Turner County herald. (Hurley, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1883-05-31
"A Short Retrospect.
Brookinys Press.

Brookings Press.
The people who are now riding into
Dakota in fine cars and find good ac-
commodations at our pretty towns, we
presume seldom pause to think that
only few years ago there was entirely
different state of things. But such
was the case. Those of us who have
been here over five years remember
the covered wagon and crude appear
ance of the immigrant as he drove into
our smaller towns on his way little
farther on to take free lands. Five
years ago most of our promising towns
were not in existence. The stranger in
Dakota scarcely realizes the fact, yet
we will go into little history within
the memory of the writer for the pur-
pose of giving those who are now en-
joying what the old settler made possi-
ble, to show the progressiveness of
southeastern Dakota.
Five years ago there were no such
towns as Parker, Mitchell, Plankinton
and Chamberlain along the Milwaukee
road, which was at that period an an
known thoroughfare in Dakota The
prosperous town of Canton was with
out a railroad. Sioux Falls was touched
by the Worthington branch of the old
st. Paul and Sioux City road, but had
no outlets north and south. Flandrau
was then little trading point, while
Egan, Madison and Howard were I'm
known. A small settlement had sprung
up in the vicinity of Lake Herman, but.
the town was subsequently abandoned
when the railroad plated the townsite
of Madison. Firestcel, several miles
east of Mitchell, was stage station for
the jim river stage company, but when
the railroad pushed on west Of the Jim
river, the place ceased to exist. AT
Rockport, in Hanson county, a small
town sprung up some xsi years ago, but
one side, that, too, was wiped out and
in its stead the tlourishing town of
Alexandria grew and prospered. Swan
Lake was known as a pretty little town
in Turner county for some years prior
to the advent Of the Milwaukee road
into Dakota, but as she road ran thir-
teen miles north, the town has ceased
to grow, and will soon move to Hurley,
a new station on the Iroquois branch of
the Northwestern. In its stead, Par
| ker and Marion junction have grown
to be respectable towns. Six years ago
Turner county was considered quite a
distance into the interior. The counties
of Hanson, Dawson and McCook were
thought by those residing on the Mis-
souri, river too far away to ever emf
4 CRATE to, and while those in the border
counties were sitting idly by wondering
why men went to such a new section,
the railroad pushed across the Sioux at
Canton, and the eastern home-seeker
rushed in and got valuable property.
The same remarkable change occur
red in this very section. There is not a
town along the lire of the Dakota Cen
tral in Dakota that was then in eX-
istence, 4 few settlers had wandered
into Brookings county, but they were
few in numbers indeed. A few Of tho
early settlers located ut Fountain, but
the railroad left the town to one side
and to day we find the prosperous city
of Brookings the pet and pride of tho
men who tried to. found Il city at Foun
tain. The prosperous towns west had
not been dreamed Of. The land where
the busy city of Huron now stands was
a wild piece of prairie. De Smet, Red
field, Aberdeen, Glendale and scores OF
other growing towns have all sprung
into existence in less than five years
The men VINO are used to seeing the ole
towns in the east grow at the rate o1
only few houses a year can hardly be
lieve that all they see along The North
western and Milwaukee roads in south
ern Dakota has been made within TIT
last five years.
The period which we mention ha:
certainly seen wonderful changes. Th,
time is short and fresh in the memor,
of those who came to Dakota only /;
few years ago In the next few year,
other great changes will occur, but no
so important as those embraced in tn
period mentioned.