The Sisseton weekly standard. (Sisseton, Roberts County, S.D.) 1892-1929, 1915-12-03
RELIC OF
THE PAST
Browns Valley Hotel Regis
ter of IS Years Ago.

Mrs. Geo. McLane furnished an
interesting relic of the early days
of Browns Valley when she was
removing some household furniture
the other day 1t is the first reg
lister of Browns Valleys first hotel
The Traverse House. The first
date on the register is June 18th,
1880, and the first signature is N.
Stone, Olivia, Mimi. The second
name to appear was that of Chas.
Crawford, of Sisseton Agency, an
Indian preacher, who was a fire.
quent visitor to this city in the
early days, but who has lived a
very secluded life at the Agency of
late years On the second day APP
pears the name of John Rodenbour,
who had just arrived from Mime
lska, Mimi, and who later took a
homestead i'll Lake township and
lived here until his death few
years ago. On June "a appears the
name of M, S. Stevens, now an at
tornev at Gracev1lle. The names
of A, w. Milton, f. B. Layman,
A. B. Corey, Chas. Reisdorf, w.
p. Todd, Chas. Tainter and Stewart
Cobb, and others of the early set
tiers appeared as guests of the
house i'll June. \. w. Milton
registered as from ID. T." mean
ing Dakota Territory, he having a
homestead i'll Becker township, now
a part of Roberts county, S. Oak,
but then i'll Grant county, Oak.
Ter. According to the register,
H. w. Barrett and L. II. Bowman
arrived OH July ,Srd, coming here
from Wisconsin and engaging in
the drug and hardware business.
Jos. Branch and number of others
are from time to time registered
from Hope Station. At that
time there was no Beardsley, be
cause the railroad was not yet COM
pleted but the homesteaders up
there were hoping for the railroad
and hoping for a station. so they
just registered from Hope Sta.
tion.' There were a large num-
Der of arrivals on July 4th and 5th
as there was big Indian celebra-
ton OIL the 5tll, and a great num-
Der came from a long distance to
see the big show. Some thirty or
more came up from Ortonville,
Fred Tuttle and wife, A 7. Hess
and wife, at that time publishers of
the Ortonville Star, being among
the number. On the 5th William
Pott was registered from Mt. Zion,
wherever that may be. H. H. Howe
who was one of the first settlers of
Lake Valley township was register
ed for the first time on July 13.
On the 5th of July, James Layden
and Frank B. Ayres at that time
/ two bachelor home -steadera, were
registered from Mount Emma. :"
| Mr.. Layden has been here ever
| since but Mr.. Ayers remained for
only Snort time. On August I,
the Traverse House entertained a
distinguishe visitor in the person
of Bishop Ireland and Party" of
St. Paul. And so on through the
brown colored pages of the register
appear we'll known names of early
pioneers, some dead. others gone
and forgotten, and others still liv-
ing in the town where thev cast
/ their lot thirty five years ago. The
proprietor of the hotel was Will
Hooper, who with his father, Col.
Hooper, and his brother-in.Iaw anc
sister, Mr.. and Mrs. Prescott, had
come out from the east. Will
Hooper was an artist and on man,
of the pages of the register appear
pen sketches, indicative of the sea
son, or of some local happening
On Nov. Goth, the first train cam,
into the Valley, and Mr.. Hope
drew sketch of it. The rails wer
asrolling as the waves of the lake
and the cars were labeled Coma