Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-12-24
DAko1A's EARLY HISTORY.
An Interesting Sketch 81 the
Territory's Struggles From
Her Infancy.
rhe Men Connected With Her
Early History and Where They
Are To-day.
sioux City journal Correspondence. !

III view OF the meetings of the constitu-
honal convention and the State Legislature
which convene at Huron to take some
action looking toward statehood, short
retrospection may not lie uninteresting to
those who are watching the people strug-
CHING Tor their rights in manly, patient
way. The history of Dakota as o territory
is not very long and not very intricate to
trace. Ut course it has its earlier history,
from thd Catholic Coronado in 1910, Lewis
ana Cla1l in 1904, and Lord SelLirk in
1911, but it is Of Dakota as territory the
writer aims to notice briefly. On the I'd
DAY OF March, 1861, just prior TO surren-
uerlng 4ls seat to President Lincoln. Pres
,aent Buchanan signed the bill establishing
the Territory Of Dakota. The present Ten-
ritories|o f Montana and Idaho were them a
part of Dakota. Small settlements along
the Sioux and Missouri Rivers. and a little
along the Red River of the North was all
there then was of civilization of Dakota.
Indians roamed the prairies at will, muir
gerlns the inhabitants and burning their
numble homes, and terrorizing the few
Who sought homes west of the Sioux River.
The Indians then applied the knife to're-,
tard emigration. Now they sullily hold
thousands of acres and refuse to treat with
civilization in its desire to use the lands
west Of the present settlements. The total
Indian reservation is. 27.4SO,785 acres, and
large per cent. of this is i'll the proposed
State of South Dakota. Prior 10 the Or
ganization of Dakota by President Bu-
chanan, settlements were started along the
Sioux River and at Yank,on. In 1856
force of 1900 soldiers located ut Fort
Pierre. A fort was built at Chamberlain in
1856, but abandoned the next year 10y Gen.
Harvey, who chose the present site of Fort
Randall. The first actual settlement at.
tempted was at Sioux Falls in 1856, but the
Indians drove he settlers to Sioux City.
La 1857 they returned, and permanently
occupied the ground. The first election,
held in the Territory occurred at Sioux
Falls, Sept. Is, 1858, under permission
from the Governor of Minnesota. Dakota
then, as now, had trouble to get recogni-
ton. The PEOPLE elected provisional
Legislature in 1859, with S. j. Albright. as
Speaker of the House. A. G.. Fuller was
selected to represent Dakota in. Congress.
Henry Masters, Speaker of the Council and
acting Governor, dying in 1859, another
wards a prominent politician in the Terri
gate in Congress. and w. W.. Bookings
was elected Governor in place of Masters,
deceased. At this, the second session Of
the Territorial Legislature, few unimpor-
tant bills We're passed, and Congress- was
again memorial. zed to give Dakota terrific
riaEood. The administration then, as now,
was Democratic. For over three years their
prayers were unhee,let by the atlministra-
ton, and all the leeislating at Sioux Falls
went for naught. On the Sth of Novem-
Der, 1869, the citizens Of Yunkton met to
TRY THEIR LUCK AT GETTING TER
R1ToRY.
DIT. Bramble, now of Waterown, was
Chairman, and M. X. Armstrong, now of
81. James, Mimi, was Secretary of the
Territorial organization. Gen. Todd
was chosen to 60 before Congress and pre-
sent Dukotu's claims. But the efforts of
the people again failed. Again, on De-
cember n, 1850, the people met at Yank-
ton. and on the 15:h of January, 1861. pre-
pared IN earnest appeal asking Territorial
hood. and on the I'd of March their re-
quest was granted. In June President
Line pin appointed VIM. jane, of III nois,
Cove rnor, and the other federal Off ,ers.
The tirst act of the Governor was to take
the census of the Territory. The total
number of whites and half breeds then in
Dakota was found to be 2,S79. That was
only quarter Of century ago. The time
seems short compared with the history of
development. 1t reads more like romance
than h reality. As de from the few settle
ments mentioned the balance of this vast
Territory which has developed such agri-
cultural resources was an enigma. 1t was
supposed to be sterile and bare, and few
even predicted the general prosperity that
is now visible over such a vast area. On
Monday, Sept. 16, the first election under Il
Territorial organization occurred. The
campaign for delegate in Congress was tr-
angular and peculiar. One convention
nominated Capt. J. S. 3. Todd, another
nominated A. J. Bell, and still another
Chas P. Booge. There was some ques-
ton as to the latter's residence in the Ter
ritory and he never fully established the
fact The vote resulted in Todd's election,
who received 1917, Bell 70, Booze 10. This
election also elected the first Legislature
The next general election occurred Sept. l,
1862, and Jayne and Todd were candidates
for delegate in Congress. Jayne got 237
Bon Homme and Charles Mix Counties
LOull buCSSoNluhJ SoAeooCCAl . CiCS-
ton. The delegates since then from Da-
kota have been w. A. Burleigh, S. L.
Sphinx, NJ. X. Armstrong, j. p. Kidder. G.
G. Bennett, r. T. Pettinrew, J. B. Ray
mond and o. S. Clifford.
The federal appointees of Governors in
Dakota- have been, VIM. Jayne, Newton
Elmunds. A. j. Faulk. John A. Burbank,
John L. Pennington, VIM. A. Howard. N.
G.. Ordway and G. A. Pierce. Gov.
Howard died while in Office. Dakota has
had Secretaries, Chief justices, 81 AS
sociate justices, 5 District Attorneys,
Surveyor Generals, 7 United Stats Mar.
shals, and Collectors Of Internal Revenue
! prior 10 the consolidation of the d stric
with Nebraska.
The growth in population was rather
slow for the frs. five years. The total vote
cast in 1861 WIS 5S5; i'll 1862, 1853; in 1864
6O7; in 1866, 743. Two years later a de-
cled increase is noticed, when $3.50 was
cast, but in 1870, nine years after the Or
ganizaton OF the Territory, there was {
falling off, and only 1927 votes We're cast
In 1880. ten years later, the vote had in
creased to 2S.474. Two years later it had
crown to 47.1S5. The census of 1875
showed total population OF IA, 1872. Ter
years later it was 135,1SO. These are
merely cited for the purpose of compari-
son. They show phenomenal strides. The
Territory to-day has probably half mil
lion people, with probably two-thirds Of
them south of the Forty sixth parallel, Q,