50 YEARS
BEFORE SOUTH DAKOTA'S RATIFICATION OF THE U.S. CONSTITUTION
1846
-
December 28, South Dakota area, east of the Missouri River
unorganized.
1849
-
March 3, South Dakota area, east of the Missouri River became
part of Minnesota Territory.
1854
-
May 30, South Dakota area west of the Missouri River, became
part of Nebraska Territory.
1857
-
Medary, first town in Brookings County, and one of the first
three (Flandreau, Sioux Falls) European settlements in South
Dakota
- August 27, pioneer Wilmot W.
Brookings arrived in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and becoming
one of the first settlers.
1858
-
Medary town inhabitants driven out by Yankton and Yanktonnia
Native Americans in Brookings County, South Dakota.
1859
-
Norwegians begin to establish claims near the James and
Vermillion rivers in South Dakota.
1860
- South Dakota population, 4,837
residents.
- Commerce City (present Canton)
founded, on the Big Sioux River in Lincoln County, South
Dakota. Coordinates 43°18'N-96°35'W.
1861
- March 2, Dakota
Territory organized, capital Yankton.
APRIL - BEGINNING OF
THE CIVIL WAR
- May 27, William
Jayne, appointed governor of South Dakota Territory
(1861-November 2, 1863).
1862
Civil War period
- Bon Homme County established
in South Dakota, seat Tyndall.
- Canton appointed seat of Lincoln
County in South Dakota.
- Charles Mix County established
in South Dakota, seat Lake Andes.
- Clay County established in South
Dakota, seat Vermillion.
- Deuel County established in South
Dakota, seat Clear Lake.
- Gregory County established in
South Dakota, seat Burke.
- Hutchinson County established
in South Dakota, seat Olivet.
- Minnehaha County established
in South Dakota, seat Sioux Falls.
- Union County established in South
Dakota, seat Elk Point.
- Yankton County established in
South Dakota, seat Yankton.
1863
Civil War period
- November 2, Newton
Edmunds, appointed governor of South Dakota Territory
(1863-September 5, 1866).
1864
Civil War period
- Vanderbilt settlement along the
Missouri River established by Andrew Marsch, in Campbell
County, South Dakota.
1865
MAY -
ENDING OF THE CIVIL WAR
1866
-
September 5, Andrew Jackson Faulk, appointed governor of
South Dakota Territory (1866-May 10, 1869).
1867
- Commerce City renamed Canton,
in Lincoln County, South Dakota.
- Lincoln County established in
South Dakota, seat Canton.
1868
-
The Fort Laramie Treaty creates the native American Sioux
Reservation, west of the Missouri River in South Dakota.
1869
- After Medary town, was almost
11 years abandoned, Norwegion pioneers arrived and settled
in the area in Brookings County, South Dakota.
- May 10, John Albyne Burbank,
appointed governor of South Dakota Territory (1869-January
1, 1874).
1870
-
South Dakota population, 11,776 residents.
1871
- Turner County established in
South Dakota, seat Parker.
- July 3, Brookings County formally
organized in the cabin of Martin Trygstad in Medary, South
Dakota. Cities-Towns-Townships
: Afton, Alton, Argo, Arlington, Aurora,
Bangor, Brookings, Bruce, Bushnell, Elkton, Eureka, Lake
Hendricks, Lake Sinai, Laketon, Medary, Oak Lake, Oakwood,
Oslo, Parnell, Preston, Richmond, Sherman, Sinai, Sterling,
Trenton, Volga, White, Winsor
1873
- German settlers arrived in Dakota
Territory.
- Buffalo County established in
South Dakota, seat Gann Valley.
- Campbell County established in
South Dakota, seat Mound City.
- Clark County established in South
Dakota, seat Clark.
- Davison County established in
South Dakota, seat Mitchell.
- Dewey County established in South
Dakota, seat Timber Lake.
- Douglas County established in
South Dakota, seat Armour.
- Edmunds County established in
South Dakota, seat Ipswich.
- Falk County established in Sout
Dakota, seat Faulkton.
- Grant County established in South
Dakota, seat Milbank.
- Hamlin County established in
South Dakota, seat Hayti.
- Hand County established in South
Dakot, seat Miller.
- Hanson County established in
South Dakota, seat Alexandria.
- G+Hyde County established in
South Dakota, seat Highmore.
- Kingsbury County established
in South Dakota, seat De Smet.
- Lake County established in South
Dakota, seat Madison.
- Lyman County established in South
Dakota, seat Kennebec.
- McCook County established in
South Dakota, seat Salem.
- McPherson County established
in South Dakota, seat Leola.
- Miner County established in South
Dakota, seat Howard.
- Moody County established in South
Dakota, seat Flandreau.
- Spink County established in South
Dakota, seat Redfield.
- Stanley County established in
South Dakota, seat Fort Pierre.
- Sully County established in South
Dakota, seat Onida.
- Tripp County established in South
Dakota, seat Winner.
- Walworth County established in
South Dakota, seat Selby.
- January 8, the South Dakota Territorial
Legislature relocated the boundaries of Brookings County.
1874
- Lieutenant Colonel George A.
