The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1904-02-19
KIMBALI. SOUTH DAKOTA, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 49, 1904
THE DRIFT OF POPULATION

THE DRIFT OF POPULATION |
More People East of Mitchell Then
West of It.
Missouri runs several miles south of
that line, making the median point
as the census people call it-about
twenty-six miles north of Mitchell and |
about midway between that city and
Huron.
Now, let's see how rapidly the
the center of population is working
west toward Pierre-howi it made the
jump of seventy-tiye miles in that
direction in the last thirteen years
The three tiers of counties in the
extreme east side of the state and
comprising only about one-hfth OF its
total area, namely: Marshall, Roberts,
Day, Grant, Clark, Codington, Ham
lin, Deuel., Kingsbury, Brookings
Miner, Lake, Moody, Hanson, McCook
Mlnnehaha, Hutchinson, Turner,
Lincoln, BonHomme, Yankton, Clay
and Union have population by the
1900 census Of 237, ,S79. The total pop
ulation Of the state was 4O1, $50. This
gives showing something like this;
Population east of Mitchell. ;. .237.879
Population west Of Mitchell. J. .163.693
Difference east 1926
If the population Of Hanson, Hutch
inson and onHcmme combined were
driven over west of Mitchell there
would still be more people living east
of Mitchell than west of it-and yet
there are those with gall enough to
claim that the actual center OF popu-
lation is westof Mitchell-and work
ling northwest toward Pierre every
year.
During the period from 1890 to 1900
the total gain of the state In popula.
tion was 5s,219.
The Gain OF THE COUNTIES JUST
NAMED ABOVE WAS 56,276 ALONE.
| II these counties be set one side the
rest OF the state to the west of them,
four-tifths of its area, will show net
loss during the period named.
This looks as though the center of
population had moved Pierreward
seventy miles since the capitol was
located thirteen years ago, doesn't it,?
1t won't move that far in seventy
years. The center of population Of
the United States has not moved fif-
teen miles IN the last thirteen years,
Notwithstanding the tremendous i'm
migration into all parts Of the great
west west Of the Missouri, including
that to the Pacific coast.
1t seems impossible for even some
well meaning people to comprehend
the fact that as Illinois is growing
|eyen more rapidly than Iowa, Iowa
gaining faster than South Dakota, SO
the eastern part Of South Dakota
more than holds its percentage of pop
ulation and will for all time to come.
/ The fact is, and the census figures
all show it, that the center of popu-
4 lation OF the state has not moved
mile north or west of Mitchell in the
past thirteen years, and isn't likely to
in that many years to come-if ever.
Il None but census expert can figure
out the exact center of population, as
the center Of population is the center
of gravity Of the population of the
state, each individual being assumed to
have the same weight. But the med
ian polnt-the point of intersection Of
the lin e dividing the population
] equally north and south with the line
6 dividing it east and west-in short,
| the true central point of population
) is now about sixteen miles east OF Nit
D chell and about thirty miles north of
: it-in the immediate vicinity OF Car
e thage. That is enough for most
e Ipeople to know-more than enough to
i substantiare every claim of Mitchell:
i that it is located near the center Of
! the dense population of the state; and
S the way it has hugged that particular
t locality in the past fifteen years, the
! very best proof in the world that the
only way Pierre can get is to tear
: it out by the roots.
3 Miss Sophia Slck0 Is Married
Ol Miss Sophia SickO was married tx