The Norfolk weekly news-journal. (Norfolk, Neb.) 1900-19??, 1912-03-01
First Homestead in South Dakota.

y few weeks ago The News printed
a little item stating that pencil
sketch of the first homestead shanty
in South Dakota, drawn by the man
who held the CLAIM, was in possession
of w. w Hoffman, a linotype opera.
| tor on The News. The picture was
made by Mahlon Gore. Mr.. Gore. now
| living at Orlando, Fla, heard of it and
wrote to say that he was not dead,
as believed And he has just written
a little story of his early days in Da-
kota, at the request of this paper. He
| tells how he filed claim No |, how
| his crops were destroyed by grass
| hoppers, how he published the Sioux
| City Journal and later sold it to the
present editor, George =. Perkins.
how he founded the Sioux City Trb-
une and later went south.
Following is Mr.. Cores interesting
| letter:
II settled on my claim in the Big
Sioux valley early in July, 1862. hav-
ing come in company with my broth
| er-Rev Albert Gore-from Battle
| Creek. Mich. After selecting our
| claims, my brother returned to Michi-
san for our wives and his two chill
| dren. | rem aimed to erect a house for
| the accommodation of the two fami-
lies. My nearest neighbor resided in
| the Brule Creek precinct, three miles
away. To get help to put up a house
was almost impossible. I was a print
or. The Vermilion Republican was
being published by John B. Glaze.
| They needed help. BY deferring my
building anC going to the Republican
office to help out arranged to secure
| a man from that place for a weeks
work in return. We cut logs on a
school section, splitting them so as to
make two of one. We managed to get
a pen rolled up. | obtained lumber
from Elk Point, about eight miles
away, for floor and roof. and for cas-
| ings, for door and two windows.
Size of house, 12x1S feet outside.
| Files Claim No. I.
| "On the LIST of January, following,
| (lS63) | filed homestead application
| No. |, VefnSrion land district. Dakota
| Territory. | lived on the claim and
brought under cultivation about sew
| "nty-fiNe acres The first seasons
crops were good and the years prog
ress was encouraging. But the fol
| lowing season was disastrous. | had
about seventy acres in corn and five
more in vegetables. But on Aug. II
just as everything was big with prom
Use, the grasshoppers came down on
us in a cloud that darkened the sun.
and in one day, everything except the
log cabin was swept from the face
of the earth
Il had staIled all on bumper crop
and all was lost. My neighbors were
equally unfortunate so | could not
hope for any income through employ
ment with them.
Published Sioux City journal.
in October following, gentleman
from Sioux City came to see me.
bringing proposal to go to Sioux
City and undertake the publication of
the Sioux City Journal. The outfit
was owned by a stock company. Four
issues of the paper had been gotten
out and then the publication had been
suspended. ! looked over the situa.
ton, terms were agreed upon, and |
went to work. At the end of two years
! bought out the stockholders and be.
came owner, continuing to publish
that paper until l sold out to George
ID. Perkins.
His Claim Is Jumped.
, Meantime my claim was Jumped
by a man named Fisher, on the
, ground of abandonment, although |
had been paying him for work on the
place for two years. This was my ex
perience as 4 homesteader.
Founded Sioux City Tribune.
Il continued to reside in Sioux City
7 and in 1875, in company with Hon. H
L. Warner, l founded the Sioux City
, Tribune which ! conducted until my
, health failed, and | was forced out OF
| business, finally coming to Florida
early in 1880, where | have continued
, to live until the present time. And
, here ! will probably continue to live
until my fina' migration.
/,
! Homesteaders Start SIouIv