Sioux Falls: U.S. Divorce Capital

Jennifer Bailey — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 18:00:00 -0500

Many factors can lead to a town's prosperity and its eventual rise to city-hood. There are all the usual suspects: some towns grow because of mining or forestry, some grow because of lumber or ship-building. Sioux Falls, South Dakota came to be because of divorce. And the Minnehaha County Historical Society wants to commemorate this with a nice little plaque.

When Sioux Falls began, divorce was an arduous prospect. Most states required at least one year of residency in that state before you could apply for divorce, and even then the state would only consider a divorce on the grounds of adultery. Not so with Sioux Falls.

According to Bruce Blake, a member of the historical society, the residency requirement in Sioux Falls was "scandalously short" at only three months. Even then, people were not necessarily residing in the town. Wealthy couples looking for a quick divorce in a closed courtroom would often rent a hotel room and hang up some clothes to make it look like they were staying there, and then move back home only to return to Sioux Falls in three months' time.

Adultery was certainly one reason to get divorced in Sioux Falls, but it was by no means the only reason. Old divorce records show one man claimed that his wife refused to bathe. Another man used the fact that his wife would keep touching his back with her cold feet in his petition. Both men were granted divorces.

While it may seem a strange beginning, it certainly attracted a number of people to the area. And while some stayed at the local hotel, others fulfilled the residency requirement by building homes there. Since the majority of people getting divorced were relatively wealthy, art and culture flourished during this time period as couples waited out the three month residency requirement.

Although the number of divorced in Sioux Falls have dropped today to 3.1 per 1000 people, it's always good to know where you came from.

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Sioux Falls: U.S. Divorce Capital