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 38
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accommodations, the capacity of the hotel was enlarged. In the spring of 1882 the original structure was moved into Ninth street and occupied there, while the present Cataract House was being erected on the old site, and remained in Ninth street until January 10, 1883, when it was removed to its present location on the west side of Main avenue between Eighth and Ninth streets, and since then
CATARACT HOUSE, 1871.
has been known as the Sherman House. About the 20th of Decem- ber, 1882, the Corson Brothers (Harry and Henry) moved into the new building, and it was under their management until they leased it to Fred H. Snyder of St. Paul, in January, 1894. Under the man- agement of Mr. Snyder this famous hotel lost none of its prestige. In April, 1899, the hotel was leased to G. H. Love of Chicago, who is now in charge, and it is still the leading hostelry in the state.
SHERMAN HOUSE .- This hotel is located on Main avenue be- tween Eighth and Ninth streets, and, as already mentioned, was the original Cataract House. It has been owned and occupied since 1883 by several different persons. At one time the most pretentious hotel in the Territory of Dakota, it is still an object of interest, fur- nishing, as it does, a striking illustration of the rapid growth and development of this section of the country.
CENTRAL HOUSE .- This hotel was built in 1871 by Joseph Dupries, a Frenchman, and he occupied it until April, 1875. In De- cember, 1879, it came into the hands of Mrs. Alice Morris of this city, who purchased it of George Wright now of Chamberlain, S. D., and since that time she has owned the property. For several years she had personal charge of the hotel, and those best qualified to ex- press an opinion in the matter say it was an orderly, well kept hotel, and was liberally patronized. Since her ownership it has been greatly improved and enlarged. During the last few years it has been leased, and at the present time is one of the popular resorts for the traveling public.
COMMERCIAL HOUSE .- When W. E. Willey came to Sioux Falls in 1878, he purchased the lots and built a hotel called the Commercial
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House, where the hotel of the same name is now located. This building he occupied until 1883, when he moved it to the rear, and erected a large fine hotel building on the site of the old wooden struc- ture. The new Commercial House was opened to the public on the 1st day of September of that year, and the captain was more than delighted with the prospects of reaping a rich harvest from his in- vestment. The hotel was commodious and well furnished, and from the start was well patronized by the public. But this state of affairs did not last long, for on the 6th day of November of that year it was totally destroyed by fire together with almost its entire contents. During the year following, Captain Willey built the present Com- mercial House, and when completed again assumed the duties of land- lord, which he continued to the great satisfaction of the patrons of the hotel until 1885, when he sold the property to Len Clark. Mr. Clark conducted the hotel until April 1, 1888, when he sold out to Wyman & Sons of Minneapolis, and they in turn sold it to Brace & Carpenter in January, 1889. The late M. J. Roche leased the Com- mercial House and took possession on the 21st day of January, 1889. He was a good landlord, and during his management, which contin- ued for four years and eight months, this hotel was liberally patron- ized. Since the retirement of Mr. Roche the hotel has been leased to different parties, and is at the present time under the management of Mark Bridge, who is receiving a liberal patronage from the travel- ing public.
MERCHANTS HOTEL .- This hotel was built by Mat Reese in 1878. Originally it was a two-story brick veneered building 44 by 80 feet in size. In 1886, this hotel was purchased by Willey & Williams, and was remodeled and enlarged, and conducted by them until 1897, dur- ing which time it received a large share of the patronage of the trav- eling public. Since then it has been conducted by different parties, the present manager being Frank G. Chaphe.
PHILLIPS HOUSE. This hotel was built by Mrs. Hattie C. Phillips in 1883, since which time it has been occupied for hotel pur- poses. It is quite a large, well arranged hotel, and receives a liberal share of patronage. The present proprietor is John C. MeNicol.
PARKER HOUSE .- Mrs. C. F. H. Koeppen built this hotel at an early date, and it was known as the Koeppen Hotel for several years. The late Joel Parker finally purchased the property, and remodeled and enlarged it, and gave it the name of Parker House. The pres- ent proprietor is G. N. Park.
