Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-02-27
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Origin OF the Fort Thompson Road.

Origin Of the Fort Thompson Road.
That which is known as the Fort
Thompson road on 1.-The south side of tie
Firesteel. is not y regularly authorized
and surveyed line. 1t originated"Ssn
july 1873. when General Campbell, Vt
Seotland, waa awarded the contract TO
carry. the US. mail between Firesteel
and Fort Thompson. The tirst trip was
made by Norman Campbell. who start
ed from Rockport and got lost about
eight miles north of where Plankinton
now is. Dr:L ivingston, from the Fort,
met the estray, furnished him an Indian
guide. whoaplloted him to Tiresteel.
This town WAS on sections "a and %
1O3 go. In 1873 it contained two OF
three families. The Campbell mail
route was suhlet to II. C. Greene who
expended $3.50 in establishing stations
or building shelter on the line between
Firesteel and Fort Thompson. ~
The battling places were:
1. The dinner station" corner Of g.
63-1O4.
2. At Dewey1s ranch, on a5-10s-85.
3. Crow Creek. or what was then
known as the south fork Of Crow creek,
now known asSmith creek. This was
Tilson's ranch.
This trail, made by the stage line was
soon adopted.by freighters, and Became
the regular Fort Thompson road, and
on the direct route to the Black Hills
In the winter of 1874 and 1876, an adopt.
ed son of Luke Lowell's met 4 painful
and premature end on this trail. He
was u robust, hardy youth Of IL and
started on an 1ndiaa pony, in March,
with q mail pouch, to meet the carrier
from Fort Thompson half way. A
blizzard came on, and two weeks later
his pony and the mail bag, were found
5 miles south'of Mitchell near Enemy
creek. The young man was tracked to
Dewey's ranch, where had he remained
till the storm was oyer, his fate would
have been different. The remains MOI
any vestige of the young man were ev-
er discovered.
Some time, about 1875, the legislature
authorized.the survey and location OF a
public road, via Chankap post office, four
miles northwest Of Mitchell, to Yves.
sington Springs, and thence to Fort
Thompson. Israel Greene, Thomas
Lowell, now deceased, and George AL
len were't the commissioners who locat-
ed the highway. This was on the
north side of the Firesteel, and is a le-
gal Territorial road, and from George
Aliens west to Washington Springs is
almost an air line. That on the south
side OF the stream was the road made
by the stage coach, without any legis-
lative enactment.-Mitchell Mail.
To the Farming Public of Jerauld Co.
On Sat. w too late todistribute doc
uments. l received a letter from the
Sec. oi the Territorial Alliance. w. y.
I. Bushnell, Esq, Of Huron, stating
that on account of his partner having
been called by telegram to Bismarck he
would not be able to meet with us on
the 2lst. He also sent me several cop
les of the Dakota Farmer which | will
distribute at u meeting, Feb. 28th.
The Dakota Farmer is the organ of the
Territorial Alliance of Dakota. one dol
lar u year, and a regular instructive
l rAnrAyanflfiy, wa f. rton NcS rn,r 1 s,.At ~.
good as the farmers correspondence
and information sees fit to make it. . It
should i,e in every farmers house in
Dakota. The Alliance admits Of no TOW
HENDERSON village farmers, none but
practical and operative farmers, those
who get;their living by their own FARM
ing. The copies 1 now have, give in
struction how to organize. The officers
are president, vice president, secretary.
treasurer and finance committee Of
three. Their guide of work or rules.
Cushing's manual with constitution
and bylaws. Wives and children of
farmers eligible to membership. The
work-everything of interest or profit
able discussion and cooperative action
OF farmers. C. w. Hill.
Press and Dakotaian: New York
state, with FIVE million people, has five
normal schools. Dakota, with half a
million people has one normal school
and its legislature is asked to appropri-
ate money for the establishment of
eight more. For a great many years
to come these normal schools will grade
no higher than grammar school and
in the lifetime of the present genera
ton they will not surpass the grade of
the Yankton high school. Their crea-
ton simply establishes public schools
for communities at the expense of the
territory at large.
The Manner of Clusters Death.
Deadwood Pioneer: Col. Beck, who
shows conclusively that he was a pris-
oner among the Indians who captured
and murdered Gen. Custer and his
small body. Beck having heen tal,en