USA > South Dakota > Minnehaha County > History of Minnehaha county, South Dakota. Containing an account of its settlements, growth, development and resources Synopsis of public records, biographical sketches > Part 21
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"About the first day of May, 1876, there was a cloud-burst a few miles north of my place on the upper Split Rock. The water came rolling down over the bottom from eight to twelve feet in depth. One of my neighbors, a Mr. Lee, saw something moving quite a dis- tance north of us and thought it was an immense flock of geese, and took his gun and started for the place. He discovered his mistake just in time to escape with his life. A pair of oxen were picketed out on the bottom below my place, and the water was so deep that it took them off their feet, and for a while the picket stakes held them fast so that they floated. A man on horseback attempted to rescue the oxen, but was thrown from his horse. He could not swim, but was fortunate in getting hold of the horse's tail, and the horse took him to the shore. When the stakes finally became loosened the oxen saved themselves by swimming ashore."
EXTREMES OF HEAT AND COLD.
This section of the country is not remarkable for extremes of heat and cold, but at the same time it must be admitted that when a thermometer registers 35° below zero and within six months reg- isters 100° above, it has traveled over a wide field. Reliable ther- mometers have done this in Minnehaha county, but these extremes are seldom reached, the temperature being rarely 30° degrees below zero. The first winter the writer spent in Minnehaha county the coldest day was 26° below zero. Of course, there are cold winters and mild winters, hot summers and those of moderate heat. The extreme cold spells are usually longer here than in the same latitude in the eastern states, and the same is also true of the extreme warm spells of weather, and it must also be admitted that there are few places where there are more sudden changes in temperature than in South Dakota. But taken as a whole, the climate is invigorating and healthful, notwithstanding these occasional extremes of cold and heat, and the statistics show that the. death rate in South Dakota, in proportion to the total population, is lower than in any other country in the world. As appears elsewhere, the summer of 1871 was un- usually warm, and the summer of 1886 was called a hot one, and dur- ing the summer of 1889 there was a long spell of excessively hot weather. But the summer of 1894 was both hot and dry, and the Daily Press in its issue of August 9, said: "Skunk creek is dried up and the prairie chickens have left the country along that stream be- cause of the lack of water."
The coldest winters during the last fifteen years were the win- ters of 1884-5-6-7, especially during the two last years there were long spells of extreme cold weather. But one of the coldest days during this period was February 4, 1883, when reliable thermometers registered 37° below zero. Occasionally in midsummer the heat is 100°, but it is an unusually hot day in Minnehaha county when it is
14
210
HISTORY OF MINNEHAHA COUNTY.
above 90°. The 17th day of September, 1895, was one of the hottest days experienced in this vicinity. A thermometer at the Cataract house, at 3:30 in the afternoon of that day marked 104° in the shade, and other thermometers in the city indorsed these figures as being about right.
Dr. Levi S. Carter, Volunteer Meteorological Observer at Sioux Falls for the United States Department of Agriculture Weather Bureau, kindly loaned us the record of his observations for the last few years. We have summarized the average monthly maximum, minimum and mean temperature, also the average percipitation and the number of clear days for the years 1893 4-5-6, a table of which will be found below:
MAXI- MUM
MINI- MUM
MEAN
PRECIPI- TATION
CLEAR DAYS
January
43
-24
1.20
17
February
53
-23
.51
17
March.
70
- 9
39
1.61
17
April
So
19
18
3.8o
15
May
89
30
June
95
36
68
3.34
19
July
IO1
44
72
1.63
August
99
36
71
1.38
21
September
96
24
62
1.71
21
October
77
15
4.5
1.33
21
November
62
- 8
27
1.37
15
December
47
-12
21
.70
18
Coldest day, February 21, 1893, 35 degrees below zero.
Warmest day, July 25, 1894, 107 degrees.
Precipitation 1893.
26 71 inches
Precipitation 1894
10.44 inches
Precipitation 1895
20.33 inches
Precipitation 1896
27.97 inches
Since writing the foregoing, there has been such extreme cold weather, remarkable also for its great duration, that we should al- most feel like stopping the press to record it, if this work was being printed.