Custer, discovered gold in French Creek, during his expedition
to the Black Hills in South Dakota.
- January 1, John Lee Pennington,
appointed governor of South Dakota Territory (1874-April
13, 1878).
1875
- Brule County established in South
Dakota, seat Chamberlain.
- Custer County established in
South Dakota, seat Custer.
- Custer, laid out and appointed
seat of Custer County in South Dakota. Coordinates 43°46'N-103°36'W.
Attractions & Recreation
: Black Hills National Forest, Crazy Horse
Memorial, Custer State Park, Jewel Cave National Monument,
Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Norbeck Wildlife Preserve.
- Lawrence County established in
South Dakota, seat Deadwood.
- Pennington County established
in South Dakota, seta Rapid City.
- Potter County established in
South Dakota, seat Gettysburg.
- Shannon County established in
South Dakota, seat Hot Springs.
1876
- First settlers arived in the
Belle Fourche area in Butte County, South Dakota.
- Deadwood, founded during the
gold rush, seat of Lawrence County in South Dakota. Coordinates
44°23'N-103°44'W.Attractions
& Recreation : Adams Memorial Museum,
Hickok Monument, Terry Peak, Theodore Roosevelt Monument.
- August 2, marshall Wild Bill
Hickok killed by Jack McCall, in a saloon in Deadwood,
Lawrence County, South Dakota.
1877
-
Codington County established in South Dakota, seat Watertown.
1878
- Belle Fourche settled by the
Fremont, Elkhorn & Missouri Valley Railroad, in Butte
County, South Dakota. Coordinates 44°40'N-103°51'W.
Attractions & Recreation
: Belle Fourche Dam, Black Hills National
Forest.
- April 13, William Alanson Howard,
appointed governor of South Dakota Territory 1878-April
10, 1880).
1879
- Beadle County created in South
Dakota, seat Huron. Named for Brigadier General William
Henry Harrison Beadle.
- Brookings surveyed, platted and
founded, seat of Brookings County in South Dakota. Named
for Judge Wilmot W. Brookings. Coordinates 44°19'N-96°48'W.
- Brown County established in South
Dakota, seat Aberdeen.
- Day County established in South
Dakota, seat Webster.
- August, Cavour laid out, the
first town in Beadle County, South Dakota.
- October 2, a railroad from Minnesota
came to Brookings County in South Dakota.
- Ocotober 18, first train arrived
in Brookings town, Brookings County, South Dakota.
1880
- South Dakota population, 98,268
residents.
- Beadle County organized in South
Dakota
- Hughes County established in
South Dakota, seat Pierre.
- April 10, George H. Hand, appointed
acting governor of South Dakota Territory (1880-June 24,
1880).
- May 10, Huron town platted in
Beadle County, South Dakota.
- June 24, Nehemiah George Ordway,
appointed governor of South Dakota Territory (1880-July
25, 1884).
- July 4, Charles Miner, S.S. Neilson
and Eli C. Walton, appointed by Governor Ordway, as Commissioners
to organize Beadle County in South Dakota.
- July 20, Brown County established
in South Dakota.
- July 28, Huron appointed seat
of Beadle County in South Dakota.
1881
- Aurora County established in
South Dakota, seat Plankinton.
- Belle Fourche appointed seat
of Butte County in South Dakota.
- Canton incorporated in Lincoln
County, South Dakota.
- Chamberlain on the Missouri River,
incorporated and appointed seat of Brule County, South
Dakota. Coordinates 43°49'N-99°20'W. Attractions
& Recreation : Big
Bend Dam
- Deadwood,
incorporated as city in Lawrence County, South Dakota.
- South Dakota State University
established in Brookings, Brookings County, South Dakota.
1883
- Brookings incorporated, Brookings
County, South Dakota.
- Butte County established in South
Dakota, seat Belle Fourche.
- Custer, incorporated in Custer
County, South Dakota.
- Jerauld County established in
South Dakota, seat Wessington Springs.
- Roberts County established in
South Dakota, seat Sisseton.
- Sanborn County established in
South Dakota, seat Woonsocket.
1884
- Augustana Academy founded in
Canton, Lincoln County, South Dakota.
- Campbell County, organized in
South Dakota, seat LeGrace.
- Stage coach service established
by french nobleman Marquis de Mores, between Medora, North
Dakota and Deadwood in South Dakota.
- July 25, Gilbert Ashville Pierce,
appointed governor of South Dakota Territory (1884--Febuary
17, 1886).
1885
- Marshall
County established in South Dakota, seat Britton.
1887
-
Louis Kussuth Church, appointed governor of South Dakota
Territory (1887-March 22, 1889).
1888
-
Campbell County seat LeGrace moved to Mound City, South
Dakota.
1889
- Meade County established
in South Dakota, seat Sturgis.
- March 22, Arthur
Calvin Mellette, appointed governor of South Dakota Territory
(1889-November 2, 1889).
November
2, South Dakota SD, 40th
state admitted to the Union
South
Dakota Today
: capital Pierre. Area 77,121 sq.mi.(199743km²),
17th largest state.
