The Charles Mix new era. (Wagner, Charles Mix County, S.D.) 1???-1911, 1910-12-02
A IN
(BY A ROBINSON).

son IN a recent article has lrougnt
me inquiries from two librarian wAo
desire to establish d~istinctively South
Dakota shelves, for information about
booked ii ton byv South Dakota writ
ers. Perhaps others are interested.
The first South Dakota writer Of
fiction. so far as l can lea n, was Mrs.
George E. Spencer of Deadwood, who
wrote a very excellent story of Bla X
Hills life which she ruined by giving
it the vaudeville title of Ca amity
Jane Mrs. SPENCER now resides in
Watertown, N. Y, and the book is out
of print, but may be obtained of sec
ond hand dealers.
Hamlin Garland was the next South
Dakota writer and he has three ic-
lions which are peculiarly ours. T. ey
are Jason Edwards. An Ave, age
Man." a Brown county story filled
with the spirit Of the old days Of pop
ulism. Many Of the old time Aber-
deem boomers figure in it thinly dis
gu-sed. The Little Norsk, or Old
Pap's Flaxen," a MCPHERSON county
story in Garland's best style. Bo,h OF
these works are now out of print.
"Moccasin Ranch" Is a recent story
by Garland, which is rather question
able in its morals. 1t has to do with
homesteading in Brown county.
Miss Stella Gilman of HUDSON, was
also an early fiction writer and her
THAT Dakota Gil" and "A Gumbo
Lily" two very c%reditable books, are
out of print.
Judge George H. Marquis, Of the
Third circuit. has a very good lit
dete tive story, entitled "Fairview s
Mystery"
Marion L. Fox, once editor of the
Sioux Falls Press, wrote a book in
tended to discredit the Philippine war,
which he called Private Smith," 1t is
out of print.
Rev. w. d. Atwater of sturgis long
ago published a religious story en-
titled Told Again" l find it occa-
sionally in second hand lists.
Thomas A. Stubbins, a Yankton COL
lege man, has a patriotic story for
boys, The Patriot" Donohue, Chi
cago.
Eleanor Gates (Tulley) "Autobiog-
raphy Of a Prairie Girl" and "The
Pillow Woman" Mrs. Tulley was DO n
near Humboldt. M~innefaha county,
and the old homestead there is the
scene of her first story. The scene of
the second is along the Missouri from
Fort Randall to Bismarck.
The late DR.. Will Lillibridge of
Sioux Falls, left five c"ed.table looks
of fiction, the best known of which
was his first, Ben Blair" which had
a remarkable sale, and is still going.
Ben Blair" and Where the Trail
nividncv orn Sfnrfnc IF tho nIA cot
tie range region in western South Da-
kota. THE Dominant Dolls ," The
Eternal Question" and one other, a
life in Sioux Falls.
Kate and Virgil Boyles have col
Elaborated upon three f%ictions: Lang
ford of the Three Bars a ta'e OF
Lyman county cattle rustling. in with
John @. Anderson as Langford, ana
John G. Bartine, the newly elected
state senator from Lyman county, As
prosecuting attorney, We for heroic
honors; The Homesteaders." a quiet
err Lyman county story, and the last,
''The Spirit Trail" a & aphic story
of the Sioux war, all by M Clurgs.
John H. Burns, the well known at
torney of Deadwood has a splendid
story in his Memoirs of a Cow Pony"
"Everyman His Chance" is a Rapid
City story, by Miss Matilda Stone
Woods, daughter of the late James M
Woods, the well known politician or
Rapid City. 1t is a very good stoly
published by Badger, Boston.
A further reading of joseph Mills
,Hanson's with Sully in the Sioux
Lands leaves me doubling the pro-
priety of chasing that excellent work
as fiction. 1t is very reliable history,
but is as interesting as any fiction.
These works made up a shelf of
twenty-three highly creditable works
of fiction that are distinctly the work
of South Dakotans and usually upon
South Dakota themes. There are
several other works which for one
reason or another should be upon the
South Dakota shelf.
Governor Gilbert A. Pierce wrote
the Dangerous Woman" a story OF
the civil war and the days Immediate
" following. The Identification of the
author with Dakota makes his work
of special interest.
"The Conquest" by Eva Emery
Dye, is for two reasons ours. 1t has
much to do with primitive Dakota
affairs and the author Is a former
resident, having been the wife OF Pro-
lessor Emery of the Madison normal.
"The Westerners," by Stewart Ed
ward White, is a story of the Bla X
Hills, though Mr.. White was never
more than a temporary resident OF
the state.
paul Traver's Adventures was
written by Sam T. Glover, while a
resident Of Sioux Falls, but not pub
ilished until a long time after the
author left the state. 1t does not
have much to do with South Dakota
matters.
fonda" by Warren X. Morehead,
is a story of the Sioux of South Da-
kota and incidentally of the white
people who live among them.
There are perhaps others OF this
class as we'll as other distinctively
South Dakota productions. but this Is
the complete list which has been
gathered in the state library.
SissetOn-The large barn, valued