CHRISTIANIA HOUSE .- This hotel located on the west side of Phillips avenue between Eleventh and Twelfth streets, was built by John Henjum. For some years a building standing upon the same lot was occupied by him as a restaurant, but in the early eighties he enlarged it and used it for hotel purposes. Since his death, which occurred several years ago, it has been conducted by Mrs. Henjum, or by her tenants, and has been well patronized.
ROCKINGHAM HOUSE .-- This hotel located on the corner of Tenth street and First avenue, was built in 1885, by A. M. Hodgdon, but
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was subsequently enlarged and occupied by him for several years. It has passed into other hands, but is still used as a hotel.
COLUMBIA HOTEL. - At an early date in the settlement of Cen- tral South Dakota, Ashton was the county seat of Spink county, and the building known as the Columbia Hotel was erected there for a hotel. When the Milwaukee railroad was built through this county a station was established some two or three miles from Ashton, and was named Ashton, and the old site was soon known as Old Ashton. The Northwestern railroad company established the station of Red- field only a few miles from Ashton, and a town rapidily grew up and secured the county seat. Old Ashton was, of course, abandoned, and this hotel building now fronting north on Ninth street between Dakota and Minnesota avenues, was taken down about nine years ago and rebuilt on its present site.
FORDE HOUSE .- This hotel fronting south on Eighth street, be- tween Phillips and Main avenues, was built by Jack Forde in 1878. It was occupied for several years for hotel purposes, and was well patronized.
WILLIAMS HOUSE .- This hotel was located on the east side of Phillips avenue between Ninth and Tenth streets. It was built in the seventies by H. D. Williams, and he kept the hotel for several years, but as the city built up it became an undesirable location for a hotel, and a few years ago, having served its full term of useful- ness, it was removed and more desirable buildings took its place.
THE AMERICAN HOTEL .- This hotel was built at an early day on the west side of Phillips avenue, and on the next lot north of the one where John McKee's harness shop is now located, and was called the Sioux Falls Hotel. It was built by James Krebs, and removed by him to its present location. Its days of usefulness as a hotel have passed into history.
PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS.
UNITED STATES COURT HOUSE AND POST OFFICE .-- Senator Pettigrew at an early date in his senatorial career introduced a bill in Congress for an appropriation for building a United States court house and post office at Sioux Falls. Under its provisions $150,000 was appropriated for this purpose. This much having been secured, a lively contest was at once set in motion in reference to its location. Several sites were offered the government by different parties, each one having its supporters in the city, and they were all the more in earnest from the fact that it would probably settle the location of the post office for all future time. The department at Washington sent a person to Sioux Falls to examine the different sites. The time of his arrival was known in advance, and every preparation was made to entertain him and bring to his notice the special advantages of each location. He went about the work in his own way, but the result would seem to indicate that in some way he was convinced that the commercial center of the city would soon be further south than it was at that time. In any event the present location was determined upon soon after his return.
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The building is of Sioux quartzite, and was completed and ready for occupancy in May, 1895, and on the 15th of that month the post office was removed from its old quarters to this building. The first story is fire proof, and is wholly occupied by the post office. The second and third floors are used for federal courts and officials of the same.
UNITED STATES COURT HOUSE AND POST OFFICE.
Like all other appropriations the first one was not sufficient to defray the expense of the building, and another appropriation of $20,000 was made by Congress.
