Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1886-07-05

line of Fourth of July oratory and de
vote himself to references to early day
IN Dakota and the growth and develop
ment of the territory. With these ez
plantations he said:
Just twenty-five years ago-only
question of a c~entury-the Fourth o
July was celebrated for the first tim,
upon the soil of Dakota, and that cele
bratlon was Ii the city OF Yankton. II
those who are here now and were herr
then and participated in that celebration
the time does not seem long. The lapse
of years can only be realized by con,
templatipg the wonderful changes tina
have taken place IN our territory-tht
vast population within Its borders, the
development of its matchiess agrlcul
tural resources, its vast mineral wealth
its thousands of miles of railroad ex
tending from the eastern to the western
and from the southern to the northern
limits, its busy cities equipped with al
the appliances of modern invention fol
comfort, convenience and protection,
and its battalions of statesmen, braYely
trcading in the wake of the band wagon,
headed IL the direction of congress and
the senate. To me 1t appears but a few
puny years ago that the first lawyer, the
first preacher, the editor of the first pa.
per in the territory and a few others,
frame house still standing
on the southwest corner of Broadway
and Second streets, in Yankton. Joined
Col. Enos Stutsman, kindly remembered
by all old Dskotaians, in singing with
more noise than melody, the Star
Spangled Banner. And this was the
beginning and the end of the first OBJ
seryance of the nations great holiday in
Dakota. 1t was a small affair but it
was honest, patriotic and unanimous.
Dakota, except Its almost ~boundlsss
rea-wa a small affair in those days.
Yankton, now the gem OF all the bright
cities of Dakota-matchless in the charm
of Its location, in the comfort of its
pleasant, tree-lined streets, in its
churches, its schools, the beauty and
utility of Its private buildings and the
fame and value of its fountains OF pure
water, which spring unbiddsn from the
earth-was then a small affair. Its i'm :
provements consisted of three unpreten-
tious frame structures and Blk or eight
log houses, soma of which, disguised
with siding and paint, still remain.
Among the survivors are the two houses
on Broadway owned and occupied by
Judge Conglston and the building on
Linn street in which the
first house of representatives held its
sessions and Is nov Occupied by Rev.
DR.. Hoyt. These, with possibly one or
two exceptions, SO transformed as to be
beyond recognition, are all that remains
of what Yankton was when the territory
was organized in 1861. Then Yankton's
population could almost be counted
upon the fnRerz Of your hands. There
were but a few families, less than half a
dozen, the balance Of the population be-
who had always been upon the frontier.
limits of what waa subsequently, made
farmers numbering between twenty and
Henry Bradley and Ole Samson, now
son, Halvor Brindlsson, Hslgsr Anaer.
on, John Stanage. John Alseth, Louis
Olsen, Peter Stsffsnson, are still resi-
d6ul VI tl3 cdsteIu pdIb VI buV COQutJ.
-Four of those old settlers are dead. The
balance arc living in other parts of tho
territory or have removed else where.
Between Yankton and the Jim river
were a few settlers in those days, among
the number being j. Il. Hanson, j. Nd.
Stoue, Thos. F'rick, Henry Arend, John
Belts, Rudolph Won Irs and Solberger, all
of whom-excepting Maj. Stone and
Rudolph Won ms, who are dead, con
tinue to reside in Dakota, many of them
upon the land they then occupied.
This was at the commencement
OF the civil war. Immigration
to the west was almost
entirely suspended, and only q small
number of settlers were added to our
population during the balance of that
year. A few buildings were added to
tho improvements in Yankton, one of
them being the frame house still stand
ing on this southeast corner of Broadway
and Fourth streets, in which the first
legislative council was held.
The first official act of Gov. Jayne,
who deposited his carpet bag in the
capital of Dakota on the 14th of May,
1861, was to order an enumeration OF the
citizens of the territory upon which to
base an superintendent of the representa-
ton in the first legislative assembly and
divide the inhabited portions OF the
territory into census districts and ap-
point enumerators. There were six dis
tricts created and corresponding num-
of enumerators appointed, Five of the
census takers made reports, but the
sixth, the one assigned to the district
along the Missouri above the
mouth of the N1obrars, finding,
1T is presumed, nothing but Indians,
made no report but drew his salary.
The figures of the enumerators showed
that the entire population of the terri.
tory at that time was 1876, of which
number $40 were half bred Indians,
the total white population being 1,2l6,
757 males and 459 females. The first
election occurred on the 18th day of
September, 1861, and wal for the selec.
ton of q delegate in congress for the
balance of the pending session, and
members OF the territorial legislature
There were three candidates for con.
gress-Gen. j. B. s. Todd, through
whose influence the treaty was made
with the indians cedipg their lands, and
and who was regarded as the father oil
the territory, yes en- naeresaea ssaaaai
date. A. j. Bell, OF Vermillion-and
who a few weeks ago, after over twenty
years absence from the territory, appear
ed in Yankton as an evangelist, was the
republican candidate. and Charles z
Booge made the ace as the peoples
candidate. At this election there wsrt
5S5 votes cast-being within l72 of tn,
total number Of male inhabitantP, show
ing that there were very few boys her,
then. or the votes cast Todd received
1877, Booge ITO and Bell rs