The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1924-01-11
NOTED FRONTIERSMAN
PASSED AWAY SUNDAY

uav morning WllCn the news came over
the phone that Col. G. p. Jordan,
perhaps one Of the most prominent
frontiersmen Of this reservation had
passed away at the hospital at Pierre,
South Dakota, early that morning.
Death was directly due to cancer of
the intestines. The deceased was aged
II years, Z months and IS days at the
time Of his death.
Charles Philander Jordan was born
at Piqua, Ohio, on May II, 1851, and
was the youngest of a family Of
twelve children, having eight brothers
and three sisters.
At the age Of eleven years he en-
listed as drummer boy with the llth
Ohio Volunteer Infantry in the year
1861 and served in a like capacity
in the 10th and Oath Volunteer
Infantry.
At the age of y years, IN The fall
of 1872 he came to South Dakota,
being appointed to the position of
quartcrmaster clerk at the mouth of
Cedar Greek, south of old Fort
George, in which capacity he served
his country faithfully and well. In
the spring of 1873 he was transferred
to Camp Robinson at the Pine Ridge
reservation and he remained there un-
til the summer of 1879, when he was
transferred to the mouth of Landing
Greek at the Spotted Tail warehouses,
where he was chief issue clerk until
the year 1882 when he was appointed
Post Trader at Rosebud Agency. For
a number of years he conducted
very successful trading post, and
owned and operated large store at
the Agency, and also at Butte Creek,
now Wood.
On December II, 1878, he was unit
ed in marriage to Julia Walks First,
one of the prominent and respected
Indian maidens Of that time. To this
union nine children were born:
Charles Collins, Edwin Evard, William
Ward, Mary Julia, John David, David
Jefferson, Evard Cady, Collins Custer
and Ella Adeline. But three of these
children survive him, William Ward
Jordan. now living at Rosebud Agen-
cy, Mary Julia, who now is Mrs.
Alex Bordeaux, Jr, of White River,
and Evard Cady, who lives here at
Wood.
Charles P. Jordan was made q mem
Der of Minncchaduza Lodge No. 1872
A. F. & A. NJ. at Valentine, Nebras-
ka, March u, 1901 ,and on March Is,
1901, he was made a member of ORR
entail Consistory No. l, at Yankton,
South Dakota, and of which lodges
he was a member at the time of his
death.
The deceased came from a very
prominent family and his ancestors
came over in the Mayflower, and
America never fought war of any
kind but what some Of his ancestors
or his immediate relatives participated
in the conflict. He was intensely pat
riotic, and his work here among the
Indians of the Sioux tribe, beginning
as early as 1872, will live in history
He had considerable to do with bring
ing about the several treaties made
by the government with the Sioux
tribe. He was ever friend of the
Indian and was always working and
laboring to improve the condition Of
the Indian. He was personally ac-
quainted with practically all of the
great Indian scouts and frontiersmen
and counted many of these sturdy pio-
neers among his warmest friends.
In 1895 Col. Jordan was given an
exclusive concession at the Atlanta
Cotton States International Exposi-
tion and he organized and conducted
an American Indian village, taking
with him a number of the Indians
from this reservation. We believe
he also took this big show to the
Pacific coast, showing at San Fran
cisco the following year.
Some twenty-five or thirty years
ago Col. Jordan began to build him a
home on what is known as Orchard
Ranch, about three miles south OF
Wood, on Butte Creek. He built a
fine home, which he called home up to
the time of his death. He set out
the first orchard ever put out in what
is now Mellette county, and this apple
orchard today is one of the show
places Of the county and he demon
strated years ago that fruit could be
successfully grown in this section.
Col. Jordan, during his life on this
reservation, succeeded in gathering
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