Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1916-05-25
YANkTON PAGEANT TO
Be GREAT SPECTACLE
Early History Will Be Depicted
In Three Episodes and IL
Distinct Scenes.

Yankton, S. D., May 20.-lncldentS
in the early history of southeastern
South Dakota will be reproduced In
Joseph Mills Hanson's THE Pageant
of Yankton," which will be presented
in the Garden Terrace open air theater
at Yankton on the afternoons of June
IA, Is and 16, under the auspices Of
Yankton college.
More than 200 persons will take par
in the pageant. Mr.. Hanson, promln.
ent South Dakota author and poet, VIII
be in active charge of the spectacle. he
will be assisted by officers of fankton
college and members of the CONNER
cial club at Yankton.
The Pageant of Yankton" is avid
ed into three episodes and IL scenes;
Part of the dialog is in verse. All or
it is based on historical facts, which
were obtained by Mr.. Hanson.
The pageant will open with the ar
rival of the "Yankton' Indians at the
foot of the bluffs of the Missouri river
at Yankton. These Indians were driv-
en- from their haunts in Iowa and Min
nesota and settled at Yankton While
wandering yer the p%rairies in search
of a home. r.
Episode two will show the coming Of
the first white man to South Dakota.
He was Pierre Durion. He came to
Yankton in 1880. Scene two Of this
episode will show the arrival of the
Lewis and Clark expedition at 4ank-
ton on August go, 1904. Scene three
will be a reproduction of the founding
of the first trading post at Yankton by
Frost, Todd & Co.
The negotiation Of the treaty for the
cession of the Yankton lands will be
shown. These lands embraced all the
southeastern part Of the present state
Of South Dakota Scene five will show
Al~- l~-1 x,,~ 80 49, vo,>1ytNo Indians
from the Yankton townsite. This was
on July 10. 1859.
The third episode takes up the arri-
val Of the first governor Of Dakota
territory, DR.. William Jayne, and the
settlement at Yankton of his party.
Yankton, the Mother of the nakotas,'
was the first territorial capital.
The next scene will show the Indian
outbreak of 1862. The old Yankton
stockade will b. shown filled with
refugee settlers and their families.
Relatives of h men who were instru-
mental in driving off the Indians will
take parts in the scene.
Reproductions will be shown of the
coming of the first railroad in 1873,
the founding of Sacred Heart hospital.
the founding of Yankton college by DR..
Joseph Ward, n as a finale the "ul-
innate city"
Previous pageants which have been
SlNeil III lliIS SeCLlOI nave SHOWN M
cidents from the history of the general
northwest. The Yankton pageant will
deal entirely with the history of south
eastern South Dakota. 1t is expected
to compare f%avorably with such page
ants as THE Land and Water Page
ont" which was given at Minneapolis
in 1911, and THE Pageant of the
Prairies," which was held at Grand
Forks in 1914.
Editors of both of Yankton's daily
newspapers, leading business and pro-
fessional men, prominent college in
structors, high school teachers and
musicians will assist Mr.. Hanson in
staging the pageant, Rehearsals for
the spectacle nave begun and plans to
care for large crowds at the three per-
formances are being perfected.