SIOUX FALLS POST OFFICE AND POSTMASTERS. The first post- master in Sioux Falls after the militia had been ordered away was Edward Broughton, and the post office was located in a building
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standing near the Emerson block. About the first day of August, 1870, Charles Allen was appointed postmaster to succeed Broughton, and removed the office into the barracks. Cyrus Walts was his deputy and had charge of the business, and the letters received were kept in a cigar box until called for. W. R. Kiter was the next post- master, and on the 1st day of July, 1872, he removed the office to a building he had erected on the west side of Phillips avenue between Sixth and Seventh streets. But he did not retain the office long, John Bippus succeeding him in 1873. He removed the office about a block south, and it was then located a little north of the present loca- tion of Dunning's drug store. In 1875 he again moved the office, this time to the brick building just completed by E. A. Sherman on the west side of Phillips avenue between Eighth and Ninth streets, but the office had remained in this location only a few months when Mr. Bippus removed it into a building on the opposite side of the avenue. April 1, 1876, A. T. Fleetwood succeeded Mr. Bippus, and held the office for seven years, turning it over to E. W. Caldwell on the 1st day of April, 1883. While under Mr. Fleetwood's adminis- tration the office was for several years located on the northeast corner of Phillips avenue and Ninth street, but was removed from there to the Sherman block, corner of Ninth street and Main avenue on May 11, 1884. During his seven years of service he was not absent from the office at any one time to exceed twenty-four hours. Mr. Fleet- wood was highly esteemed as a citizen, and since October, 1885, the old residents of Sioux Falls have not ceased wondering as to his fate. About October 1, of that year he left Sioux Falls to visit at Stoughton, Wisconsin, going by the way of Milwaukee, where he arrived in due time, but after his arrival there no trace of him has ever been found.
Mr. Caldwell's official career as postmaster terminated on July 1, 1885, when Willard P. Carr assumed the duties of the office under an appointment from President Cleveland. He remained in office until he was succeeded by Col. B. F. Campbell on the first day of February, 1890. Col. Campbell, owing to the number of applicants for the office upon President Cleveland's second inauguration, was permitted to hold over after the expiration of his commission until the 15th day of September, 1894, when he was directed to turn over the office to A. D. Tinsley, who was postmaster until August 1, 1896, when the present incumbent, A. S. Ellis, took charge of the office. On the 18th day of May, 1895, the office was removed from the Sherman block to the government building on the southeast cor- ner of Phillips avenue and Twelfth street, where it has undoubtedly found a permanent home. No city in the United States of the size of Sioux Falls has a more commodious and better furnished post office. The business of the office has made great strides since Cyrus Walts as deputy postmaster under Charles Allen kept the mail mat- ter in a cigar box. The large increase in business during certain years has been somewhat remarkable, but it will be noticed that those were years of prosperity. The year 1884 showed an increase of nearly twenty-five per cent over the preceding year, although the first nine months of 1883 the letter postage was three cents.
Free delivery was established July 1, 1887, and the office has
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been under the civil service rules since March, 1893, and on May 5, of the same year, it was designated as a depository for surplus money-order funds in this part of the state.
On the 31st day of July, 1893, over 5,000 letters, besides circu- lars and papers, were dropped in the office between the hours of 4:30 and 8:30 P. M.
Sioux Falls has always been fortunate in securing good post- masters. Business men have been selected for the place, and the office has always been conducted to the satisfaction of the public.
PAVING. The first action taken for the paving of streets in Sioux Falls was in May, 1888, and the city let the contract to C. W. Hubbard & Co., on the first day of June following, for paving Phil- lips avenue between Fifth and Twelth streets. The city at that time was acting under a special charter, and although the authority to assess the adjacent property upon the front-foot plan was consid- ered questionable, still the necessity for paving Phillips avenue was so pressing and the public demand so importunate that the city council decided to go on with the work upon that plan. It was de- cided to pave with Sioux quartzite and to curb with Drake's jasper- ite. The contract price for the paving was $2.13 per square vard and seventy cents per lineal foot for the curbing. The contract for the curbing was let to Tonges & Co. The work was commenced at Twelfth street, and about the first of October of that year it was completed to Fifth street. A gentleman of large experience in pav- ing matters, who was in the city about that time, remarked to the writer that he did not believe there was a finer street of paving in the United States; and we will add that there is certainly not a more durable one. Some of the adjacent property owners refused to pay the assessments levied against their property, and litigation fol- lowed. Since then considerable paving has been done in the cityand the same material has been used. The paving on Phillips avenue still looks as fresh as when first placed eleven years ago, and it will undoubtedly be doing good service after most of the buildings now fronting it shall have passed into history.
