History of Dakota Territory, volume I, Part 21

Author: Kingsbury, George Washington, 1837-; Smith, George Martin, 1847-1920
Publication date: 1915
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : S.J. Clarke Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 1198

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Under this organization agents were sent into the Southwest and sites for several cities selected, among which were Sioux Falls City, Medary, and Flandrau, all on the Big Sioux. Sioux Falls was designated for the capital of the future territory, and the other places were to share the government prizes. Mr. A. G. Fuller was selected a delegate to Congress and went to Washington, but was never admitted to a seat, notwithstanding the precedent of General Sibley's admission in 1848 from Minnesota. Sioux scrip was laid upon lands, but at a subsequent date was withdrawn. Very considerable improvements were made by the company at all places, but especially at Sioux Falls City, where a capitol building was erected, a hotel built and a printing office established, with Sam Albright as editor, and a very handsome newspaper was published there called the Dakota Democrat, of which I now have a copy of the issue of August 5, 1859, being Vol. 1, No. 2 of the paper.

The efforts of Mr. Fuller in Washington and of other friends of the organization, failed to procure a territorial government for Dakota for several years, and my opinion has always been that the delay was on account of all of the members of the Dakota Land Company being democrats, and Congress, expecting a change of administration in 1860, desired to postpone the erection of a territorial government until the other party could control it. At any rate they did postpone it until March 1, 1861, when the act was passed organizing Dakota Territory and leaving the selection of the seat of government to the governor.

During this delay, however, a serious state of things existed. The people of the territory becoming impatient at the delay, organized a state government, elected first Henry Masters, then Sam Albright, governor, chose a Legislature which assembled at Sioux Falls and passed laws, which were duly printed and approved by Governor Albright, and demanded admission to the Union, "on an equal footing with the original states," but Congress was inexorable, and all the time and money spent by the company in this direction was lost.

When the Sioux outbreak occurred, in August, 1862, all the improvements at Sioux Falls. Flandrau and Medary were burned by the Indians and the places were virtually abandoned by the company. The United States Government made reparation to the company for its losses, which enabled it to make its first and only dividend on its capital stock. This is briefly the history of the Town of Flandrau up to the time when its present title was made by new comers and about which I know very little. Sioux Falls City, as its name indicates. was called after the falls in the Big Sioux, at which place it is located. Medary was named after Gov. Samuel Medary, who was then governor of the Territory of Minnesota, and the Dakota Land Company did me the honor to name the Town of Flandrau after me.

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The facts given you are largely from recollection, but they are substantially correct in all essential particulars. 1 would suggest, however, that Mr. Alphens G. Fuller, who now resides at or near Yankton; Mr. F. J. Dewitt, who I believe also resides at Yankton or somewhere on the Missouri in the territory: Captain Fish, who is now in Pembina; Daniel 1 .. Browley, who I believe resides in Winnipeg, all were intimately connected with the opera- tions of the Dakota Land Company, and can undoubtedly give you accurate information as to the history of the Town of Flandran, and being old settlers, will willingly recount the experiences of the past.

Respectfully yours, CHAS. E. FLANDRAU.

Judge Flandrani, of Minnesota, having given out a statement regarding the earliest settlement of Sioux Falls, in which errors were alleged by one of the pioneers who made up the very earliest company of settlers, Judge Wilmot W. Brookings, who participated in that settlement, took occasion to correct the erro- neous statements of Judge Flandratt. It can be stated as a historical fact that Ittdge Brookings was better qualified to give a correct statement of that pioneer settlement, because he was on the ground and prominently identified with the work that was accomplished, overseeing mntich of it himself and participating in all of it, while Judge Flandrati was but a stockholder in the Dakota Land Com- pany, the St. Paul incorporation, and was never at Sioux Falls or in the Sioux Valley during the years included in the history of this first occupation. Inasmuch as the statement of Judge Brookings corroborates, in every particular, the version of this important event, already a part of this history, it is given entire, as follows. Mr. Brookings addressed his communication to the Sioux Falls Press :

The letter of Judge Flandran, taken from the Winona Republican, and published in your issue of the 15th of December. 1888, inclines one who knows the actual facts to the belief that much of what is called history is probably fiction. Perhaps the best way to point out the many errors of the judge would be to give the facts as known by one who was living at Sioux Falls at the time, and was part of the history that is endeavored to be related.

