Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1904-07-15
HOW PIERRE GOT the CAPITAL
Through scheming Town Lot
Men Who Came From
Minnesota
AND RoPED IN sUCKEIss

Voters Up Again and
Brand Them ssSuckers
Number TwO.'
BRIBERY REsoRTED TO. Il.
How did Pierre secure the state CAPT
tai fourteen years agof
There never was In oil tho history Q
this OF any adjoining state 90 mucl
FRAUD perpetrated. or 20 much BRIH
ERY resorted to. or 90 much premedi
tated sWINDLING done in one form AM
anOtihsr 10 secure ths state institution
a. Pierre did in the campaign Of 1S9
and years prior thereto.
TOWN Lot BOOMERS.
Away back in the early settlement Q
this northwestern country The name o.
Pierre. or rather Fort Pierre AZ 1t j
sometimes called. became the mos
famous location on the Missouri .
. trading point in dealing in fnrs ant
buffalo hides between st. Louis and th'
head waters Of the river and It has hell
that distinction until the present tim'
except that 1t 10 now dealing In sheel
pelts and cattle hides.
During the discussion Of the division
Of the territory Of Dakota in The earl,
eighties several land boomers from th'
east became attached to Pierre b.
reason Of its much advertised name BY
the Northwestern Fur Company and 1T
apparsnt geographical center" Of wha
was to be South Dakota and they came
to Pierre, the terminal Of the railroad
Now, who were these land and town lo
boomers, where did they come from snd
what did they do after their arrival2
They were Billy" Wells. Mr.. Well
man, James Ward. Tracy Pratt and
others. most Of whom came from Zum
brota Minnesota. They settled on o.
bought from 1000 70 1900 acres Of land
directly east from tho Missouri rivel
back over the gumbo bluffs. believing
when the state was divided they could
impress on the people the necessity Of
locating the state capital near the
geographical center" Of the state with
out regard to ito availability to produce
farm products that would sustain q
population. These schemers and town
lot boomers were right in their ideas
about fooling the people to vote to put
the capital at the geographical center
even though the eastern half of the
state would sustain eight times as many
people - tho western half. They had
secured absolute control Of oil lands
surrounding the village Of Pierre and
they proceeded to lay their gumbo land
ont into town lots with 20 foot front.
The division Of Dakots territory having
occurred in 1899 and the state having
been admitted into tho union, these 20
foot town lot boomers estsblished East
Pierre and erected the Wells hotel and
the PARK hotel. They built street cat
line from Wells hotel In East Pierre 70
the old village mile and half away,
they built several residences. . bank
and . few store buildings and then
asked the Northwestern railway to give
them . station at East Pierre. federal
postoffice, and they secured the erection
Of 3 denominational college. They were
now ready to open the boom for Pierre
for the capital as soon Is they could
secure money for their scheme. :
How did they secure it,
ISSUED BONDS.
y They conceived the idea of going
into the business Of issuing bonds
and selling them to men and women
who had money for the investment
and the records of Hughes county,
the city Of Pierre and the school dis.
tricts of the county will show they
issued and sold hundreds Of Thousands
of dollars worth of bonds more than
they ever redeemed or paid the interest
on. The county Of Hughes was bonded
for 100000 to build railroad from
Pierre TO Aberdeen and from Pierre to
the Black Hills. They made prelim.
mary survey Of the road to Aberdeen,
and then hired some farmers to plow
and scrape dirt at and near Pierre. at
and near Aberdeen. at and near Faux
ton. and when anyone visited any Of
these railway towns they were shown
the Aberdeen Fort Pierre & Black Hills
railroad, NOW Chem being built"
FARMERS RAILROAD GRADE. s
The east was thoroughly canvassed by
these gumbo land and town lot boomers
and land and lots were promisoously
sold to people wanting to invest who
when they visited these towns were,
shown the farmers railroad grade"
which extended mile or two esch way
from the towns.
Bonds were issued and sold against
everything possible to bond. A railroad
was promised 10 the Black Hills. Men
from Pierre travelled in every precinct
in the state to boom Pierre for the
capital. Money taken from people oil
over the country for bonds that were
and fraudulently issued and
for gumbo 20.foot. front lots sold was
lavishly spent by the town lot boomers
Of Pierre for the capital. Voters were
bought either with cash frsudulently
obtained or with the promise Of . deed
to a 20 foot gumbo lot on this l.50O.acre
tract Of land that the Zumbrota, MIMI,
boomers had bought ct prices ranging