The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1914-07-30
SOUTH DAKOTA ENDS rs YEARS
OF STATEHOOD

OF STATEHOOD
Dakota territory, when the region
first came to the attention of white
men, a little more than 200 years ago.
was the home of a half dozen or more
tribes Of Indians of different families.
The extreme northern portion was
occupied by the Ojibways, an Algon.
quin people, the northwest by the
Pigeons, also Algonquin, the lower
Sioux and James by the Omahas, of
Siouan stock the Missouri valley by
the Arickaras, popularity known as the
Rees, who were Caddoan, and farther
up by the Mandans, Siouan, and Min.
netaress, Algonquin, the Black Hills
by the Wiowas, and the Little Missouri
region by the Crows. During the
eighteenth century the region was in
vaded by the Sioux from the Mime
sofa country, and the Omahas, Rees.
kiowas and Crows, driven out. so tina,
at the beginning of the nineteenth cen.
fury they held dominion over all of
the present state of South Dakota and
more than half of North Dakota.
II is probable that the first white
man to tread the soil of Dakota ter.
ritory was Charles Pierre LeSeuer. a
French Canadian nominally in the EN-
ploy of the Canadian government, but
really prospecting the west on his own
account. LeSeuer is presumed to
have visited the falls of the Sioux in
1883, and was certainly there in 1899.
The first to leave a record of their
explorations were the ~Verendryes, who
came west in the interest of the Can.
adam government in 1888 in search
of a route to the Pacific. They came
by way of Winnipeg, the Ass'noboin
and the Mouse river to the Missouri
and in the course of time vent out as
far as Butte, Mont, where, baffled by
the barrier of the mountains. they
turned back in the spring of 1743 and
reached the Missouri somewhere near
Pierre and returned up that stream
and back to the east by the Winnipeg
route. Verendye claimed the region
for France.
Fur trading settlements were made
upon the Missouri and Red river al.
most simultaneously about 1880, and
were continuous throughout all the
territory thereafter, some of the most
notable fur establishments on the con
tinent being in Dakota, at Fort Union,
North Dakota, and Fort Pierre, South
Dakota.
All of Dakota territory was within
the louisiana purchase, having pre-.
viously been alternately within the
jurisdiction of France and Spain. AS
American territory it was successfully
a portion Of Indiana, louisiana, Mis-
souri,, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Min
nesota and Nebraska. When the state
of Minnesota was admitted in 1858,
Dakota territory was held to continue
as Minnesota territory, and that was
its legal status until Dakota territory
erected in the spring of 1861. In
fact, however, the settlers. chiefly at
Sioux Falls and near Pembina, organ
lied an Independent government which
they administered themselves.
Dakota territory, which then includ-
ed Wyoming and Montana, was Great
ed March 2, 1861, and President Lin
coin 500 after appointed William
Jayne of Springfield, ILL.,, governor and
sent him u to organize the establish
ment. Jayne came in May, established
quarters at Yankton and provided
for a census. divided the territory into
legislative districts, called an election
and went back homo. The Legislature
that fall convened for business
upon the call of the governor, on
March II, 1862.
The Indian title to the land of Dakota
territory was r~elinQuished by piece
neal. That portion east Of the Mis-
souri, river by the treaty of Traverse
les Sioux, in 1851; between the Sioux
Missouri as far north as Lake
by the Yankton treaty of
1858; most Of North Dakota by the
reaty of Fort Laramie, which con
Black Hills in 1876; the great Sioux
reservation was broken up by the
reaty of 1890, and almost annually,
All 49, AnAnA L. ni,rAn IN Aha- L.