What the judge says about the organization of the Dakota Land Company is undoubtedly true, and certain members of the company came to Dakota as he related, in the spring of 1857, and for the purpose probably as he states. Their first townsite on the Sioux was Medary, named after the governor of Minnesota Territory. Their second, Flandrau, named after the judge himself, but when they arrived at Sioux Falls they found the site of the falls occupied by a party sent out by the Western Town Company of Dubuque, Iowa. Among the members of the latter company were the then Mayor Hetherington of the City of Dubuque, lowa: Hon. S. P. Adams, since chief justice of Iowa: Dr. George M. Staples. Gen. William Tripp. Hon. George P. Waldron, and Colonel Mahoney, afterwards editor of the Dubuque Herald. This company had been organized for about the same purpose as the Dakota Land Company. It had, as early as the month of October or November, 1856, em- ployed Ezra Millard, late president of the Millard National Bank of Omaha, to proceed to this section of Minnesota Territory and to take up a townsite of 320 acres at the falls of the Big Sioux. Mr. Millard, accompanied by D. M. Mills, who now lives on the Sioux River about sixteen miles above Sioux City, visited Sioux Falls late in the autumn of 1856, arriving late one rainy evening. but still rejoiced that they had found the coveted spot. They came up on the east side of the river, through what is now the Village of Brandon, following the course of the river so that the first full view of the falls was from the high bluffs near the present brewery. Their mode of conveyance was a light two-horse wagon. After viewing the picturesque beauty of the falls for a moment they concluded to drive down the bluffs and camp for the night near the lovely islands at the head of the falls. But to their astonish- ment they had no sooner reached their beautiful resting spot than a party of Sioux Indians appeared on the scene, took their horses by the bits, turned them around, and in the Indian language indicated so strongly that safety depended upon their immediately retracing their steps back to Iowa, that Messrs. Millard and Mills, without any ceremony, concluded to let the Sioux roam over the valley of the Sionx for a while longer unmolested by the pale face, and traveled back twelve miles that same evening. Some two months later Mr. Mills returned and built a small log cabin on the island, and then returned to his home on the lower Sioux for the balance of the winter.

In May following ( 1857), Jesse T. Jarrett. John McClellan, and Messrs. Farwell and Olsen arrived in Sioux Falls in the interest of the Western Town Company. and were here when the members of the Dakota Land Company arrived. The prospect was so inviting that the latter company concluded to take up 320 acres immediately south, and upon the river from the falls, occupied by the Western Town Company. These parties from both companies were driven off carly in July following by the Indians.

On the 25th day of August, 1857, a party of nine persons came to Sioux Falls in the interest of the Dubuque party, among whom were Dr. J. L. Phillips and W. W. Brookings,

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who afterward became permanent settlers. A month later the St. Paul party sent out seven men and during the winter of 1857-58, eighteen persons wintered at the falls. in the spring following enough came in to make the number sixty or seventy. Two women came in the summer of 1858-Mrs. Goodwin and Mrs. White-the latter having a daughter some three years old, the first white child ever in Sioux Falls.

In the latter part of October, 1858, an election was held for members of the Legislature and delegate in Congress, and A. G. Fuller was elected to Congress, although at that time his home must have been at St. Paul. The Legislature, a few days after this election. assembled here. Henry Masters was elected president of the council, and S. J. Albright, speaker of the House, and passed a memorial to Congress, praying that this portion of the Territory of Minnesota, not included in the State of Minnesota, might at once be organized into the Territory of Dakota. Also passed a law extending the laws of Minnesota Territory over the proposed Territory of Dakota (although they must have been in force without any such act), and also passed a few other acts and memorials. Thus far there had been no governor, and by a joint resolution the president of the council was declared the ex-officio governor. So Mr. Masters became governor, and the first session of the squatter Legislature for Dakota adjourned.

In the following autumn, 1859, a new election took place, and Hon. J. P. Kidder was elected delegate, although he lived in St. Paul, and Henry Master was nominated for governor, but died a few days before election, and S. J. Albright was elected governor. He was in St. Paul at the time and refused to serve, and had himself returned as a member of the lower house, which was easily done, although he may not have received any votes for the Legislature. He seemed to have a strong desire to be speaker of the lower house, which was the height of his ambition. The Legislature met about the same time in 1859 as in the year preceding. W. W. Brookings was elected president of the council and Albright speaker of the llouse. The only business done was again to memorialize the new Congress to organize the Territory of Dakota, and also pass a few more unimportant memorials. At the close of the session the president of the council was again declared governor ex-officio, and W. W. Brookings acted as governor instead of Albright, and the only acts that the writer remembers of the second governor signing was a certificate of election as delegate to Congress for J. P. Kidder, and several memorials to Congress, and after the Legislature of 1859 adjourned, no more were held.