STREET RAILWAYS. - In July, 1886, D. Elwell asked the city council for a franchise to built a street railway in the city of Sioux Falls, and so well did he advocate his measure and the ordinance he proposed seemed so fair, that the council granted him the fran- chise. It had not more than done so, before it was discovered that D. Elwell had secured a franchise that might prove more advan- tageous to him than to the public, and the vote by which it passed was reconsidered.
Then commenced the offering of a series of amendments, and in doing this Alderman Parmley distinguished himself. It was in the committee of the whole, and when they had perfected it, by striking from and adding to its provisions until nothing more could be thought of that would be germane to the subject, the council passed it. Mr. Elwell was present, and said to the writer "this franchise as passed, is good for anything but the building of a street railway," and, of course, he did nothing under its provisions - he couldn't - he wasn't a profane man.
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On the 5th day of March, 1887; Pettigrew and Tate went before the city council with a petition that the Elwell franchise be repealed, and a franchise for street railways in Sioux Falls be granted the petitioners. This petition was referred to a committee.
On the 22d day of March, 1887, a man from Iowa by the name of Higgins appeared before the council and asked for a franchise for street railways in Sioux Falls. He did not have his proposition perfected in all its details, and asked the council for a little more time to prepare a complete statement of what he wanted and what he would do.
At the next meeting of the council on the 24th day of March, R. F. Pettigrew as well as Mr. Higgins was present. Both of these gentlemen had their propositions perfected, but when Mr. Higgins was informed that the council would insist upon a bond being given for the faithful performance of the conditions of any franchise that might be granted, he said he was not prepared to do so, and did not see why it should be required.
Mr. Pettigrew said the requirement of a bond was reasonable, and the franchise was granted as he requested to the Sioux Falls City Street Railway Company to construct and operate street rail- ways in the city of Sioux Falls for the term of twenty years, with the privilege of renewal.
The company was incorporated, and the incorporators consisted of R. F. Pettigrew, S. L. Tate, L. T. Dunning of Sioux Falls, James Crighton of Chicago and Elnathan Sawtelle of Evansville, Wisconsin.
The company, under the provisions of the ordinance granting the franchise, was required to execute within ten days a bond of $5,000 to the city of Sioux Falls, for the faithful compliance with the conditions of the ordinance, and to file with the city clerk within thirty days an acceptance of the terms and conditions in writing under the seal of corporation. This not having been complied with June 10, 1887, the city council by resolution declared the franchise granted under the ordinance forfeited.
A short time after this action had been taken, the company executed its bond and filed the acceptance, as required, with the city clerk, and the resolution forfeiting the franchise was rescinded by the city council and the franchise restored.
On Thursday, November 3, 1887, the street cars commenced running in the city of Sioux Falls - one of the cars yielding a revenue of $16.30 that day. November 4, the first mile of the street railway was accepted by the city. The line was extended to South Sioux Falls, and at one time it had about eight miles of track.
NUMBERING BUILDINGS AND STREETS .-- The city council of the city of Sioux Falls was importuned at almost every session during the months of April, May and June, 1886, by one Ralph Javbush for authority to affix numbers to the residences and business buildings in the city. Getting tired of his entreaties, a motion was made and carried that the matter be referred to the city attorney, with instruc- tions to prepare an ordinance for this purpose, including in the terri- tory the east side of the Sioux river. The writer, then city attor- ney, appreciating the fact that the motion was made more in joke
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than in earnest, neglected to prepare the ordinance. At the next session of the council Jaybush was present and succeeded in getting the city attorney reprimanded by the mayor, and some of the alder- men mildly informed him that he had better prepare that ordinance if he expected to hold his position. Jaybush was happy. The city attorney concluded to prepare the ordinance, and did prepare and submit one to the council July 2, 1886, which was referred to the committee on streets and alleys. In the preparation of this ordi- nance it was found to be impracticable, owing to the manner the streets were named. Phillips avenue was supplemented at the south end by Third avenue; what is now Main avenue was then Main street and Second avenue; and what is now Thirteenth street was then Frank and River streets. and so on.
