Santee Nebraska - Nebraska Directory

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Village · Knox County · Population 424 (2020 census) · ZIP 68760 · Founded 1866

About Santee

Santee is a village of 424 on the south shore of Lewis and Clark Lake, the main village of the Santee Sioux Reservation in northern Knox County. Spur 54D runs 8 miles south to NE 12. Santee has the Isanti Community School, the Santee Sioux Nation health center, the Santee Sioux Nation Museum and Headquarters, river access and camping, and the tribe's Ohiya Casino & Resort on NE 12.

History

The Santee (Isanti) Dakota were exiled from Minnesota after the Dakota War of 1862. In May 1863 they were taken by steamboat to Crow Creek in Dakota Territory, and in 1866 they were moved again to the Niobrara reservation, recognized by executive order on February 27, 1866. The Santee Agency was set up that year; Samuel D. Hinman built the first church in 1867, and the first school opened in 1868.

Rev. Alfred L. Riggs founded the Santee Normal Training School in 1870. It grew to 18 buildings and more than 200 students before it closed in 1936. The Congregational (Pilgrim) Church and Manse of 1870–71 and the Episcopal Church of Our Most Merciful Saviour of 1884 are both on the National Register of Historic Places.

Highways and trails through Santee

Route	One way	Other way
Spur 54DState spur road, 8.4 mi	South to NE 12 east of Niobrara	Ends in Santee

Nearby towns

Niobrara	14 mi west	Spur 54D and NE 12
Lindy	about 18 mi southeast	Spur 54D and NE 12
Springfield, South Dakota	about 3 mi across the lake; about 19 mi by road	Through Niobrara and the Chief Standing Bear bridge
Crofton	31 mi east	Spur 54D and NE 12

Things to see

Santee Sioux Nation Museum and Headquarters, 108 Spirit Lake Ave. W. · Pilgrim Congregational Church and Manse and the Church of Our Most Merciful Saviour (both National Register) · Mnisose Wicote (Wandering River) Camping · Isanti ATV Park · Ohiya Casino & Resort, on NE 12

Events in Santee

Isanti Dakota Traditional Wacipi 2026
Annual traditional powwow (wacipi) hosted by the Santee Sioux Nation. June 26–28, 2026.

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Schools and health care

Schools: Isanti Community School, 206 Frazier Ave. E. (elementary, middle and high school)

Health care: Santee Sioux Nation Tribe Health Center, 110 S. Visiting Eagle St.; nearest hospitals Niobrara Valley Hospital, Lynch (about 38 mi) and Avera Sacred Heart, Yankton, S.D. (about 47 mi)

Sources: U.S. Census; Wikipedia; History Nebraska; Andreas, History of the State of Nebraska (1882); Knox County; Nebraska Department of Transportation route mileposts. Distances marked "about" are estimates.