The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1904-08-05

How did Pierre secure the state
capital fourteen years ago?
There never was in all the history Of
this or any adjoining state so much
fraud prepetratcj, so much bribery
resorted to. so much premedltated
swinding done i'm one form and am
other TO secure state institution as
Pierre did i'm tine campaign of 1880 and
years prior thereto.
TOWN LOT BOOMERS
Away back in the early settlement
of this northwestern country tie
name of Pierre, or rather Fort Pierre
as it is sometimes called. became the
most famous location on the Missouri
river as a trading point for dealing in
furs and buffalo hides between ST.
Louis and the head waters OF the
river and it has held that distinction
until the present time except that it
is nov dealing in sheep pelts and cat
tie hides
During the discussion of the divis-
ion of the territory of Dakota iE the
early eighties several land boomers
from the east became attracted to
Pierre by reason of its much adyer-
tised name by the Northwestern Eur
Company and Its apparent "geographi
cal center" of what was to be South
Dakota and they came to Pierre, the
terminal of the railroad. Now, who
were these land and town lot boomers,
where did they come from and what
did they do after their arrival?
They were 'Billy" Wells, Mr.. Well
man, James Ward, Tracy Pratt and
others, most of whom came from Zcm-
brota, Minnesota. They settled on or
bought from 1000 to 1900 acres of
land directly east from the Missouri
river back from the gumbo bluffs be-
lieymg when the state was divided
they could impress on the people the
necessity of locating the state capital
near the "geogra phical center" of the
state without regard to It's availabili-
W w lJloNuSC liiCtl
would sustain population. These
schemers and town lot boomers were
right in their ideas about fooling the
people to vote to put the capital at
the ''gcogra phical center even though
the eastern half of the state would
sustain eight times as many people as
the western half. They had secured
absolute control Of all lands surround
ing the village of Pierre and they
proceeded to lay this gumbo land out
into lots with a 20-ioot front. The
division of Dakota territory having
occurred in 1889 and the state having
been admitted into the union, these
20-foot town lot boomers established
East Pierre aud erected the Wells
hotel and the Park hotel. They built
a street car line from Wells hotel in
East Pierre to the old Village a mile
and Il half away, they built several
residences, a bank and IL few store
buildings and then asked the North
western to give them station at East
Pierre, federal postot1ice. and they
secured the erection of denomina-
tional college. They We're now ready
to open the boom for Pierre for the
capital as soon as they could secure
| money for their scheme.
| How were they TO secure it?
ISSUING, BONDS
They conceived the idea of going in
| to the business Of issuing bonds and
| selling them to men and women who
had money for investment and the
records or Hughes county, and the
city of Pierre and the school district
of the county will show they ISSUED
and sold hundreds of thousands of dol
lars worth of bonds more than the,
ever redeemed or paid the interest on
The county of Hughes was bonded fol
500. 900 to build d railroad from Pierre
to Aberdeen and from Pierre to tn,
Black Hills. They made Il prelimln
airy survey of the road to Aberdeen
and then hired some farmers to plOy
ana Scrapc DIRT at and near Pierre, Il
and near Aberdeen. at and near Faulk
ton, and when anyone visited any o
these railway towns they were shown
the Aberdeen. Fort Pierre & Bacl
Hills railroad, ''now lthen) bein
built"
FARMERs' RAILROAD GRADE
The east was thoroughly canvassc,
by these gumbo land and lot boomer
and land and lots were promiscousl
sold to people wanting to invest whs
when they visited these towns wel
shown the farmers )a!road grade,
which extended a mile Or two eac
way from the towns.
Bonds were issued and sold agains
everything possible to bond. a raj
road was promised to the Black Hill