Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1879-01-01
YANkToN DAKOTA TERRITORY, WEDNESDAY EVENING" JANu

TERRITORY, F w,
= -
6fn held the suffers post at Fort RasdsT
and had obtaiasd,fro. the government au
thority 10 erect trading posi- at varioul
points In seuehera Dskoss Tor the. purpos.
oftradisg with, IL Indians ssief'3;a
ut will hot be eialsed that there va .,
ths tius any pressing necessity for extend:
log the legally intabitablef domain II On.
Gle Sam. Kansas and Nebraska had Jus,
entered the territorial Ct ndition and proffer..
ed fneeis homes TO millions.. The. Z entire at,.
country was aroused in the interest ,oof free.
dom OF slavery, and public attention was
wholly directed to the frxt named territory
where s'tass Of civil war existed and where
the germs Of that giant rebellion soon to
follow, were being planted. No question
bus there was room enough elsewhere for
all the people who were then pushing west,
but fh,s fact did not close the eyes of DAko-
ta's4 pioneers To- the Inducements Dakota
prsseutedto' euligh,ened indsstfy and Gull
tsssd people. 1t could mot persuade them
that thess iertile plains could snbserve5 no
better purpose than pastures for myriads Of
buffalo and, hunting grounds for savage
saoe. ,Ths aggressive spirit OF their Saxon
blood sparred them TO an, effort to iwrest
from barbarsas' grasp this grand domain
and hand it over to the uses of civilized in.
dustry. mo i 9e4. .al ,r-. a.sts 20
The Indians to be consulted, courted, m
counseled with, feasted, ha,tered and deco
rated were the Ysnkton tribe of the Sioux
nation, aud The 'Poncas an Independent,
tribe who claimed an interest in the soil.
Tie parties whom fate had designated
for this work were first Captain Todd,
prominent and influential from his recent
connection With the army where he had
won great credit and renown in the cam :
paigns which had been waged against the
,roublesome Sioux, and with him Theo-
philus Brighter, w intelligent Frencbmau
related with the Sioux by marriage, and
Charles F. Picotte,a captivating Yank.on,
half breed who had been reared amid civil.
izing Influences and had just returned from
school to unite his f;rlunes with those oi
bis peap'e. Thus composed, with the col.
lsteral aid aud inf renee Of such auxiliaries
as the honorably discharged soldiers who
had drfted down from the posts on the up.
per river aud a. very few adventurous lead
ers Of the star of empire who were In the
extreme ven Of progress westward, this
comhission found the arts of aboriginal
diplomacy notd, ,nacult Of comprehension,
and in due time il emerged from its labors
having successfully accomplished one of the
mqst important of modern treaties BY which
he lndians Ielioqulshsd to the general gov
sFnmept sixteen million acres Of land, near
35O. 600 Of which 10 now embtsced within
he boundaries Of Ysnkton county. THIS
reaty also gave 20 certain persons therein.
named or described, grants Of lsud, ranging
il a1punt from l6OS 10 $40 scrss, and 70
Pidate land oshess q liberal annuity in
nensy aUnder i,s prov ovieions Frost, Todd
&Go.; wece eauihorissd to select l60 acres at
sach Of the various poiass where their ira
ling houses were locatsd!s Picdsee obtaiaed
he valuable tracti upoS which lower Yaok.
Oh hAs been bnilt, embracing $40 acres,
While Frost, Todd & Co. held the most vsf-'
'.ble portion Of the ground upon which the
'usiuess portion Of the city nov stands. Al
his time s(ls67y there was 40 pretsn.es Of
At thisT point. The treaty Y, x.s i
uch only in ns@SsM general ,si: govern. = J.:
nsnt had not vi ,a asanc,ionesd il. Frost,
todd 4 GO. stood III the attitude Of employ,
RIO every whit. person, o., and only under
he protecting agis Of their. traders' lic,ars.s,
vas it lawful % remain upon the soil. The
indian. xsrs sst r in actual II possession, and q
heir cenical tepsss \ Hp.sde, up u. sum total
4 arti6cial4 Improvements. Matters, re
a .insd IS this soadi.iQp NATL July, 1885,,
'heh Geo. p. Fi,te. "a employs, Of the tr.,.
ling 6rm, erected, the first, building upon
he si.s dsstiped Y y the y seat Of nako..'s
;.pital. This primitive structure Was bull.
# lss, apd ssood On the riy& hank at the
pteisectlon Of Walnut street j Later in the,
aut year the sep,te ratified the treaty, and,
outhsrn Dakota was open. to occupation
ND settlement xa' BY ths .saivbh whites. The
EEediaps, however, did net quit the
country until the spring :, following. Il,
xas when The grass had 1royn p fine pas
urase that the first inhabitants 81 Yauktoa
1ui4ly folded th.ir ..ps., lo,d.a ,heir,
ravoi,, mounted .heir po,is., waved .
inal .dieu 70 their beautiful village, and
to their present homes on the,
i.pttan e reservation, LEAVING tb. beautiful
plateau clothed il i,s 4 yerdant splendor. il.
Landscape undistprbed b., any,
ign of Rus.n 1sbitation ssvs ! ths It'll.
trading post vher. F.t. presided, -.na
whioh gave shelter aud hospitable welsons
q sll the then inhabitants Of Yankton.