When Judge Flandrau says laws were passed, which were duly printed and approved by Governor Albright, and demanded admission to the Union "on an equal footing with the original states," he draws wholly upon his imagination, for no such demand was ever made or desired, but the entire effort was to secure a territorial organization. The reason why a territorial organization could not be secured was that the House was republican and wanted a clause inserted in the organic act or law prohibiting the taking of slaves into the territory. This the democrats opposed and the Senate was democratic. So that no bill passed until the southern members left Congress, which left a majority of republicans in the Senate. However, after the southern members seceded, the organic act was silent on the slavery question.

Where the Dakota Land Company made the mistake was when Minnesota was admitted to statehood they did not induce the territorial officers to move to that portion of the territory not included in the state boundary and continue the government of Minnesota Territory. Had they done this they would undoubtedly have been recognized by Congress, for Buchanan, who was Polk's secretary of state, favored the recognition of Wisconsin Territory after the State of Wisconsin had been admitted to the Union as a state, and this was the ground taken by many republicans. The writer at the time received a letter from Hon. Israel Washburn, then a prominent republican member of Congress, saying it was the President's duty to appoint all the usual territorial officers of the Territory of Minnesota. as the state enabling act did not interfere with the territorial organization outside of the state limits.

The vote of the House of Representatives to admit J. P. Kidder was about equally divided, he being defeated by only a few votes, and this was brought about by the persistent opposition of Gen. J. B. S. Todd of the Missouri slope, and General Frost of St. Louis, who had large interests at Yankton, and were fearful that if Kidder should be admitted as clelegate, the capital would go to the Sioux Valley instead of the Missouri. So that then. as at present, jealousies kept back our recognition.

When Judge Flandrau says a capitol building was erected, he again draws on huis imagination or received his information from someone who misinformed him, as no such building was ever erected. The Dakota Land Company constructed a log house here. one- story, about sixteen by twenty; a stone house about eighteen by twenty. one and one-half stories in height-stone lid in mud for mortar. Also a printing office building of stone about twenty feet square, one-story, with shed roof, all their buildings not exceeding the value of $1.500. It would be interesting to know how much they received from the Government for their improvements-a better sale probably than coukl have been made to any one else.

Originally, it was evidently the intention to make Medary the capital, consequently it was then named for the then governor of Minnesota Territory, but in 1858 9 both the Medary and Flandran settlements had ceased to exist, consequently the squatter Legislature was compelled to meet at Sioux Falls City, as they called their site here. Our impression is that

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but one issue of the Dakota Democrat came out in 1858, and that was filled with argument in favor of a territorial organization. The next season a number of issues were printed.

In 1800 the paper was printed by Mr. Stuart, now of the Chicago Times staff, and the name changed to Western Independent for the reason that Mr. Albright had taken the heading away with him, and the changed heading was found in Sioux City. The errors of the republican editorial correspondem of the 15th inst. are the result of Judge llandran's refutation and one disposes of the other.

Like Judge Flandrau, "1 take great interest in all that concerns the history of this portion of the Northwest, and like to see the facts correctly stated," and having been a resident of Sioux Falls from 1857 to 1862, ought to have a better knowledge of them than the judge. This is my only excuse for sending you this communication, although 1 was once solicited to write up the history of that attempt at government for the Minneapolis Tribune. The main facts are given here, and all that seems worth preserving.

W. W. BROOKINGS.

Mr. Alpheus G. Fuller remained in the territory and removed to Yankton ageney in 1860, where he kept the hotel and boarding house and also engaged in Government contracting at Fort Randall; J. P. Kidder returned to St. Paul and to the practice of his profession and in 1865 was appointed associate justice of Dakota Territory; and F. J. Dewitt and B. M. Smith also went to St. Paul, both coming to Yankton later.

Regarding the publication of the newspaper at Sioux Falls and the date of certain settlements, a letter is hereto appended which tells the whole story. The writer of the letter was on the ground at the time, and among the most active of the colonists :

Yankton, D. T., November 1, 1882.

George W. Kingsbury, Esq.

Dear Sir: In reply to your inquiry of this date. I will say that the first settlements, at Sioux Falls, Flandran and Medary, were made during the months of May and June, 1857. The Dakota Democrat was first published at Sioux Falls City ( now Sioux Falls), July 2, 1859. It was issued once or twice a month from that time until March, 1860, by Samuel J. Albright. editor and proprietor. Editor Albright went East in March, 1860. hence the publication was suspended until December, when it was revived under the name of the Western Independent and published semi-occasionally until March, 1861, by I. W. Stewart.

