The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1923-11-08
S. D. CELEBRATES
34TH BIRTHDAY
South Dakota Admitted to Union On
November 2, 1883. Friday Wa
Anniversary

The State of South Dakota was
'thirty-four years old last Friday. Nov
ember End. having been admitted on
that date in 1889. and a brief resume
OF the history of the admission Of the
territory is given herewith:
Knowing that this commonwealth
vas to be admitted as a state, the
name Of Dakota Territory, as II was
then called, was changed to South
Dakota on July 4, 1889, at a meeting
of delegates in Sioux Falls.
Shortly after this meeting, a fierce
contest arose to decide what town
should be the temporary seat of gov
eminent. Towns taking part were
Pierre, Chamberlain, Huron, Mitchell,
Redfeld, Watertown and Sioux Falls.
Redfield withdrew later I'm favor of
Huron. The fight was carried on des-
perately, according to histories and
residents living in South Dakota at
the time, and each town spent money
lavishly. Pierre finally won and was
also made the permanent state capital
when an election was held the follow
ing year.
The territorial legislature met at
Pierre October Is, 1889. and elected
Gideon G.. Moody and Richard +.
Pettigrew as the first United States
senators from South Dakota with
Arthur C.. Mellette as the first COVER
nor. They then adjourn ed to await
the presidents proclamation of ad-
mission which came on November 2,
and on that date all the state ma
chinery was set in motion.
Tho nrpulatinn IF Snufh na nc
given in the June 1 census Of 1890
was 32S,SO8, which rs less than half
its present figure. And the progress
in the last thirty-four years has not
alone been measured by growth IN
population but hundreds of new towns
have sprung up, thousands of new
farms, new factories, industries, rail-
roads. highway, schools and homes
are here to mark the advancement
of the state.
The year of 1SS9-1S90, according to
the histories, was one of the hardest
that the state has ever had. Pioneers
had come to open up and develop a
new land. Most of them had but little
money and inadequate equipment to
west a living from the soil. To make
matters worse. a great drought struck
the state hat year aid the homestead
ters were left destitute and almost
starving. Governor Mellette went to
Chicago and arranged for food and f.
nancial aid to tide the people over
the bad period. Thousands of settlers
left the state that year but other
thousands hung on and carved out a
new and strong division of the Union
from tho witda ~ tho prairia
History tells us that the first per-
manent settlers for homebpilding
and agriculture came to South Dakota
or Dakota, as il was then called, in
1857 and located i'm the Sioux valley.
Six men settled in Sioux Falls that
year. two at Flandrcau and two al
Meda:y. Ar incident, indicating the
type Of pioneers who were here about
that time, is told in q letter written
in 1858 by a man who had come 10
look the new country over. He said
he stopped at Medary one night and
16 white men were having a parley
with 1900 Indians. One red headed
youth about 20 years old, and under
sized, got his temper up and offered
to fight any six of the Indians, but the
latter only smiled and said nothing.
This account is included in a History
of South Dakota by Doan Robinson.
That the settlers must have seen flu
ture possibilities of the state and com
municated the fact to other is indi-
Gated by the population a little more
than 80 years later when South Dako-
ia finally was admitted to the family
of states.