Keya Paha County is named for the Dakota name of a hill and the river was named from that hill, “ke-ya” meaning “turtle” and “Pa-ha” meaning “hill”. The river was called “wa-kpa” or “Turtle Hill River”.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Tripp County, South Dakota and Gregory County, South Dakota
E – Boyd County
S – Rock County and Brown County
W – Cherry County
Created: November 4, 1884
County Seat:
Springview 1885 – present
County Courthouse – Springview
Location: L Street ( north side ) / 12th Street
Built: 1914 – 1915
Style: Federal
Architect: O E Shipley
Contractor: O E Shipley
Description: The building faces south and is a two story white colored stucco structure. The building is located on spacious grounds in the center of Springview. The main entrance is located on the south side. The arched entrance is recessed with a roof at the top of the first story. Arches frame the tops of the first story windows. The base is white colored stone. The roof is flat. In the interior, the Commissioner’s Meeting Room is on the first story. Stairs ascend to the second story where the combined County District Court and County Court courtroom is located along the west side of the second story. The building houses the County District Court of the 8th Judicial District.
See: The 8th Judicial District includes Blaine County, Boyd County, Brown County, Cherry County, Custer County, Garfield County, Greeley County, Holt County, Howard County, Loup County, Rock County, Sherman County, Valley County and Wheeler County.
History: The county was created in 1884 and Springview was selected as the county seat in 1885. The county offices met at the residence of David Heigs until the first courthouse was built in 1886 at a cost of $1,126. The second and present courthouse was constructed in 1914 to 1915 at a cost of $55,000.
County Courthouse – Springview
Commissioner’s Meeting Room
County District Court courtroom
Photos taken 2006, 2007, 2016 and 2024
Images 19*