History of Marshall County Dakota - South Dakota Genealogy

History of Sisseton Township

History of Marshall County Dakota title page

The west half of Sisseton township lies on the same plateau as the east half of Hickman township, and with the exception of several deep coulees is quite level. The east half lies up in the hills, and in places is considerable broken and stony, and contains numerous marshes and meadows and occasionally a large pond. The settlers in this part of the township have considerable good tillable land by removing a few stones. In the spring of ’85 was organized as a school township, and this year built two good schoolhouses. Has not yet been organized as a civil … Read more

History of Hickman Township

About ono-third of Hickman township lies on the plateau, which, with the exception of several coulees is level and good farming land; the other two-thirds lie in the valley; the surface rather level. There are several ravines or coulees that emerge from the Coteaus in Sisseton township and run in a westerly direction; one of these coulees crosses sections 12,11, 10, 9 and 8, and on sec. 7 spreads out like a fan, covering three quarter sections of land, making an excellent meadow. This coulee on sec. 11 contained some timber, currants, gooseberries and raspberries, also plum trees. Excellent drinking … Read more

History of Newport Township

The surface of Newport township is level and has a large slough extending from north to south through its center. This slough has the appearance of having been a lake, perhaps centuries ago; the bottom is level and makes a good meadow. East of the slough, on sec. 16, the old earthworks of a fort remain to be seen. In all probability it was built by Gen Sibley in 1863-‘4, when he was through here hunting hostile Indians. The township is well settled and has three schoolhouses; before the division it belonged to Farmington, Day County. Pioneer Settlers of Newport … Read more

History of Weston Township

Weston township is settled mostly by Brown county settlers from Columbia and Groton, who came in early in the spring of 1883. The surface is somewhat undulating. There are two large depressions in southeast part, of about 500 acres, which yield an abundance of good hay. Originally included the south half of Stena township, and was known as Norwich. In the spring of ’85 was reorganized and named Weston. Now has three fine school-houses built last year. About October 1, 1882, H. H. Snow, from Clear Lake, Minn., settled on sec. 17. He was the first settler in the township … Read more

History of Lowell Township

Lowell township lies west of Waverly and is quite level, and one of the most fertile townships in the county. In June, 1883, was included in Hickman school township, and in March, 1884. was set off and named Lowell, in honor of Judge Lowell, of Bristol, who for several years was chairman of the board of county commissioners of Day county. Lowell now has two good school-houses, built in 1885. Jay King, mentioned in Waverly, squatted on sec. 23 in the fall of ’82 and built a shack; afterwards filed homestead on sec. 26. In the winter of 1884-5 married … Read more

History of Waverly Township

Waverly township, with the exception of the northwestern part, lies on a gradual elevation which finally terminates in the hills. Two-thirds of this township is fine tillable land, the remainder good grazing land, being well supplied with, water. In the eastern part of the township there are two deep gulches or coulees about one mile apart and both running west. They must have contained very heavy timber years ago, judging from stumps still remaining, several feet in diameter. Wood contractors gobbled it, hauling it to the fort. What remained was taken by the settlers from all parts of the county. … Read more

History of Pleasant Valley Township

Pleasant Valley township lies east of Britton, and the ridge or elevation on which Britton is located extends across the northwest corner of the township and terminates in the southeast corner of White township on sections 35 and 36, where the Wild Rice passes through to the north. This termination is generally known as the “Gap,” and by the Indians called Spirit Earth, where they annually congregated to hunt buffaloes. The southeast corner of the township extends pretty well up into the Coteaus; there are several coulees containing excellent spring water. Near Mr. Ford‘s, on section 11, is really the … Read more

History of Britton, South Dakota

During the spring of 1883 a few claim shacks were built on what now comprises the town site of Britton; the squatters little dreaming that three years of ‘time would bring, them a railroad, a flourishing town and county seat. Wm. Ross, of Stena township, while tramping over this portion of Miller township the latter part of April, 1883, became tired and lay down. He fell asleep, and awoke when the sun was fast sinking in the western horizon; about twenty rods from him were eleven antelope quietly grazing, where Mr. Hindman‘s lumber yard now is, near the railroad, unconscious … Read more

History of Miller Township

Miller township is centrally located and the surface slightly undulating, with the exception of the quite prominent elevation upon which Britton is located. This low range of hills commences in the southwest corner of the township and gradually rises higher, and extends across the northwestern part of Pleasant Valley township into White township, where it abruptly terminates, Between this point , and the Coteaus there is a gap through which the Wild Rice flows north. All of this elevation is good farming land, and the best of water is easily obtained almost anywhere. This township was not surveyed until the … Read more

History of Stena Township

Stena township lies south of Dayton township, and until 1885 was divided and belonged to both Norwich and Hartford school townships. There is quite an apparent rise of ground from the south town line, to the north town line, gradually merging into the elevation mentioned in Dayton Township. Through the south tier of section there is a water course or coulee and the land is naturally level and in some places low. This township was not surveyed until August, 1883, and came in market the following October. They have now four school houses. In the fall of 1882, Geo. H. … Read more

