Town file
Canistota, South Dakota
Canistota, South Dakota (McCook County, South Dakota) is the town in one episode of Small Town Murder, the comedy true-crime podcast: episode 72, "Plans Of Torture" (6 June 2018). Canistota sits in McCook County in the south-east corner of South Dakota, a town of 638 people in a little over half a square mile, about forty minutes from Sioux Falls.
- Town
- Canistota
- County
- McCook County
- State
- South Dakota
- Country
- USA
- Episodes
- 72
- Approximate location
- 43.598, -97.293
Episode 72 / 6 June 2018 / 158 min / full
Plans Of Torture
"This place is in McCook County... it's a small, small town... southeastern part of the state" about 0:08:08
The case: Murder of Piper Streely (July 29, 1996); Murder of Larissa Dumansky (August 27, 1994); Attempted kidnapping of Amy Anderson (November 1994). Read the case file.
The figures, as told in 2018
- Population
- 638
- Median age
- 39
- Median household income
- $41,250
- Median home value
- $79,500
- Two-bedroom rent
- about $670
- Cost of living
- 80
- Religious
- about 56%
- Property crime
- right at average
- Violent crime
- ▲ about 15% higher
History, in brief
- Established in 1883; the Chicago Northwestern Railroad chose the site. about 0:10:00
- Originally laid out with 72 blocks. about 0:10:34
- The town was incorporated in 1900. about 0:10:44
- Major Free, who worked for the Chicago North Western Railroad, named the town Canistota after his hometown of Canistota, New York. about 0:13:12
- The post office application was written C ANI stoda instead of C ANA stoda; the railroad spelling lasted until 1919, when the post office and town were finally given the same name. about 0:13:20
- The Canistota Hawks, a 9B high school football team, won the 2010 South Dakota title. about 0:16:50
- A 1987 Chicago Tribune article said the American Chiropractic Association called the Ortman Clinic the nation's largest and oldest family dynasty of chiropractors in one town. about 0:19:44
- Amon Ortman began cracking backs around 1915, getting off a horse-drawn plow to treat people. about 0:21:42
- In 1987 the town had 10 motels and hotels; the largest was the 70-room steam-heated Hotel Ortman, with rooms at $9 and $13. about 0:20:26
- The town had three restaurants in 1987, the most popular being the Ortman Cafe. about 0:20:32
The reviews read out
A-
"Cost of living is the highest-rated category."about 0:24:05
F
"Residents grade amenities an F."about 0:24:08
F
"Residents grade crime an F."about 0:24:08
D+
"Residents grade education a D plus."about 0:24:11
D-
"Residents grade housing a D minus."about 0:24:11
Nearest Small Town Murder towns
- Tea, South Dakota25 miles
- Yankton, South Dakota49 miles
- Verdigre, Nebraska79 miles
- Wolsey, South Dakota81 miles
- Emerson, Nebraska96 miles
- Lyons, Nebraska122 miles
Everything here is as told in the episode, on the date it went out; figures and places may have changed since. Endings are covered: open an episode and use the spoiler switch to read them.