The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1915-10-29
Lay Corner Stone

Lay Corner Stone
Simple Ceremonies ut the Placing Of
the Corner stone Of the New Court
House. Senator Amsden Gives
short Historical Review
The laying of the corner stone
of the new court house structure
was observed by short cere-
mony of simple exercises last
Saturday afternon. The weather
was auspicious for the work,
and quite a gathering of citizens
were on hand to recognize the
occasion. County Attorney Rix
acted as master of ceremonies,
and stated that the music plan.
ned for the occasion would be
missing, as the band was unable
to be present, and some of the
members of the vocal quartet
were called from home at the
last moment. He then introduc.
ed Senator G. S. Amsden, who
gave a short resume of the, early
history of the county, as follows:
Prior to 1853 Grant county was a
part of Minnesota Territory, Mime
sofa extending from its now eastern
boundary to the Missouri riyer.
Upon the admission of Minnesota to
the sisterhOOd of states the western
boundary of Dakota was named, and
all of what is now South Dakota,
North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming
and Idaho was known as Dakota Ter
ritory, unorganized.
By act of congress- approved
March 2, 1861, and the proclamation
OF President Lincoln, the Territory OF
Dakota was organized and William
jayne appointed governor. The first
territorial legislature convened at
Yankton, March II, 1861, and remain.
ed in session till May Is of that year,
and to this legislature the standing
as q county was due. By an act
passed all of the present South Dako-
ia east of the Missouri river, was di-
vided into counties, the present Grant
county being embraced in Deuel. cOun-
ty, and it so remained until by an
act the legislature OF Dakota Terri
tory, approved March 8, 1873. the
county of Grant was created, with
boundaries defined as follows: Com
mencing at the southeast corner of
township ll8. (now Adams). north
along the Minnesota line to the foot
of Big Stone lake, thence northwest
along the lake to the line Of the Sisse-
ton and Wahpeton Indian reserva-
ton, thence south along the reserva-
ton and east to the place OF begin
ming.
The same year an attempt was made.
TO organize the county, and although
there were perhaps not more than q
dozen voters in the county, petition
was presented to Governor John A.
Burbank, which must have contained
fifty names, and asked that the coun-
ty be organized, with the result that
Oliver Mortell, Louis Shoreau, and
Moses Mireau were appointed county
but as they did not
complete the organization by the ap.
pointnent of the necessary county
officers to take care of the county bus
mess, the organization went by de-
fault, and no further action was taken
till the last OF May, 1878.
On the 18th of February, 1878, Judge
p. S. Shannon appointed Albert w.
Movius as Clerk of Courts, and as
the rules of the government land de-
partment allowed a clerk of courts to
make out filing papers aud transmit
same TO the district land offices, Mr..
Movius commenced locating settlers,
out their fling papers, and
accepting filing fees, transmitting
same to Fargo and Sioux Falls land
offices, as part of the county was in
one and pattin the other. This went
all right until the offic ers of the land
Office discovered that as the county
was unorganlzed, there was no one
to approve the clerk of courts bond,
and refused TO accept any more APP
pIications from him. And as the fill
ings were tied up, and Movius had
practically all the money many OF the
settlers had the organizations of the
county was the only solution of the
difficulty, SO his bond could be APP
proved: therefore petition was cir
culated signed (and by some Of us
who had not been in the territory a
and presented to Governor
William Howard and he appointed
James 6. Lamoreaux, Solomon Rob
erts and Levi A. Card as a board of
County Commissioners on June 5th,
1878. This board organized by the
of David Faribault, Reg
ister of Deeds; NJ. J. Whipple, Sher
iff; J. K. Hart, Surveyor; Moses Mer-
eau, Judge Of Probate: Oliver Mortell
John Ashley, Coroner:
Phillip DeGreef, County Attorney, to
hold until the next general election,
and located the temporary county
seat at Inkpa City, now Big Stone
City. At the election held in Novem-
Der of that year nearly all Of the off,
GERS were reelected except A. w.
Movious who was elected as county
surveyor to succeed J. L. Hart, who
was q candidate against Solomon
Roberts for county commissioners,
and the promotion of Phillip D9Greef
from county attorney to county asses
sor; J. G. Lamoreax and Levi A.
Card as commissioners, but owing to
Soma mixun neither Hart nor Roberts