The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1916-03-03

~
History III Yankee Land
and in South Dakota.
The following communication Is
ia explanation of an item published
in the Herald . short time ago in
regard To The Yankee doodle house,
and adding to its interest is the
fact that the writer was visitor
to Dakota ia the very early history
Of the territory:
NorWalk, Conn, Feb. 13, 1916.
Editor HeEald-Advanca: Major
ID. w. Diggs, a veteran comrade Of
my old regiment in the civil war
and the last surviving field officer
of the famous Hartsuff Brigade,
has handed me copy Of your paper
Of the 2lst ult., with an article on
Col Fitch and Yankee doodle,
You make the mistake Of locating
the old Yankee doodle house in
Norfolk, Conn, when it should be
NorWalh, Conn, a confusion II
names frequently occurring. am
resident Of Norwalk and gave
Major Diggs the post card referred
to. | think your resident. Ihos,
Fitch is very likely to be d adescend-
ant If Gov. Iaos Fitch, ~ho was
among the last colonial gor
OF Connecticut. G8 ls8
direct descendant ia3.. It4a.
who was one Of a.I bau1 af
Puritans who settled 3rys.N
about 1860, d century Ier la4H
took the name of the lu an t55.
occupying that section f"r Be- name
Of their town NorWalA Indians
with subsequent slight clanges.
The house owned and occupied byGov
Fitch before the revolutionary war
is still standing and occupied By
descendants Of the Fitch family
1t is within i stones throw Of the
old Yankee doodle house, the for
mer home OF Col. Thos. Fitch. 1t
is a wonder TO me that the latter has
remained standing SO long. as it has
not been occupied for many years,
ands is now only a she'll Of q house,
looking as though the first heavy
gale would blow it down, but they
yat gooa. frames into THAR houses
in those days Although all other
sections OF our town., now a city of
more than 25,COJ inhabitants. has
grown and swept away all other old
unoccupied houses, that particular
section has grown the least, and
fate has let the old house stand to
this day.
| never visited your state but
once, and that was in 1871, forty
six wears ago next summer. | then,
as an employee Of the general land
Office in Washington. went from
Sioux City, Iowa, to Yankton, the
capital of the then territory Of Da-
kota, by stage. | think there were
no railroads at that time in what is
now the state of South Dakota |
have very pleasant recollection of
my trip up along the Missouri river
at that time, stopping over at Ver-
million for dinner, and being intro
duced to Ex-Vice- President Hanni-
bal Hamlin and family, then Unit
ed States senator, who had been to
Yankton on a visit to his d; ugh
ter who was the wife of the secre-
tary Of the territory. Territorial
Governor Burbanks had brought the
senator and wife down in his car
riage and kindly took me to Yank-
ton on his return, SO | gave up the
stage for the balance of my trip.
The governor afterwards took me
in his private carriage to Spring
field, new settlement in which he
was interested, and where | re-
mained over night. As l now look
over a map of South Dakota and
see the great number Of cities, towns
and villages scattered over it, am
led to think that wondrous changes
have taken place in the appearance
Of the sparcely settled prairie coun-
try then saw
Yours very truly,
Geo. T. Buxton.