F. J. DEWITT.

The writer, Major Dewitt, referring to the first settlement of Sioux Falls, must allude to the first settlement by the Dakota Land Company, the Western Land Company of Dubuque, having erected a cabin there in December, 1856, and its representatives were there in 1857, when the representatives of the Da- kota Land Company arrived.

As there has been some controversy regarding the time when the first settle- ment of Sioux Falls was made, the following excerpt from a letter written by Hon. David M. Mills, in January, 1868, who was at that time a member of the Territorial Council from Union County, is the best authority on that point. Mr. Mills, who was writing of the natural resources of the Big Sioux Valley and of Sioux Falls, says :

One very prominent feature in the Big Sioux River is its innumerable mill privileges. It would be speaking within the bounds of truth to say that there might be one mill put in operation on every mile of the river from Sioux Falls to the mouth of the Rock River, a distance by the river of over one hundred miles, and in many ptices. I doubt not, more than one. Before closing. I desire here to notice in a brief manner the famous waterfall on the Sioux River, nine miles west of the point where the lowa state line touches the Sioux River. In the month of October. 1856, the first settlement was made at this place by myself. I continued to reside at the place, a portion of the time, for about one year.

D. M. MILLS.

AN INDIAN FIGHT AT SIOUX FALLS

About the Ist of November, 1862. Captain Miner, with a detachment of eleven men from Company A, escorted a part of the Sioux Falls people who had been compelled to evacuate that town in August. from Yankton to Sioux Falls, for the

FRANKLIN J. DEWITT

BYRON M. SMITH

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purpose of securing some household goods and other property belonging to them which they were unable to carry away at the time of their hurried departure and which they endeavored to secrete in the most secure buildings of the town. The civilians of the party were George P. Waldron, B. C. Fowler, J. W. Evans, Bar- clay Jarrett, W. W. Brookings and A. G. Fuller. The party reached Sioux Falls the evening of the second day and camped out on the outskirts of the village. The next morning they moved into Sioux Falls, and while breakfast was being prepared, Captain Miner discovered a number of men on horseback on a hill about a mile away, but he could not distinguish whether they were Indians or whites. Taking with him Corporal Joe Ellis to act as interpreter, he rode out toward them and very soon discovered that they were Indians, who then galloped down the hill and into a ravine, at the mouth of which was a small tract of level prairie covered with tall grass. Miner beckoned to the Indians, giving them to understand that he wanted to talk with them, whereupon four of the redskins rode up within pistol range. The captain then asked through Interpreter Ellis: "Where did you come from?" The answer was, "The Minnesota River." He then asked. "What are you doing here?" The answer was, "What is your busi- ness here?" accompanied by language and gestures that meant defiance and trouble. The captain then fired his pistol, which was the signal for his men left in camp to join him. Meantime the Indians returned to the tall grass at the mouth of the ravine, and as the troops came up on a gallop they were received with a volley of rifle balls poured at them by ten or twelve Indians secreted near the entrance to the ravine. The order to charge was then given, when the hostiles scattered, firing and galloping off. Miner pursued them about two miles, but their ponies were swifter on the prairie than cavalry horses, and they escaped. One giant of an Indian, however, laboring under great excitement and anger, leaped from his pony during the pursuit and signaled to the others to do the same, but they gave no heed to his signal, and made off into a body of timber that skirted the river. Corporal Ellis was in the advance, and as he rode up the Indian discharged his gun at him, and then chuibbing it, struck a vicious blow at Ellis in the saddle. The corporal parried the chibbed gun with his sabre, break- ing the gun stock. Just then Privates Charles Wright and Josiah Gray rode up, and Wright sent a ball from his carbine into the enraged Indian that brought him to his knees but did not kill him. The Indian then drew his long knife and made a desperate linge at Ellis, missing him but wounding the corporal's horse in the neck. Ellis then dispatched the plucky and desperate foe with his sabre. The remainder of the Indians were now in the timber, and the balls from their guns were flying about the troops, indicating that the Indians were getting the range and might become serious. Miner then concluded to retire and not risk a battle with a secreted foe, influenced by the responsibility he felt for the civilians whom he had escorted and who relied upon him for protection, and who would have become an easy prey for the redskins had the soldiers suffered a defeat. He therefore permitted the boys to take a lock of the dead Indian's hair, but woukl not suffer him to be scalped. Then firing the prairie grass, the soldiers galloped back to camp and breakfasted. The Indian who met his death had on a soklier's jacket. and two "civilized" bed quilts were rolled up and tied to his saddle. After breakfast the captain, with a portion of his men, visited the place where the In- dians were first discovered at the ravine, found their camp and captured two light wagons, one harness and some camp utensils. Five newly slaughtered hogs were found, indicating that the Indians had also gone out to battle before break- fast. It was estimated that there were twenty Indians in the band, and that they composed a small war party that had cut themselves off from Little Crow and started on a pillaging expedition to the Dakota settlements. Little Crow had retired from Minnesota to Devil's Lake. North Dakota.

