Allen, SD

Allen is a census-designated place on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in Bennett County, South Dakota, United States, that was named for the Allen Township, which it encompasses. The 2020 census counted 460 residents. Allen is one of two places which are closest to the North American continental pole of inaccessibility. The CDP is named for the Allen Township, which in turn was named for Charles W. The Bureau of Indian Education is affiliated with the American Horse School, a K-8 school operated by a tribal group. Allen was established in 1931 as the consolidation of Day School #20 and Day School #21, with the former buildings of those two schools becoming teacher housing. Allen makes sense once you see how its past, landscape, and current gathering spots overlap. The useful thing to know about Allen is that its older landmarks and current settings belong to one connected place. Allen, the town's first merchant.