likely to be referring to the same area as the Sioux Empire.
The term “Siouxland” was first applied outside of Manfred’s works in 1948 by Sioux City Journal sports editor Alex Stoddard. From there, the usage spread until real-world Siouxlanders were united under the vernacular in a way that gave birth to the fictional world of Manfred. Like most local traditions, it built its own momentum and evolved in ways Manfred never anticipated, although there was a dispute among Siouxlanders as to which places should be included in the term and why.
The controversy began when media sources began using the term to refer primarily to the area in and immediately around Sioux City, Iowa. This left other Siouxland communities alienated, and the region polarized between people of Sioux City, the unofficial capital of Siouxland, and Sioux Falls, South Dakota, whose residents felt they were equally entitled to use the vernacular. The resulting conflict caused a great schism within Siouxland, with many people retaining the use of “Siouxland” in their vernacular and others using “Sioux Empire,” which had Sioux Falls as its primary center. Despite the division, most Siouxlanders recognize that both terms mean the same, and usage of both terms can be found in many parts of the region. The term “Siouxland” remains little known or understood outside the region, although visitors to the area will soon become familiar with the term as they encounter businesses, libraries, newspaper headlines, billboards, and community centers that make use of the term.
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