The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1903-04-23
BIG FORTUNES IN SOUTH DAKOTA
The State has Five MiIlionaires and Dozens in the
Six Figure CIass-AIl Except Pettigrew Real
lied on Cattle and Acres.

The buffalo grass OF government
land in South Dakota and artesian
wells in the farming country of the
eastern part Of the state have made
Eve millionaires and score worth
from s25O,OOO to $1,OO0,OO0 within a
score Of years.
Every one of the great fortunes of
South Dakota belongs to farmers.
With but one exception the five mil
Donaires came to the state with no
cspital Three of these turned cattle
ont on the ranges and realized from Is
10 so per cent annually on their in
yestment. The other two bought
great quantities of cheap land, and
when the artesian wells were struck
they found themselves millionaires.
Fortunes that have been made in
this state from cattle and land follow:
Harris Franklin, Deadwood.. SO ,000, GOO
Id. Smith, Madison. ...... 100000
H. Avergaard, Turner county. 100000
Eugene Holcomb, Rapid City. / 900, 900
Corbin Morris, Rapid City,. 100000
G. W. Hye, Pierre. 100000
NJ d. Thompson, Vermillion. 100000
D. NJ. Inman, Vermillion. 80. 100000
A. Z. Lee, Vermillion. .... 100000
Mr.. Prentiss, Vermillion. 100000
There is but one man in the state
who has made himself wealthy with
out taking profits from cattle and
land, and that is Frank Pettigrew of
Sioux Falls, former United States SEN
ator, who accumulated about a million
by dealing in Sioux Falls real estate,
only to lose it all in the panic of the
plneties. Since then he has dealt in
railroad stocks and mining properties,
and again his wealth is numbered by
six figures.
Franklin the Richest Man.
Harris Franklin Of Deadwood, rec
ognized as the richest man in the
state, drove into Deadwood in 1876
with an OK team drawing a cart con-
tanning a barrel of whisky. This was
bis sole capital. He engaged for a
short time in the liquor business. but
soon went out of that to organize Cne
Harris Franklin Cattle company. He
had gone east from neadwood and
found countless acres covered with a
thick growth of buffalo grass. He
found this grass cured early and re-
tanned nearly all its nutriment, so
that cattle could feed on it throughout
land and he knew it could be pastured
with little or no charge for the land. !
He started with small herd, and he |
has prOspered so steadily that now, |
after paying from 20 to Is per cent a
year upon the stock of the Harris |
franklin Cattle company, he owns be-
tween $4,000 and 10000 head branded !
In the name of his company.
He is president of the Golden Re-
ward Mining company, one of the
largest stockholders in the American
National bank of Deadwood, and pres
ident Of the First National bank of the
same town. His mining properties did |
not begin paying him dividends until
1897, so it is evident that he has made
the fortune estimated at from $4,000.
600 to 100000 almost entirely out
Of the cattle business.
Bought Cheap Land. /
Next to him in point Of wealth is
probably |. Z. Smith Of Madison. He
came to this state from Iowa with
about 10000. For fifteen years he has
been buying land in the eastern part
Of the state. He sold only what was
necessary for his expenses, holding the
rest for advances. Land that seemed
altogether unpromising when he began
buying has become richly fruitful. So
L happens that Mr. Smiths wealth is
estimated by bankers at from $780,
700 to s1,6O0,000. I