The city attorney concluded in drawing the ordinance he would give the council something to think about in earnest, and after fixing upon the corner of Ninth street and Phillips avenue as the center from which to commence the numbering, proceeded to change the names of seventeen streets and avenues, making all the streets to run east and west, and all the avenues north and south, and giving one name to each of them. At a council meeting August 6, Jaybush was present and, of course, the subject came up, and the committee who had the matter in charge called upon to report. They said they had not examined the matter very much, but reported in favor of its passage. The ordinance was then read, and the city attorney was called upon to explain why the names of so many streets and avenues had been changed. Upon coming to the change made of Frank and River streets to Thirteenth street, the city attorney said that he presumed Frank street was named for Frank Pettigrew, but Mr. Pettigrew being present at once broke in and said: "No, that street was named after W. S. Bloom's dog Frank." This remark seemed to settle the question that it was more desirable to have the streets named with some degree of system, than to retain the original names given in honor of some pet canine or the fancy of the persons making the original plats.
The ordinance was passed August 6, 1886, and Jaybush got the contract for numbering the buildings.
THE AUDITORIUM .- The building of an auditorium at Sioux Falls dawned upon her citizens as a work of necessity during the summer of 1898. A few months previous a delegation of our citizens belong- ing to the Business Men's League attended the annual meeting of the National Creamery Buttermakers' Association, and succeeded in securing its next annual meeting at Sioux Falls. As the time ap- proached for the meeting, the promoters of the project began to ap- preciate the responsibilities assumed, having assured the association that the city of Sioux Falls had all the requisite accommodations for such a meeting. The fact stared them in the face that there was not a building in the city that was adapted to or had the capacity of meeting the demands of this association. Something had to be done, and the leading business men of the city came to the conclusion that it was time Sioux Falls had an auditorium of such capacity as would accommodate any association or convention which might wish to con-
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vene in the city. It could not be built by subscription, and it would not pay as an investment, except in a general way. As a matter of course it could only be built by the city, and when the situation was brought to the attention of the city council it was thought best by that body to call a special election, and in that way obtain an expres- sion of the electors whether an auditorium should be built by the city. The election was called for August 2, 1898, and resulted in a vote of 594 for and 174 against the proposition. The city council thereupon authorized the expenditure of the sum of $9,000 in the building of an auditorium in accordance with certain plans and speci- fications submitted by W. L. Dow, and the contract was let for its erection for the sum of $8,980. It was completed (except a little out- side work) and ready for the inaugural ball, which was held on Thursday evening, January 19, 1899, and was a great success, and on the 23d day of January, following, its doors were thrown open to re- ceive the National Creamery Buttermakers' Association. The seat- ing capacity of the auditorium on the second floor is about 3,000. The first floor will undoubtedly be used in the near future for city purposes -- council rooms, city officials, and the fire department.
From this time on it will not be necessary for anyone to stand in the rain or freeze in tents, while listening to distinguished polit- ical speakers in Sioux Falls, and the city can now point to its splen- did auditorium, and its capacious hotels as furnishing the best ac- commodations in the state for holding conventions and meetings of other large bodies.
FIRES .-- There never has been an extensively destructive fire in Sioux Falls, and when everything is taken intoaccount it is remarkable that the city has been so fortunate. Some good buildings have been burned, but usually the fires have been limited to unsightly, dilapi- dated old buildings. Only a few large personal losses have been sustained, and it is probable that Captain Willey has suffered more in the burning of the Commercial House and his livery stable in 1883, and the Merchants Hotel in 1896, than any other individual in the city. His loss of property at the time the Commerical burned No- vember 6, 1883, was estimated at $73,000.
FIRE DEPARTMENT. Notwithstanding the size of the city of Sioux Falls and the large property interests within its limits, there has never been a paid fire department, but it has now, and has had for several years the best and most efficient voluntary fire organiza- tion in this section of the country. It has always been well officered and well equipped for business.
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