How Arlington, South Dakota Got Its Name (After Nordland and Denver)

Arlington, South Dakota, is named after Arlington, Virginia, but it took three tries to get there: the town started out as Nordland and was briefly called Denver.

First: Nordland

The first name was a nod to the people who were already here. A 1908 railroad guide to place names says the station was originally called “Nordland,” “in honor of the many Scandinavians who had settled in these parts before the station was established.” The U.S. Geological Survey’s record, drawing on an older South Dakota reference, says it was named for the many Norwegian settlers, and that the town was founded in 1880.

Then: Denver

The USGS record says the town was called Denver for a short time in 1884, but the U.S. Post Office wouldn’t accept the name. The Congressional Record tribute says the Western Town Lot Company objected to Nordland, and the county commissioner renamed the town Denver. Either way, it didn’t last.

Finally: Arlington

In 1885, according to the USGS record, the name Arlington, after Arlington, Virginia, was picked for the town. The Congressional Record tribute says it was the post office that pushed for one more change, and the railroad that chose Arlington.

The 1908 guide tells it more simply. It skips Denver and says the citizens who came later “induced the railway company to change the name.” The USGS record also says the post office stayed Nordland and the railroad station was called Denver. Read literally, that means for a while one town answered to three names.

Sources & further reading

• W. H. Stennett, A History of the Origin of the Place Names Connected with the Chicago & North Western and Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railways (1908). A public-domain railroad guide. Says the town was named for Arlington, Virginia, and was first called Nordland for the Scandinavian settlers.
• GNIS feature 1267666 (U.S. Geological Survey). The federal record for Arlington. Cites an older South Dakota reference on Nordland, Denver in 1884 and Arlington in 1885.
• Congressional Record, 2005 tribute to Arlington. Why Denver came and went, and who chose Arlington.