Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1880-03-30
The Sioux River Valley and the Towns
Along the Dakota Central
Railroad.
A Beautiful Country and the Rush to DC.
cupy ~t-extension Of the Dakota
Central Railroad.
The Attention Which is Being Given to
the Jim River Valley, aud the Ger.
tainty of tho Early Sttlemcnt
OF the Entire Valley.
Especial Corrtspondsnes.l

a f'oe OF twenty miles n0rthward from
Flandreau brought US to Medary, a few
miles nor b nf The southern boundary Of
Brookings county. This town is the
Oldest in the county, and was the county
seat until the railroad boom peopled the
more central portion Of the county and
carried the county seat to tn. new railroad
town Of Brookinss. But Medary In her
Loneliness consequent upon the departure
OF her former prestige. is defiant, and
claims that her despoilment was not ac-
complished by the required legal forms
that the necessary majority was not against
her, aus that tho returning board" was too
much for her, and that she was counted
out. On the other hand the residents and
friends of the new county seat assert that
the election was fair, the removal legal,
aud that all contrary assertions are but the
outgrowtb of disappointment. The county
seat question. however. is q ghost IN the
political affairs Of III" county which will
not down a. ~ bidding of those who are
afraid Of '.rooks," aud will doubtless tie
an important factor in the ensuing election.
Medary contains two stores. a hotel and a
few dwelling houses-a considerable num-
her Of the buildings that were formerly
here having been put on rollers and trans
ported to the more busting towns on the
railroad. The town is pleasantly located
on the east bank of he Sioux river, and is
surrounded by the most delightful agricul-
tursl county imaginable. The same char
scterization is applicable to tue entire up
per Sioux valley and to the country on
either S y f, scores ii not hundreds OF
miles. 1t is perfect in Its conformation,
aud the soil is deep ana verv ir,t,i.. Its
capacities, when fully developed, will give
central Dakota q worl ! wide fame as crop
and stock raising region.
Twelve miles north of Medary, and about
three miles west Of the Sioux river, is the
lively and growing town Of Volga, the pres.
ent terminus of the Tracy branch of the
Northwestern or Dakota Central railroad.
The town is scarcely six months old, vet it
already contains an active, enterprising pop
%ulation Of about three hundred, a half dozen
hotels, which are constantly kept full to
Overlooking by the stream of immigration
which IS rolling into the country, and a large
number of stores and shops of all kinds.
The land agency business-and it is a boom.
ing business is attended to by A. S. Mitch
ell and Engleson & Hall. The gentlemen
composing these firms are energetic and
trustworthy, and are kept as busy as bees lc-
eating new corners and making out filing
papers. There is but one saloon here, only
one man being found able to pay $500. the
amount required by the county for a liquor
license. Notwithstanding the large number
Of railroad men in the vicinity, and the con
slant presence of crowds of transient PEG.
pie, the town is quiet and orderly and very
little intemperance apparent.
Track laying on the westward extension
of the road has been in progress for several
days and about seven miles of new track has
been completed. The material for the ex-
tension which is piled up here covers several
acres of ground, and two and three immense
freight trains laden with ties and iron arrive
here daily. The Dakota Central means bus.
mess, and asserts that it will have the cars
running into Huron, on the Jim, by the LIST
of June. The distance from here to Huron
is sixty miles.
Brookings, the county. seat of Bookings
county, is on the railroad six miles east of
Volga. 1t, too, is a thriving, busting town,
of about thes same population as Volga, with
two good hotels and a large number Of we'll
stocked stores, but no saloon-no one, being
able to put up the sum required by the
county for a permit to sell nose paint. The
county officers, whose duties require them to
remain permanently at the county seat, are
James Hauxhurst, register of deeds, and w.
M. Skinner, clerk ofthe county court. These
gentlemen are among the most enterprising
and public spirited citizens of the county,
and popular and efficient officers. In addi-
ton to their official duties they also do a
large real estate and locating business. N.
s. Grinols, sheriff of the county, resides at
the county seat, and to the satisfaction ofthe
public fills all the demands Of his Office and
landlord Of Commercial hotel. The other
hotel, which bears the name OF the town. is
managed by VIM. Allison, who formerl,
kept the hotel at Medary.
The Brookings County Press, the pion-
eer paper Of the county, is printed here by
Geo. W. Hopp. who is also postmaster.
Hopp struck a good 'psy streak" in the
land Office advertising. of which he has had
a monopoly in Brookings, Kiugsbury and
a + portion Of Hamlin counties. But the
plumpness of this fat take is about to be
interfered with BY the establishment of
other pahrs. The first issue of the Sioux
Valley Journal will be made at B~rookinps
this week, the editors being J. NJ. Miles.
formerl, of Dodge Center, Minnesota. and
w n Gbtnrn~ 4o,nNnt zl.,.l. - Z II