The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1905-01-20
sANeoR's TALE OF WOE IS LONG.
Waited Sixteen Years for a Road That
Never Came.

never Ndmc.
At the time of the organization of
Walworth county, in the winter of
1883, the county seat was located at
lie Beau, on the Missouri river. In the
spring and summer of that year lie
Beau divided against itself. South lie
secured the county seat. They were
about two miles apart.
Early in 1884 the settlers back on
the prairie made known their dissat
isfaction and demanded that the coun-
ty seat be removed to some place near
the geographical center, and that fall,
at the first general election in the
| county, it was located at Bangor.
Bangor was plated and owned by
H. B. Foster, now of Bangor, Me. He
plated and donated about eight acres
in the form of a square for county pur-
poses, and offered to give 1000 in
cash to help build a court house.
Mr.. Foster put up a rame building
about 20X40 feet on the ground, and
90 feet high, with hip roof. A~fterward
the county built a ireproof vault, with
| fireproof metal doors and iron Orders.
The materials otherwise were stone,
brick and cement, the whole costing
about $1,000.
Then Bangor sat down on the pral'
RE and waited sixteen years for a rail
road to come.
It came, but not to Bangor. 1t pass.
ed about four and one-half miles north,
The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul
built %northward from Bowdle, in Ed.
munds county, describing q section OF
a circle, and also southwark to Evarts
on the Missouri. 1t located a station
and planted a townsite almost due
northward from Bangor and called ii
Selby. and while doing this it's hustlers
we're obtaining signatures to a petition
to the county commissioners to submit
a proposition to move the county seat
from Bangor to Selby.
The question was submitted that
year to a vote and was lost. 1t was
voted down in November, 1900, and IL
January, 1901, there was a demand
upon the legislature hat the consti
tuition be changed in such a way as
to make the moving of county seats
not on the line of some railway less
difficult.
The resolution went through the leg
islature and was adopted by the PEG
pie at the general election in 1902. Thi
question interested very few, nearly
all of the county seats being already
upon the lines of railway.
The constitution was amended tt
suit the railways, and in 1904 the
question was again submitted to the
voters of Walworth county and agar
voted down.
"A citizen of Selby brought p contes
of the election on the county seat ques
ton, leaving out all of the other is
sues voted upon. Service was made
upon two of the commissioners or
Dec. IA, and the fact became known
to the people of Bangor about nightfal
on Dec. II.
The county commissioners, actin;
upon the advice of the states attorney
refused to defend the case, and a de
fault Judgment was signed by judge
Smith of the Mitchell circuit, h wa;
holding a term of court at Ipswich
Edmunds county, in the absence of Thu
judge of the Sixth judicial circuit, OF
Dec. 26, a legal holiday.
y An execution was promptly takel
out and the next afternoon the sher
if, a Selby man, appeared at the cour
house with several deputies, some o
whom displayed firearms, and began
to move the county records and III
official furniture.
With sledges and crowpars they tor
out the ~freproof doors and took tn
two safes and carried them to Selby
That night some of the deputies oc
cupied the court house, and the mex
day they began the demolition of tn
building and the ireproof vault, III
continued the work on the 29th an'
Goth.
They carried the broken lumber an,
ironwork Of the vault to Selby. AL
that is left on the site is the wreckag'
of the buildings.