The Hot Springs star. (Hot Spings [Hot Springs], Dakota [Dakota Territory, i.e. S.D.]) 1886-189?, 1890-02-21
EARLY DAYSlN DAKOIA
TRIALS AND rRleULArloan o. rnE
Pl0NEERA

lndians-rhs First white Wsnsa IN
Daksta-A Primitive Flag 1laee ftem
Red ana white shirts-Ths First Ser.
mon-Clay Ceanty In the Way Dack.
N. Kolken, OF volgs, whb IL gathering
data for 9 HISTORY OF the Sioux valley, ID Ia
receipt Of the following letters In regard to
Els present home, cra.fo,d, Nsb.: '''-'
Our colony, under the name Of the De-
kota Land company, pulled out from st.
l'aul. MIMI, for Dakote, Sept. 81, 1861,
under the eui lauce Of Maj. +. j. Dewitt
aud A. G. Fuller. lh.y now live
ct Yankton. 8. D., with their fam.
lilies. There were twsnty.ons persons,
ell told, eleven OF whom were left 1t
Medaty. Their names I have forgot.
ten-except Brown, Dinsiey, Merritt and
!o Legsee, our interpreter, . Chippewa
half breed. There were also three LETT at
Flandreau, Merritt and Roe-the other
name I do not remember. The remaining
seven went to Sioux Falls, reaching there
Oct. Is, 1857. Their names and former
homes were: David Mcbride, Lafayette,
Ind; J. L. Fisk, same place; James NJ.
Allen, Cleveland, o.; James w. Mccall.
Minnesota; VIM. Little. Maine; Henry
Merrill, Illinois: James w. Evans. Ak.
ron, o.
Our first trouble with the Indians, the
Yanktonais sioux, was June l2, 1858. Il
was then when Medary and Elaudresu were
sacked and burned, the ~colonists barely
escaping with their lives-snd stock, suf-
fering many hardshjps in the stampede.
Then was when Fort Dakota IT Sioux
Falls was built Of sods and logs, eight feet
high, four feet 1t base and two feet at top
Of wall, with port hoes every few feet. 4
flag stan was raised from which was un-
furled the stripes and stars made from
woman in Dakota, Mrs. Goodwin. 1
donated two shirts and d. Mcbride one.
The stars were made Of blue calico.
The flag and the port holes In the sod wall
had quite o soothing influence on the ma
raudels who decampsd In double quick. 1
kept the pioneer flag until Q few years MO-
whom, on Q Fourth Of July occasion, I
eoolishly loaned il and have not seen it
since.
Mrs. Goodwin accompanied her husband
to Julesburg on the Union Pacific railroad.
He was shortly after killed BY someone.
Mrs. Goodwin wa o excellent woman,
kind and charitable toward all. She pos
sessed more than womanly courage. She
always saw that her shotgun was loaded
and ready for the approaching redskin, and
Nv Vno SVAA0 WU0 ~ V0SS0I SV0W o00s
The Western Town Site company, Of
Dubuque. was also represented al Sioux
Falls BY eleven men under pay to hold their
town site and do the work necessary.
Judge w. w. Brookings, now at Sioux
Falls, was their agent. They brought with
them . portable saw mill which supplied US
with lumber. Their names wsse: Two
Bookings, brothers Of Judge BrookinRs.
y. =. Atwood, Albert Kilgore, DR.. j. T..
Phillips, all from the state Of Name, near
Bangor; John Mcclellan, Ireland; Smith
Kingsley. Dubuque, Ia; three others,
whose names I don't remember. KilRore
and the brothers Of Judge Bookings no.
turned to the state Of Maine. DIR. Phil.
lips died at Sioux Falls. John Mcclellan
lives at Sioux Falls. Smith Kingsley re-
turned to Dubuque.
In the early spring aud summer Of 1858
we received an addition to our number,
about twenty persons. mostly from Mime
sofa. Nj. White, wife aud infant daugh.
ter, Ella White, came in June, 1858. Mr..
White, it is supposed, was surprised and
murdered by white men for his money,
about 5000, and q fine horse he rode at the
time. Mrs. White died in Yankton. The
daughter Ella married some years ago.; but
i n know her name MOI where ehe re-
sides.
Henry Masters succeeded Judge Brook
ings ss western town site agent. He vas
elected provisional governor Of the SQUAT
ter Legislature, Of which body was o
member, in October, 1858. Mr.. Masters
preached the first sermon at Sioux Falls
that was ever preached in Dakota. His
sermon was in support Of tho Sweden.
borgian faith. He sickened and died and
was buried ON the bluff Immediately west
OF the island above the cataract. He was
also the first white mar to die q natural
death in Dakota.
Our entire party left Sioux Falls Aug.
%, 1862, after the loss Of two men-J. E.
Amidon and his son, Willie Amidon, Who
were killed by Indians. We buried their
bodies and left three days afterwsrd FOL
Yankton, where we fortified and 1roye thA
Indians bacK.
Tjeran A. johnson writes from DeForest,
Wis.,:
In June, 1862, 1 came to Clsy creek,
in Clay county, which is about four
miles from vermillion. There my old.
est daughter, Anna Maria, was born
the 18th OF November Of that year. In
August, however, W we're driven
away by Indians and had to fee to Sioux
City, where We staid . month. We then
returned to Clay Greek and were there un.
til March, 1868. As our neiRhbors did not
return to Clay Greek. my wife and I did
moi have the courage to place ourselves in
jeopardy Q second time, for which reason
We found it most sensible to leave what
little property we had brought with as and