Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1878-12-06
LOCAL HISTORY.
A sketch q The se....S. 4. ....A...
esr" Dakota II III Fan sT lsss.

LOCAL HISTORY.
. sketch Of Ths ss.npeA, .. s,v,A.a,-
Ter" Dakota IL the Fan II lsss.
II may sesfs to ysur readers sgotst.esitn
me To relate tho events which led 70 tn
stampede Of the settlers 10 s~outheas,s,n
Dakota 10 the fail Of leae, whss Il q,
seso alluded to 90 often " . foolish scar,.
Yet I will give you the isc.s aud Tho you
may drsw your own conclusions.
q tho month Of August, 1852, the sau-
~ Sioux Indians commenced hosulitsss
Il southwestern Minnesota and killed
about four husdred Of the ssttsrs. 4 part
OF the hostale Indians csme TO Sioux uAlls
10 Dakota. reaching there ahous -sasAbwT.
tTssy' sossd Judge Amtdon and his son In
. cornnsld snd killed them. There were
q this time about forty soldiers II ths Falls.
D Amidons not returning .. night. the
family became alarmed aud called on tho
soldiers TO Ind them. The soldiers search
cd Tor the missing men that night but did
not nnd them. In the morning they con-
''nued the search and brought 10 The bodies
Of the two missing men. Adetschnept Of
soldlers were then sent to ind and punish
the Iodisns. When the detachment had
marched about . mile from the Falls the
Indians appeared near iowa and attempted
to take It. The detachment hearing the
nr'pg returned and when the Isdians saw
the soldiers they aed. After buryIne the
dead. the settlers and soldiers abandoned
the Falls and went 10 Yaukton. All the
settlers above Sioux City on the Big Sioux
river fed except q settlement on Brule
creek who wished 10 remain until after the
delegate election which was near At hand
and held on the first Monday of September,
The Brule creek voters being greatly ia
tesr Ut the Indians opened ,ha election
polls at B'ulis Creek the Sunday night be-
fore the election, voted, and the rising sun
Monday morning found the most of the
voters 10 Sioux City, leaving q few of the
6ravest of the settlers and a squad of SOL
diers to close the polls at the regular time
on Monday. This circumstance is often
alluded to by one Of the old settlers of Un.
ION county as the "Brule creek fraud"
(At the legislature that wintar q seat in the
house of representatives was given to q man
BY his showing that he had lived at Sioux
Falls, and would have been elected 4 mem.
Der of that body had he and his constitu.
ents not been driven from their homes by
hostile IndianA)
Shortly after the election, the Yankton
Sioux Indians compelled the whites and
half-bree Il, who were living with them, to
leave. and sent their women and children
up the river, and appeared on the eve of an
outbreak. The governor of the territory is
sued his proclamation calling out the entire
Of the territory, and distributed them
at Vermillion and Elk Point, while he fled
10 Sioux City for safety.
The citizens Of Yankton wishing to as.
certain the true feeling of the Yankton
Sioux Indians towards the whites, procured
a committee Of three to visit Strike.the.Ree.
head chief Of these Indians. The commit
tee consisted of . son. in. law of that chief. a
Yankton editor, and q lieutenant of the
United States volunteers, The chief told
visitors that his band of Indians would
remain neutral !; but they could not,
rs they would all be killed If they remained
He said the Santee Indians were
the whites, and that the whites were
among themselves, and they were
compelled to take one side or the other, and
that they had decided to go with their MI
He told the committee that they
must cross the Missouri river, and if the In.
lians had not crossed, the committee would
i've; but if they had crossed, they would
have to die. The chief then assisted his
visitors to swim the Missouri river. The
lieutenant, not wishing to take the chances
IT going down 10 the town Of Yankton. went
Up to Fort Randall, fifteen miles above, and
made his report to the commanding officer.
Who Immediately erected two block houses
feet square, for bis artillery, when the
iring Of a 6eld-piece in either block house
would have leveled it with the ground. The
'ther two Of the committee came down to
on the Nebraska side of the river.
md made their report to the citizens. The
'eport caused much excitement. They were
lot afraid Of the Santee Sioux whilst acting
slone but in case the Yankton Sioux In.
should join the Santees it was a cues.
ion with many whether they would be able
o hold the town.
Thirty four soldiers being stationed At
the captain Of the Yankton
county militia, wrote 4 letter to the officer
n command Of the soldiers at Vermilliou.
informing him Of the situatiou. This letter
sent by two soldiers. The soldiers
the Dakota river about sunrise
when they were fired on BY Indians from
he east bank Of the river, w~herenpou they
returned TO Yankton when q serreant and
'en men were sent to escort them through
C Vermillion. A the party approached
he place where Gayville now stands, they