Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1902-09-12

1902.
From Press and Dakonian.

/ AANA0S0SO VI XAVASSAOs AsAAVs
From Press and Dakonian.
Forty years ago, nearly all the popu'
lation, Of that part Of the territory o1
Dakota South of the 48th parallel wer.
huddled In q stockade four hundred
feet square, which had been hastily con
structed at the intersection Of Broad
way and Third streets in the city Of
Yankton The exception. noted ..
nearly all, were 4. few young men a
vermillion and Elk Point, and some
four or five families mostly Canadian
French who had recently settled nea,
where jefferson now ia in Union Coun
ty. Those who came to Yankton were
al the residents Of Yankton county Al
far east as Gayville, all the inhsbitantl
Of Bon Homme county, and . few from
Sioux Falls. All the balance Of the pe0.
pie fed from the territory, going to
Sioux City and other points farther
east and south. Many Of the settlers in
their hasty fight left behind them their
live stock and other property, and in a'
least one instance, two children became
separated from their parents in the wild
flight and panic but were picked up by
other fugitives and later restored to
their family.
This condition was the result Of the
Indian uprising in Minnesota on the 2sd
and Oath Of August, 1862, when several
hundred men, women and children
were massacred by Little Crows band
Of Indians at New Ulm and other points
in the southwestern part Of that state.
When the news of that outbreak and
massacre reached Dako,a, with the ad.
ditionaly information that the Indians
were being driven westward by the
troops under Gen. sibley, it created q
panic among the people Of the territory
whose homes were scattered and isolat
ed, and 4 wild stampede for places Of
greater safety commenced. and with
the result as above stated.
AT Yankion, which at that time con
tained population Of about one hun
dred persons it was desided to organize
for defence and if possible maintain the
settlement. A meeting was called at
which the decision was indorsed, and q
military organization perfected under
the name Of Company A. Dakota Mill.
tia, with F. NJ. Ziebach, as Captain.
David Fisher as 1st Lieutenant and H.
G. Ash az and Lieutenant.
In enrolling and mastering this COM
pany no attention was paid. to the phys
ical qualifications Of it's membership.
The only requirements was gun and
how to use it. One man had but one
leg. and that not over . foot long, yet
no drawer or more efficient soldier was
to be found in the command: another
was nearly blind. but could sec more
Indians at long. range than the duplica-
tion and multiplication Of objects 10 the
vision Of . man who tarries long in his
cups: one at least v as an arrant coward.
When the news of the uprising reached
Yankton he was brave, bosstful and
picturesque in his demonstrations OF
courage, it fret,ed his aoul that he was
compelled to wait the tardy coming of
the painted and fea,hered warriors. He
wanted them TO come quick. that he
might slay them by the score and hang
their scalps on his belt. When the
Indians actually did come, and death
was imminent to the little beleagered
band, he was whimpering snivelling
poltroon. Dakota had no place in its
inside area for him, and when the dan
ger Of death had passed he went ont and
into oblivion,
Immediately after the perfection of
this organization. work was commenced
upon the erection OF q stockade, which
it was decided would furnish the best
means Of protection and could be the
most successfully defended. The north
wall of the s,ockade was built of sod.
but under the stress Of circumstances
this mode Of construction was found to
be too slow, and the other three sides Of
the stockade were made Of lumber and
whatever else could be utilized. NJ. K.
Armstrong and G. F. Picotte had just
received from Patterson's saw mill 10.
Gated in fine body Of timber on the
Nebraska side of the river directly op.
posite Yankton. the lumber for the
erection of the capital building on the
corner Of Capital and Fourth street
Washington Reed had got out set Of
house logs for . dwelling on his pre-.
emp,ion a short distance above Yank.
ton, and an unoccupied log house be-
longing to James Falkenburg was I'M
pressed or more properly con6scated
With this material, and the willing
and diligent work Of all hands, the
stockade and two block houses, 80 ar
ranged as to command the four sides o1
the enclosure, was speedily completed
And here for the space Of nearly two
months was Assem- bled for mutual pro
lection al the people Of Dakota terri
tory, with the exceptions above noted
They saved the territory from total de
population. and were the nucleus o.
what South Dakota is today. Had they
Joined in general exodus, the newly
formed civil government would hav,
given place to martial law, and th'
former could not have been resumed q