Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1903-04-23
|IG FORTUNES in SOUTH DAKOTA
The stare has rive Mi'iionaires and Dozens in the
Six Figure Class-Ail Except Pettigrew Real
lied on Cattle and Acres

The buffalo grass of government
nd In South Dakota and artesian
ellis in the farming country of the
stern part of the state have made
Vs millionaires and a score worth
ON s25o.0oo to s1.0Oo,OoO within a
bore Of years.
Every one OF the great fortunes Of
outh Dakota belongs to farmers.
nth but one exception the five mil
Sonaires came to the state with no
hpital. Three of these turned cattle
ut on the ranges and realized from Is
so per cent annually on their in
<estment. The other two bought
heat quantities of cheap land, and
Rhen the artesian wells were struck
hey found themselves millionaires.
n Fortunes that have been made in
his state from cattle and land follow:
Harris Franklin, Deadwood.. SO ,0OO, 900
4 d. Smith, Madison. ..,... 100000
a. Avergaard, Turner county. 1000 900
Eugene Holcomb, Rapid City. / ,000,0 900
rorbin Morris, Rapid City. .. 100000
N. w. Hye, Pierre. ....... 100000
u. D. Thompson, Vermillion. 100000
b. M. Inman, Vermillion. 100000
"A E. Lee, Vermillion. .... 5000
Mr.. Prentiss, Vermillion. -. 100000
There is but one man In the state
Who has made himself wealthy with
but taking profits from cattle and
! and, and that is Frank Pettigrew of
Eioux Falls, former United States SEN
htor, who accumulated about million
by dealing in Sioux Falls real estate,
pnly to lose it all in the panic of the
hineties. Since then he has dealt in
Railroad stocks and mining properties,
hnd again his wealth is numbered by
six figures.
Franklin the Richest Man.
Harris Franklin Of Deadwood, rec
bgnized as the richest man in the
State, drove into Deadwood in 1875
with an OK team drawing a cart con.
RAINING barrel of whisky. This was
|his sole capital. He engaged for a
short time in the liquor business, but
soon went out of that to organize me
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
the winter. This was government
land and he knew 1t 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 rs 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 ii is evident that he has made
the fortune estimated at from $1,000
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 ne 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
unpromising when he began
buying has become, richly fruitful. SO
1t happens that Mr.. Smiths wealth Is
estimated by bankers at from $l,5Oo,-
900 to $1,600,000.
rtnr Mg Arc EttNn