South Dakota Highway 47

Infobox road
state=SD
marker_

highway_name=Highway 47
length_mi=245
established=1927
decommissioned=
direction_a=South
starting_terminus=
direction_b=North
ending_terminus=North Dakota border
cities=Eureka, Bowdle, Seneca, Highmore, Ft. Thompson, Reliance, Gregory, Burke
previous_type=SD
previous_route=46
next_type=SD
next_route=47W

South Dakota Highway 47 is a state route that runs north to south across the central portion of South Dakota. It begins at an unnumbered highway at the North Dakota border north of Eureka, and ends at the Nebraska border, where it becomes Nebraska Highway 137. It is 245 miles (394 kilometers) in length.

History

When initially established in the mid 1920's, South Dakota 47 extended from U.S. Highway 16 at Pukwana to U.S. Highway 18 at Wheeler, along what is currently portions of South Dakota Highway 50 and Charles Mix County Highway 49. Several alignment changes have occurred since then:

* "Around 1932": The south end of SD 47 was truncated at Platte.
* "Around 1936": The north end of SD 47 was extended west to Chamberlain, then north to the intersection of U.S. Highway 14 at Highmore.
* "Around 1939": The segment between Pukwana and Platte was redesignated as part of South Dakota Highway 43. SD 47 was rerouted west from Chamberlain to Oacoma, then extended southward to U.S. 18 at Gregory.
* "Circa 1950": South end extended to the Nebraska border, via a shared alignment with U.S. 18 to Burke.
* "1955": In Oacoma, SD 47 was rerouted west to near Reliance, before heading south to meet with the old alignment near the White River. On the north end, SD 47 was extended north to Eureka via Lebanon and Bowdle.
* "1965": North end was extended to the North Dakota border.
* "1976": The segment between Ft. Thompson and Reliance, which had previously passed through Chamberlain and Oacoma, was rerouted onto the more direct road formerly known as South Dakota Highway 47W, which had been constructed around 1965. The previous segment between Ft. Thompson and Chamberlain was designated as an extension of South Dakota Highway 50.

List of Counties

South Dakota 47 travels through the following counties, from north to south:
*McPherson
*Edmunds
*Walworth
*Potter
*Faulk
*Hyde
*Buffalo
*Lyman
*Gregory

External resources

* [http://www.northernplainshighways.org/sdakota/sd31-60.html#SD-47 South Dakota Highways Page: Highways 31-60]