History of Dayton Township

Dayton township lies in the northwest corner of the county, and the surface is quite rolling with the exception of an apparent depression or valley, or more properly, there is a low range of hills extending from the southeast corner of the township along the town line, west and then north, with a turn to the northeast, forming a semi-circle; in this semi-circle lies the valley mentioned, which contains the majority of the settlers. An abundance of water is obtained at a depth of fifteen to thirty feet. The soil in the valley is rich and productive, while the hills … Read more

History of Newark Township

Newark Township lies west of White township, and for school purposes was included in the same until last spring, when it was set off. The surface is slightly rolling and the soil fertile and productive. It was not until April 10th, 1883, that the settlement of the township began. On that day, Homer Johnson and his sons, Fred and Stark, located on section 14 and put up the first claim shanty in the township. Mr. Johnson was born in Ovid, Seneca County, New York, and came here from Plymouth, Michigan. On April 15th, 1883, P. C. Howell, C. and J. … Read more

History of White Township

White Township, with the exception of the spur of hills extending into the southern corner of the township from Miller township, is quite level. The Wild Rice slough runs through it to the north, Geo. W. White, originally from Ohio, came here from Richland county, Dakota, located his claim July 20, 1882. Wm. Linse, from Wilkin county, Minnesota, located his claim, Section 12, about or a short time prior to White‘s settlement. Nels Otland, on Section 14, was in all probability the first one in the township to commence improvements. The evidence on this point is very unsatisfactory and conflicting. … Read more

History of Victor Township

Victor Township lies in the northeast corner of the county, west of the Sisseton reservation and north of the military reservation and at present includes a strip three miles wide lying between it and the military reservation. The western part is quite level, while the eastern part extends up into the Coteaus. The principal part of the land in the hills is good farming land, free of stones and nearly all settled. There are five coulees emerging from the hills, four of which contain timber. Chas. Bailey, mentioned elsewhere, was the first settler on section 12. Peter Sirai, a native … Read more

Sketch of Charles Bailey

The following sketch of Charles Bailey, the first settler in what is now Marshall County, was obtained by the writer from authentic sources and from persons acquainted with him before is arrival here. The Baileys, of whom there were several brothers, lived in Browns Valley, Minnesota, whence the subject of this sketch waylaid a supposed rival in a love affair and shot him but not fatally. For this criminal offense he served some time in the penitentiary at Stillwater. He was finally pardoned before the expiration of his term, and in a few days married a young lady but fifteen … Read more

Personal Narrative by Samuel Denton

Looking for a Home in DakotaA Night in the Coteaus During a Terrible Snow Storm The following particulars were recently related to the writer by Mr. Samuel Denton “In June, 1882, Josiah True, Robert Lemmon and myself, rigged a boat on the running gear of a buckboard and with a good team left Avoca, Iowa, to hunt for a home in Dakota. We entered the territory at Sioux Falls and traveled north by the way of Watertown, Clark, Groton, Grand Rapids, Jamestown and Ft. Totten. Not finding a suitable location, we turned back at Ft. Totten and traveled in a … Read more

The Sisseton Agency

Chief Renville was born on the east side of Big Stone Lake in Minnesota, sixty-one years ago (1824). He is six feet tall, with regular features, showing traces of Caucasian blood. He is a descendant of a French trader by that name, and is an intelligent, shrewd man. He, like a few more of his tribe, still clings to polygamy, having three wives. He is the father of twenty children of whom fifteen are living; During the late Minnesota massacre he with quite a number of friendly Indians of his tribe did much to save white people and hunt hostile … Read more

Military Reservation of Marshall County

The military reservation lies in the eastern part of Marshall County and contains about 128 square miles or 82,000 acres of land. Fully one-third of this area is splendid farming land, while the other two-thirds are good grazing and farming lands. There are numerous lakes, of which Skunk, Four and Nine Mile Lakes, are the largest. There is still considerable timber in the vicinity of the lakes and in the gulches. All the heavy timber has been used at the fort during the last twenty years. The scenery is grand and picturesque in many localities, especially in the vicinity of … Read more

Pioneer Homes in Marshall County

The establishment of a home by pioneers in this country is an entirely different affair compared with the pioneer settlement of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois. Here the immigrant ships his stock and household goods to the nearest railway station, where he desires to locate. If the land is not surveyed he becomes a “squatter” and files when the land comes in market. If already surveyed he makes his filing or settles and then files. Settlers generally build according to their means. Houses built of sod are comfortable and cheaply built, but require so much labor that but few are built … Read more

How The Pioneers Adapt Themselves to Changes in Profession

Blunt, D. T., Correspondence to Chicago Inter-Ocean. The District Attorney of Potter County runs a milk wagon during vacation. A physician formerly of Union City, Kentucky, spent his first few months here as a day laborer while he had two diplomas hanging up in his room. A man who had a jewelry store in Leadville, Colorado, came to Blunt, and finding two jewelers here bought out a meat market and ran it for nearly a year successfully. A graduate of a Pennsylvania college who had read law two years got his first start in Wessington sawing wood at a hotel. … Read more