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Welcome to Wagner!
 Wagner is located along Highway 46/50 in east river south central South Dakota, only 12 miles from Fort Randall Dam (on the Missouri River) which offers great fishing, hunting, boating and camping opportunities. Wagner is also just 10 miles from the Yankton Sioux Fort Randall Casino. Wagner is a hub city that draws shoppers and workers from a large radius. It is a progressive and growing city with excellent school and healthcare systems. Wagner has the amenities of a larger city, but also the “small-town feel” where everybody still knows your name.
Wagner was a railroad town incorporated in April 1901 with a population comprised of immigrants from Holland, Norway, Sweden, and Czechoslovakia who poured in when the land was opened for homesteading in 1895. Before 1895, the Yankton Sioux Tribe had settled on the reservation which later became known as Charles Mix County.
The original town was located three and one-half miles south of its present site. Walter W. Wagner was the first appointed postmaster of the “Tar Paper Town” or “TESPANA” as called by the Yankton Sioux Indians, who up until 1895 were the landlords of the eastern half of Charles Mix County, the Yankton Sioux Reservation. Mr. Wagner erected a tar paper covered store and was granted a postal right by the US government.
The city of Wagner, laid out by the Milwaukee Land Company in 1900, was named for Walter Wagner because he took a group of Milwaukee railroad officials on a fishing trip that was so successful they decided to name the town for their host.
Wagner has enjoyed steady development over the last 100 plus years. Today the Yankton Sioux and the European immigrants continue living and working together to make life better for all of the population.
Starting/Expanding a Business
If you are looking to start or expand a business in Wagner the economic development coordinator and Wagner Area Growth are here to assist you. They are available to help find financing sources, as well as locating suitable buildings and land to fit your needs. Another great resource is the South Dakota small business development center which will help you write a business plan for free and will help with free business consulting. Here is a list of consulting services we can assist with:
- Venturing Into Business
- Business Planning
- "Do-it-Yourself" Market Research
- Marketing
- Financing the Small Business
- Financial Analysis
- Cash Flow Planning & Management
- Business Expansion
- Small Business Information
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