The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1906-09-27
OF MURPHY
IS NOW No more
Discontinuance of Postofice
Marks Last Chapter in His
tory Of Rosebud Village.
IA TURBULENT EXISTENCE
During Its ShorH Life the Town. First
Known as Eden and Later as Muir
ply, Was Beset With Many
Difficulties.

Bcnesteel, S. D.. Sept. 24.-The town
of Murphy, which at one time prom
Used to become one of the most thriv-
ing towns in the coded portion of the
Rosebud Indian reservation. is no
more. The last chapter in the history
of the town was written a few days
ago, when the postOffice was dlscon-
tinued and the postotfice supplies and
fixtures were shipped to Washington.
The town has had quite a history.
When first established it was known
rs Eden, being named after the depot
agent at Fairfax. 1t was a government
townsite, n on August s, 1904, was
thrown open for toWnsite settlement.
The toTnsite comprised 240 acres of fine
farming land, but it was poorly stu
ated for a tOwnsite.
The law provides that when land is
set aside as a townsite those who To-
cate upon it must make improvements
to a certain amount on the tract. For
some reason the toWnsiters failed to
comply with this provision Of the law.
On April 20. 1905, q settler named John
Biehn, desiring to secure the tract for
homestead purposes, squatted on 100
acres of the 240 acres embraced in the
toWnsite. He then presented a petition
to the United States and office for the
district asking that the tract claimed
by him be thrown open to homestead
entry. The petition vas strictly ac-
cording to the a covering such cases
and bore the signatures Of Biehn ard
twelve other residents of thai locality.
On July Is the land officers issued an
order declaring the 100 acres subject
to homestead entry, and Biehn pre-
sented his entry. This was accepted
by the land officers and placed on rec
ord. The remaining eighty acres was
retained as a toWnsite.
About the time Biehn was taking
steps to secure the homestead, the set
tiers in that vicinity, desiring to Sc
cure a postot1ice, and not having a
friendly feeling toward the man after
whom the town was named, prevailed
upon John P. Murphy. who lived one
mile south Of Eden, to make application
to have a postoftice established at his
place and to start another town as a
rival to Eden.
The %postoffice was established on
Murphy's farm n a building was
erected to accommodate it. This, it
was believed, would prove a d~eath-blow
to Eden. But such did not prove to be
the case. After Biehn had been permit
ted to make entry of 160 acres of the
tract originally embraced in the town
site. the settlers in the vicinity rallied
to his support by petitioning the post
office department to have the postof1ce
removed from the farm Of Murphy to
Eden. but that Murphy be retained as
the name of the postofice. The petit
ton was granted and the postof1ice vas
moved to the old townsite. ,
Following this the town of Murphy
enjoyed q season of some prosperity,
and seemed in a fair way to become a
place of some Importance. But finally
MIR. Murphy, who is chief register of
titles in O county, ILL.,, finding that
his duties in Cook county would pre-
vent him retaining his residence upon
his homestead, ~relinquished the home
stead and an acquaintance named w.
b. Bonekemper made entry upon the
land. Murphy also resigned the posi-
ton of postmaster, and Solomon Baron
was appointed as his successor. But
for some reason the town began to go
backward. Soon residents Of other
commenced TO purchase the
buildings, some of which We're moved to
Dixon, a rival town some miles away.
Others were moved elsewhere to farms
in the vicinity and to other owns.
During the past few months there
only one building in the own and
that vas occupied by the postoffice.
Now that the %postoffice has been dis
that, too, will disappear and
nothing will remain to mark the spot
where a town once stood except the
modest dwelling of a homesteader.
Steps already are under Roadway to
have the eighty acres included in the
townsite opened to homestead entry.