Our History

Our History

According to the history books, Dakotaland Federal Credit Union came from humble beginnings in Huron as Armour Federal Credit Union with a mere 10 members in 1935. The Credit Union was formed to provide savings and loans to its meat packing members. At that time, the average annual salary was $1500, the maximum credit union savings account was $500 and the maximum credit union loan was $25 dollars.

In 1983, the Credit Union's only sponsor group, Armour Meat Packing plant closed leaving 550 members wondering if they would lose their credit union permanently. The Board of Directors chose to expand the field of membership to include other employer groups in Huron and changed the Credit Union's name to Dakotaland Federal Credit Union. In 1997, another plant closing (Dakota Pork), gave way to community charter approval for Dakotaland. With nearly 6,000 existing members, the Credit Union opened its doors and services to anyone who lived or worked in Beadle County.

In 2017 the Credit Union obtained a 27 county rural community charter expansion. This charter allowed Dakotaland to extend credit union services to anyone who lives, works, worships, or attends school in the counties of Aurora, Beadle, Brookings, Brown, Brule, Buffalo, Clark, Codington, Davison, Deuel, Day, Faulk, Grant, Hamlin, Hanson, Hand, Hyde, Hughes, Jerauld, Kingsbury, Lake,  McCook, Miner, Moody, Sanborn, Spink and Sully. A second charter expansion was approved in 2024 to include another 24 South Dakota counties. The addition of Bon Homme, Campbell, Charles Mix, Clay, Douglas, Edmunds, Haakon, Hutchison, Jones, Lawrence, Lincoln, Lyman, Marshall, McPherson, Meade, Minnehaha, Pennington, Potter, Roberts, Stanley, Turner, Union, Walworth and Yankton counties brings the current service area to 51 counties.