If extreme cold weather should be encountered in the future, it would be well to examine the record of the cold spell which the whole country experienced in January and February, 1899. Hicks pre- dicted mild, pleasant weather for the week commencing January 22. but notwithstanding Hicks, it commenced growing cold Wednesday evening January 25. The next day it was colder still, and so on, un- til Sunday night when there was a snowfall of about four inches. Monday it was cold, and it continued growing colder until Wednes- day the 8th day of February. During that day, the thermometer at no time indicated less than twenty-three degrees below zero, and at eight o'clock the following morning it was forty-two degrees below, and some ambitious thermometers indicated one or two degrees colder still. This kind of weather, with little variation continued un- til Sunday night, February 12, when it grew warmer.
It was one cold wave after another for eighteen days, or one cold
2.83
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HISTORY OF MINNEHAHA COUNTY
wave coming down from the northwest in sections, with but little in- termediate space between them. It was a record breaker. not only in this locality, but all over the country east of the Rocky Mountains.
Following is the minimum record of Dr. L. S. Carter for the first thirteen days in February, 1899: 9, 19, 14, 29, 28, 30, 29, 38, 42, 22, 40, 32, 13 degrees below zero.
CLIMATIC DISTURBANCES.
BLIZZARDS.
Although Minnehaha county is not remarkable for severe storms, still there have been some that are worthy of mention. It is un- doubtedly true that during the early settlement of southeastern Da- kota, the class of storms known as "blizzards" were more frequent and severe than during the past decade. In the biographical sketch of C. K. Howard will be found some incidents in connection with the blizzards of thirty years ago, and other early settlers have informed the writer that scarcely a winter passed without two or three bliz- zards of more or less severity. Perhaps the most notable one that occurred since white people commenced to inhabit this county was the January blizzard of 1873. It extended throughout Dakota, Min- nesota, a portion of Iowa and the northern half of Wisconsin. Up- wards of seventy people perished in Minnesota. In Minnehaha county the storm commenced in the forenoon of the 7th, and con- tinued with but little abatement for nearly three days; four persons lost their lives and several others met with narrow escapes. Robert Foster, who lived with his family in a sod-shanty in the northwest part of section 33 in Benton, lost two children. On the morning of the storm his son Robert, fourteen years old, and his daughter Sarah, twelve years old, started out to go a little over a half a mile north, where some bait had been put out for foxes, when the storm overtook them. They walked about a mile and a half south and a half a mile east, and finally stopped in a roofless sod-shanty, where they were found on the 15th day of March following, the girl still stand- ing, and it was evident that the boy had died standing by his sister, but had fallen over as the snow melted away. The other persons who perished in the storm were A. M. Abbott and a Scandinavian, whose name the writer has been unable to learn. On the 15th day of October, 1880, there was a heavy snow storm, and it would seem that it was worthy of being classed as a blizzard. The last genuine bliz- zard visited this section of the country on the 12th of January, 1888. It struck Sioux Falls about the middle of the afternoon. At 2 o'clock the sun was shining brightly, and the weather was delightfully mild and pleasant, but before four o'clock it was several degrees be- low zero, and the wind was blowing a gale from the north- west. This storm was quite extensive, and coming as it did just about the time of the closing of the district schools, many a sad dis- aster happened. At Baltic a Miss Jacobson was teaching school, and about the time the storm commenced she started to walk to the house of John O. Langness, in company with one of her pupils about fourteen years of age by the name of Josephine Grinde, daughter of
212
HISTORY OF MINNEHAHA COUNTY.
Andrew Grinde, then living in Brandon. They were blinded by the snow and frozen to death. Another distressing case during this blizzard was the death of a Mrs. Kennedy and her son Joseph. The home of the Kennedy's was four or five miles west of the City of Sioux Falls. About dark Mr. Kennedy started to go to a well a few rods from the house, and not returning Mrs. Kennedy and son went out to look for him. When the blizzard had subsided she was found only a short distance from the house frozen to death, but the boy was not found until about the 20th of March following. He had traveled about two miles and a half in the direction the wind was blowing. Mr. Kennedy finding he could not return to the house crawled into a straw stack and remained during the night. Three other persons in the county lost their lives during this storm.
