[6] Plankinton sprang up with the arrival of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad to the area in 1880.

[7] The town was named for Milwaukee-based meatpacker and railroad official John Plankinton.

[8] The voters approved the incorporation of Plankinton as a village in an election on September 7, 1882.

[9] On 7 October 1897, the girls' dormitory at the State Industrial School in town burned, killing seven people.

The first Grain Palace in South Dakota opened in Plankinton on September 29, 1891, while the last closed in October 1892.

[11] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.76 square miles (1.97 km2), all land.

29.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

34.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.