Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-01-18
A Short Retrospect.

LkCIAo opSSC.
The people who are now riding into
Dakota in fine ears and find good ac-
c~ommodations at petty towns, we
presume seldom pause to think that on
ly a few years ago there was entirely a
different state of things. But such was
the case, Those Of us who have been
here over five years remember the COW
cred wagon and crude appearance of
the Immigrant as he drove into our
smaller towns on his way a little far
ther to take free lands. Five years ago
most OF on promising towns We're not
in existence. The stranger in Dakota
scarcely realizes the fact, yet we will
go into a little history within the men,
DRY of the writer, for the purpose of
giving those who are now enjoying
what the old settler made possible, to
show the progressive spirit of southern
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 I'M
known thoroughfare in Dakota. The
prosperoustown Of Canton was touched
by the Worthington branch of the old
st. Faul & Sioux City road, but had no
outlets north or south. Flandreau was
then a little trading point, while Egan,
Madison and Howard were unknown.
~ 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. Firesteal, several miles
east OF Mitchell, was a stage station for
the Jim river stage company, but when
the railroadApushed on west of the Jim
river, the place ceased to exist. At
Rockport, in Hanson county, u small
town sprang up some six years ago, but
as the railroad left that some miles to
one side, that, too, was wiped out and
in it's stead thenourising town of Alex
andria grew and prospered. Swan Lake
was known as 3 pretty little town in
Turner county for some years prior to
the advent of the milwaukee road into
Dakota, but as the road run thirteen
miles north, the town has ceased to
grow, and has moved to Hurley q new
station on the IrogJlois branch of the
Northwestern. III its stead Parker and
Marion Junction have grown to be re-
spectacle towns. 6ix years ago Turn
er county vas considered quite q dis
lance 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
CRATE to, and while these in the border
counties We're sitting idly by wonder
ing Why men went to such Il new sec
ton, the railroads pushed across the
Sioux at Canton and the eastern home
seeker rushed in and got valuable pro-
perty.
The same remarkable changeoccured
in this very section. There is not {
town along the line Of the Dakota Cen.
tral in Dakota that was then in eXis.
tence. A few settlers had wandered
into Brookings county hut they We're
few in numbers indeed. \ few Of the
early settlers settled at 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 the
men who tried to found q city at Foun-
tain. The prosperous towns west had
not then been drealhed of. The land
where the busy city of Huron now
stands was q wild piece Of prairie. De
Smet, Radlield, Aberdeen, Glendale and
scores Of other growing towns have
ali sprung into existence in less than
five years. The nan who is used to
seeing the old towns in the east. grow
at the rate of only a few houses a year
can hardly believe that all they see
along the Northwestern and Milwau-
kee roads in southern Dakota has been
made within the last i've years.
The period we mention has certainly
seen wonderful changes. The time is
short and fresh in the memory if those
who came to Dakot& only a few years
ago. In the next few years other
changes will occur but not so impor-
tant as those embraced in the period
mentioned.
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