Mr. Żeliff of Sherman has furnished us with the following inter- esting description of his experience in a blizzard: "Since coming to Dakota I have seen but two blizzards. The first one was in the win- ter of 1880-1, an the second one in January, 1888. On the morning of January 12, during the last-mentioned year, I left Sioux Falls to drive to my home, a distance of twenty-five miles. The snow was drifted, and my horses got down several times, and I progressed so slowly that at four o'clock in the afternoon I was still six miles from home. I had just got my horses out of a snow drift and was letting them rest. The sun was shining and it was so warm that I had taken off my coat. The first I knew I was covered with a cloud of snow, accompanied with a sharp wind. I looked at my watch; it was four o'clock. I started at once to get to a house, but soon found I was traveling in a circle, and was getting cold. I stopped and unhar- nessed my horses, cut the ice off their nostrils, and let them loose. I thought I would give them a chance for their lives. I then turned the sleigh-box over and got under it and wrapped myself up in my buffalo coat and blankets. I had hard work to keep awake. My horses did not leave, and occasionally I would kick the box and one of them would neigh in response. At eight o'clock the next morning I pried the sleigh-box up with the neck-yoke I had taken under with me. When I got out I could not stand, and I crawled around on my hands and knees until I found a landmark by which I knew the way to Mr. Royce's house, and managed to get there, but I was so nearly frozen that I could not speak or stand. Through the kind attentions of Mrs. Royce, I was able late in the afternoon to go for my horses, and found them leaning against each other by the sleigh. They had attempted to follow me in the morning, but owing to a great bank of snow had been unable to do so. They were quite warm when the blizzard struck us, and they were soon covered with a sheet of ice, and I think this protected them."
As an illustration of the mental condition of some persons caught in a blizzard, we give below the wanderings of Peter E. Oien, a young man in the employ of Ole Gunderson of Mapleton, who was frozen to death during this blizzard. He took a load of manure about seventy rods from Gunderson's barn and unloaded it, and as he started back the storm struck him. After it was time for him to return, and not doing so, Mr. Gunderson started out to pilot him in.
213
HISTORY OF MINNEHAHA COUNTY.
He soon found that instead of coming in the direction of his build- ings, Oien had gone south. Following the track he found that he had driven into a deep snow drift in a ravine. Here he had unhitched the horses and left the sled. After this he could find no trace of him, although he continued the search until after dark. The next morning he resumed the search and traced him in his wanderings several miles. He finally was found dead within six rods of Joe Nie- son's house, six miles south of Mr. Gunderson's place. In one place he had followed a fence quite a long distance, and when coming to the end of it had turned and followed it back nearlyits entire length, and if he had continued a few rods further would have come to a barn. At another place he had gone straight through a grove and had passed near to a house. Three times he was within three or four rods of a dwelling house, but did not seem to realize his sur- . roundings. He kept both horses with him. Once he got into a snow drift. He first got one of the horses out, and then went back for the other. He drove them most of the way, but at last walked beside them. When his body was found one of the horses stood near by it.
At the time of this blizzard there was a good deal of discussion in the newspapers as to what causes the singular conduct most peo- ple manifest when caught out in a blizzard, and in one thing they all agreed, that a majority of those people lose all power of reasoning and do not seem to recognize the most familiar surroundings.
CYCLONES.
There has never been a real, genuine cyclone in Minnehaha county, but there has been some violent windstorms sweeping through this section at different times which in a few instances have almost reached the dignity of a cyclone, and have been termed by the news- papers "Baby Cyclones."
During the summer of 1883 a strong wind accompanied by a thunderstorm swept over the northwestern portion of the City of Sioux Falls, and two or three houses in process of construction were destroyed, a few small buildings tipped over and a dozen chimneys blown down. During the afternoon of Monday, July 21, 1884, a heavy thunder storm swep over the entire county, resulting in the loss of several lives and causing the destruction of considerable property. The wind was terrific, but did not have the cyclonic twist. The storm was most destructive in the northern portion of the county. At Dell Rapids the Congregational church, a school house and three store buildings were blown down, and considerable damage was done to other buildings. Another school house a few miles out from Dell Rapids was also blown down, and two children killed. A store build- ing was demolished at Baltic, and several buildings at Valley Springs were seriously damaged. The most curious incident in connection with this great storm occurred in the southeastern portion of High- land. A school house, occupied by the teacher, a Miss Chase, and twenty-one scholars, was driven before the wind a half a mile. Miss Chase, in relating the incident, said: "The first I noticed was a violent rocking of the building, and the overturning of the stove, and then the building began to move; at times it would seem to bound over
214
HISTORY OF MINNEHAHA COUNTY.