This was the first time the boys composing this detachment had been under fire of the enemy, and their deportment was warmly commended by their captain. who mentioned Corporal Ellis and Privates Charles Wright, Josiah Gray, John Vol. I-S

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Bradley. Robert Buckheart. R. Alderson. B. Bellow and J. Ludwig as deserving of especial praise. Privates Wright, Gray and Buckheart are citizens of Yankton at this time, 1904. John Bradley, now dead, was a brother of Henry Bradley, of Yankton.

This was the first conflict between the Dakota troops and the hostile redmen in which an Indian was known to be slain, though Sergeant English reported the supposed killing of one of the band which raided the settlements on James River early in September.

During the six years following. Sioux Falls remained unoccupied by the whites, save by a company of lowa troops stationed there in a fort constructed by the general Government in 1865. named Fort Dakota, which was maintained until 1860, when the country was thrown open. Quite a number of settlers had made their way into the County of Minnehaha, outside the military reserve, dur- ing 1867-68, and had not been disturbed by Indians, and no further annoyance from this source was experienced.

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CHAPTER XIV FIRST WHITE SETTLEMENTS ON THE MISSOURI SLOPE IN DAKOTA

1857

HOME OF THE YANKTON INDIANS-STRIKE-THE-REE-WILLIAM PENN LYMAN FIRST WHITE SETTLER-FROST, TODD & COMPANY, THE INDIAN TRADERS-FIRST JAMES RIVER SETTLEMENT-UPPER MISSOURI LAND COMPANY-DELEGATION TO WASHI- INGTON TO MAKE TREATY-IIOLMAN, TRESPASSING SETTLER, BUILDS FIRST CABIN-IMPROVEMENTS DESTROYED BY INDIANS AND SOLDIERS-GEORGE D. FISKE-THE TREATY EMBASSY SUCCESSFUL-THE PICOTTE TRACT-FROST, TODD & COMPANY, TOWNSITE PROPRIETORS-TRADING POST BUILT BY FROST, TODD & COMPANY-THE BONHOMME SETTLEMENT-THE FIRST TRADING POST-MAJOR DOLLARD'S RESEARCHES-JOHN H. SHOBER-PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS OF GEORGE T. ROUNDS-THE EARLY SETTLERS-FIRST SCHOOLHOUSE.

In the year A. D. 1857 what is now known as the City of Yankton, in South Dakota, was an Indian village occupied by the Yankton tribe of Dahkotah In- dians, and was the residence of its principal and most influential chief, Pe-la-ne- a-pa-pe, which, translated into the English, reads "Man that was struck by the Ree." Being the home of the head chief and the seat of the tribe's most im- portant councils, this was the principal village, or capital, of the Yankton tribe. It was known among the whites at and before this time as "Struck by the Rec Camp." and this locality had been designated by traders and steamboatmen as the Yankton Valley. The great majority of the Indians, when not absent on the hunt or engaged in trapping, dwelt along the banks of the Big Sioux, Ver- million and James rivers, where their lodges were sheltered by the heavy timber, with fuel and water abundant and convenient. An Indian burial ground occu- pied a tract about midway between Yankton and the James, as the road is now located, situated in the vicinity of what Yankton people know as the Risling farm. The Yankton Indians claimed complete ownership of the soil in Southern Dakota west of the Big Sioux River, which claim was disputed by other tribes of the Dahkotahs, and was not finally conceded, if at all. until some time after the treaty of cession of 1850. While the Yanktons hunted and trapped over a large area, the great majority recognized Strike the Ree Camp as their principal village and their sachems assembled here whenever an important council was to be held, and here at least once a year an embassy from the "Great Father" at Washington was accustomed to visit them by steamboat. with gifts in token of the Great Father's paternal regard and evidence of his friendship and good will. The plains and streams of this Dakota country abounded in fur-bearing animals and the traffic in this merchandise brought independent traders among them, while a number of trading posts, representing various fur companies, had been maintained in their country for scores of years.

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History of Dakota Territory, volume I, Part 21

Author: Kingsbury, George Washington, 1837-; Smith, George Martin, 1847-1920 Publication date: 1915 Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : S.J. Clarke Publishing Company Number of Pages: 1198

Author: Kingsbury, George Washington, 1837-; Smith, George Martin, 1847-1920
Publication date: 1915
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : S.J. Clarke Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 1198