Counties 66 : Aurora, Beadle, Bennett,
Bon Homme, Brookings, Brown, Brule, Buffalo, Butte, Campbell,
Charles Mix, Clark, Clay, Codington, Corson, Custer, Davison,
Day, Deuel, Dewey, Douglas, Edmunds, Fall River, Falk,
Grant, Gregory, Haakon, Hamlin, Hand, Hanson, Harding,
Hughes, Hutchinson, Hyde, Jackson, Jerauld, Jones, Kingsbury,
Lake, Lawrence, Lincoln, Lyman, Marshall, McCook, McPherson,
Meade, Mellette, Miner, Minnehaha, Moody, Pennington,
Perkins, Potter, Roberts, Sanborn, Shannon, Spink, Stanley,
Sully, Todd, Tripp, Turner, Union, Walworth, Yankton,
Ziebach. Attractions
& Recreation : Angostura Reservoir, Badlands
National Park, Crazy Horse Memorial, Custer State Park,
Jewel Cave National Monument, Mount Rushmore National
Memorial, Wind Cave National Park
- November
2, Arthur Calvin Mellette, elected governor of South Dakota
(1889-January 3, 1893).
1890
- South Dakota population, 348,600
residents.
- The first trainload of cattle
left Belle Fourche in Butte County, South Dakota. At that
time the world's largest livestock shipping point.
1892
-
Brookings County established in South Dakota, seat Brookings.
1893
-
January 3, Charles Henry Sheldon, elected governor of South
Dakota (1893-January 1, 1897).
1895
-
A fire destroyed downtown business district of Belle Fourche
in Butte County, South Dakota.
1897
- January 1, Andrew Ericson Lee,
elected governor of South Dakota (1897-January 8, 1901).
- June 27, Kid Curry of the Butch
Cassidy-Sundance Kid gang, botched the robbery of the
Butte County Bank in Belle Fourche, South Dakota.
1900
-
South Dakota population, 401,570 residents.
1901
- Railroad arrived in Campbell
County, South Dakota.
- January 8, Charles Nelson Herreid,
elected governor of South Dakota (1901-January 3, 1905).
- April 21, Lake Andes platted,
in Charles Mix County, South Dakota.
1903
-
Belle Fourche incorporated, in Butte County, South Dakota.
1904
-
Lake Andes, founded in Charles Mix County, South Dakota
1905
-
January 3, Samuel Harrison Elrod, elected governor of South
Dakota (1905-January 9, 1907).
1907
- Public school house built in
Lake Andes, Charles Mix County, South Dakota.
- January 8, Coe Isaac Crawford,
elected governor of South Dakota (1907-January 5, 1909).
1909
- Bennett County established in
South Dakota, seat Martin.
- Corson County established in
South Dakota, seat McIntosh.
- Harding County established in
South Dakota, seat Buffalo.
- Mellette County established in
South Dakota, seat White River.
- Perkins County established in
South Dakota, seat Bison.
- Todd County established in South
Dakota, seat Winner.
- January 5, Robert Scadden Vessey,
elected governor of South Dakota (1909--January 7, 1913).
1910
- South Dakota population, 583,888
residents.
- Faith, settled in South Dakota,
on the western edge of the Cheyenne Native American (reservation)
nation/land. Town
named after one of the daughters of the railroad company
president.
1911
-
Ziebach County established in South Dakota, seat Dupree.
1912
- Martin settled in Bennett County,
South Dakota. Attractions
& Recreation : Arthur Bowring Ranch,
Brooks Memorial Park, Hodson Memorial Park, LaCreek National
Wildlife Refuge
- Vetal founded in Bennett County,
South Dakota.
1913
-
January 7, Frank Michael Byrne, elected governor of South
Dakota (1913-January 2, 1917).
1914
- Haakon County established in
South Dakota, seat Philip.
- Jackson County established in
South Dakota, seat Kadoka.
1916
- Jones County established in South
Dakota, seat Murdo.
- Tuthill founded in Bennett County,
South Dakota.
1917
-
January 2, Peter Norbeck, elected governor of South Dakota
(1917-January 4, 1921).
1920
-
South Dakota population, 636,547 residents.
1921
-
January 4, William Henry McMaster, elected governor of South
Dakota (1921-January 6, 1925).
1925
-
January 6, Carl Gunderson, elected governor of South Dakota
(1925-January 4, 1927).
1927
- Gutzon Borglum began his sculpture
'Shrine of Democracy' on Mount Rushmore in South Dakota.
- January 4, William John Bulow,
elected governor of South Dakota (1927-January 6, 1931).
1930
- South Dakota population, 692,849
residents.
- Campbell County population in
South Dakota, 5,926 residents.
1931
-
January 6, Warren Everett Green, elected governor of South
Dakota (1931-January 3, 1933).
1933
-
January 3, Thomas Berry, elected governor of South Dakota
(1933-January 5, 1937).
1937
- January 5, Leslie Jensen, elected
governor of South Dakota (1937-January 3, 1939)
1939
- January 3, Harlan
John Bushfield, elected governor of South Dakota (1939-January
5, 1943).
50 YEARS
AFTER SOUTH DAKOTA'S RATIFICATION OF THE U.S. CONSTITUTION