the ground, and then to slip along smoothly." She called on the children to pray for deliverance, but a little daughter of Ransom Walter replied: "Let us get out first!" Strange as it may seem no one was seriously injured, and the building but slightly damaged; and the people in the school district acquiesced in the new location of the school house. The house of Peter Digre in Highland was blown down, one child killed and Mrs. Digre seriously injured. A daughter of Samuel Dukken of Burk was blown some distance and killed. But the destructive feature of this storm was not confined to the wind alone; the lightning was a fearful accessory. Mrs. John Hill, of Highland, was struck by lightning and instantly killed; the house of Axel Scott in Lyons was also struck, killing Mrs. Scott and pros- trating five others. Several other buildings were struck, and con- siderable stock was killed.
The nearest approach in this county to a real twister occurred on the afternoon of May 3, 1895. During a heavy shower in the vicin- ity of Sioux Falls, a little commotion was noticed on south Minne- sota avenue in the city, and it was soon evident that arrangements were being made for a cyclonic display. After everything was in readiness, it started out in a northwesterly direction, and as it ad- vanced its track widened, regardless of the obstacles in its way. At first it only overturned small buildings in a playful way, but it soon increased in fury, and after giving the Summit avenue viaduct a sharp blow it turned west and commenced business in earnest. The trees in Pettigrew's grove were blown down, some barns destroyed, and it at last focused on the Willowdale mansion and the bridge across the Sioux river; the house was unroofed and the bridge de- molished. The chain mortising works were visited, and the upper story of this "castle in the air" was scattered about the prairie. But the most serious damage was done to the carriage works standing near the river. One building containing nearly 100 carriages was blown down, and some of the carriages completely ruined and all of them more or less damaged. From this point it went up the river about half a mile, and then as quietly disappeared as a real estate boom.
The western portion of the county has not been entirely exempt from cyclonic manifestations. About four o'clock in the morning of June 21, 1892, the people in the southwestern part of Clear Lake township became suddenly aware that a "baby cyclone" was play- ing about their premises. It originated a few miles west of this county. In Montrose, McCook county, it destroyed the house of Wm. Olin, and his wife was killed. As it came east it destroyed sev- eral barns and granaries, but became somewhat moderated in force when it entered this county. When it reached the residence of John S. Lacy in section thirty in Clear Lake, it picked up his barn and hen-house and carried them away, but it did not move a buggy top that stood on the ground facing the wind not more than three feet from the barn, It spent its force by the time it reached Hartford. but while traveling through Clear Lake it did considerable damage, breaking a woman's arm, shaking up E. C. Kibbe's buildings, de- stroving small buildings and removing others from their foundations. In one instance where a building was destroyed the windows were found a half a mile away with the glass unbroken.
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HISTORY OF MINNEHAHA COUNTY.
ELECTRIC STORMS.
In addition to the usual electric display during thunder storms, there have been occasional storms in Minnehaha county which could be only characterized as electric storms. During the summer of 1871, there were quite a number of them. It was hot and dry all summer, and although every few days it looked like rain, it all ended in electrical displays without a drop of rain. From time to time since then the old settlers of the county have reported similar occur- rences. But the electric storm of all others of which any account has come to the knowledge of the writer occurred during the summer of 1886. About two o'clock one morning, if there was a person living within the limits of Sioux Falls who was not suddenly awakened, then there can be but little hope for such a person at the resurrec- tion. Upon looking out to see the cause of all the commotion going on, a cloud could be seen hanging over the northwestern portion of the city, from which lightning and peals of thunder were emitted at the rate of forty-five per minute. The cloud was moving in a south- easterly direction, and passed over the city, without shedding a drop of rain, and was succeeded by bright starlight. In the centre of its path the electric fluid seemed to be in a hurry to take the shortest line and make the quickest time possible to the earth. Although. while passing over the city several buildings were struck by light- ning, the storm did not seem to have any particular object in view and did no serious damage. To those who were not too much fright- ened to appreciate it, it was a grand display, but such an one that no person could possibly wish to see repeated. During the time the cloud was passing over the city the atmosphere was in such a pecu- liar condition that ordinary conversation could be distinctly heard and understood two blocks away. Taking it altogether it was the finest free exhibition ever given in Sioux Falls.
Very frequently our newspapers publish articles with the head line " What a stranger thinks of Sioux Falls" and a little incident which occurred in connection with this pyrotechnical display would probably have found its way into the columns of the local newspapers if it had not been for fear of destroying the reputation of the place. A gentleman had come in from the east on the Omaha train the even- ing before, with a view of making some investments in city property. He was fatigued after his long journey, and retired early to his room at the Commercial hotel, and was soon sound asleep. At two o'clock in the morning he awoke very suddenly, and. as he said, for a long time could not imagine where he was. He felt certain he was not on the earth or in any other place he had ever heard of, and for awhile thought that he was being transferred somewhere in chariots of fire. As soon as the storm was over, and he had regained his strength, he got up, dressed, and came into the hotel office. He asked the clerk what had happened, and when he was told that nothing un- usual had transpired as he knew of, he inquired when the first train would leave Sioux Falls; he returned east that morning. But before leaving, he told a gentleman in the city that he would not remain another night in this region of the country for all the gold there was on the continent.
CHAPTER XII.
SALE OF INTOXICATING LIQUORS-SANTA FE SCRIP AND ITS BOGUS ISSUE BY JOHN D. CAMERON- IMPEACHMENT OF ALDERMAN SAMP-
SON-POLITICS.
The history of the sale of intoxicating liquors in Minnehaha county, although not differing widely from what it has been in other places with about the same population where local option and prohi- bition have been tried, yet it would seem to be of sufficient impor- tance to occupy a little space in a work of this kind.
Prior to 1862 about the only restriction upon the sale grew out a scarcity of exchange for the commodity.
The first territorial legislature passed an act to regulate the sale of spirituous liquors to the extent that it became necessary to procure a license from the county commissioners or the town council of incorporated towns to lawfully sell in less quantities than one pint. The sum to be paid for a license was not to exceed one hun- dred dollars, nor be less than ten dollars, and in fixing the amount in each individual case the commissioners and council were charged to have "proper regard to the apparent advantages of the applicant's situation for business."
Any person disobeving this restrictive measure, upon conviction was liable to a fine not exceeding one hundred dollars nor less than thirty dollars, and in case the fine should not be paid, to confinement in the county jail one day for every five dollars of fine. This law took effect May 13, 1862, and from that time there has been trouble in the traffic in quantities of less than a pint.
At the next session of the territorial legislature it was made un- lawful for any person to sell or expose for sale any intoxicating liq- uors within two miles of any camp or grove meeting, convened for the purpose of religious worship.
At the third session of the territorial legislature an act was passed "concerning licenses," also an act prohibiting the sale of in- toxicating liquors to minors or to any person on Sunday. These acts took effect January 9, 1864.
By the provisions of the act concerning licenses, the board of county commissioners and the president and board of trustees of in- corporated towns were given authority to grant licenses to keep sa- loons, hotels, public houses and groceries, the applicant paying into the treasury for the privilege a sum not exceeding three hundred
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HISTORY OF MINNEHAHA COUNTY.
dollars, nor less than twenty-five dollars, in the discretion of the board, and giving a bond in the sum of five hundred dollars, condi- tioned that he would "keep an orderly house and not permit any un- lawful gaming or riotous conduct in his house." Applications for keeping saloons or groceries might be rejected, and whenever the board should be satisfied that the privilege had been abused, they had the power to revoke the license.
The penal code, approved January 11, 1865, provided for punish- ing persons guilty of selling intoxicating liquors to Indians, habitual drunkards, persons under eighteen years of age and paupers. It also provided that any person found intoxicated in a public place, should be punished by a fine of ten dollars and costs.
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