REVISED COMPENDIUM INFORMATION RELATING TO South Dakota t 1908 tJOiVl PILED BY DOAINE R0BIIV30IN Secretary Department of History South Dakota has for eleven successive years, IS97, 1898. 1899, 1900, 190!, 1902. 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, produced more new wealth per capita than any other state OOIVfPUIiVlEINXS OR ' K^^ NEWS pra. CO., Aberdeen, s. d. I^LiBrtARY of COhia^Aalfl I' t'wo Oopias Kecfen o: i JAH 24 1908 j 1908 INTRODUCTION This compendium of information relating to South Dakota was first compiled and published in 1902. Its authority, convenience and inex- pensiveness has made it exceedingly popular and it is annually revised and brought up to date in response to a continued and growing demand for it both within and without the state. 1 believe every statement herein is either based upon express official information, or is true from the personal knowledge of the com- piler. DOANE ROBINSON, Secretary State Historical Society. Pierre, January 1, 1908. 1908 Compendiuin of Information RELATING TO SOUTH DAKOTA COMPILED B¥ DOAIVJe ROBIINSOIS^ Secretary Department of- History HISTORICAL- South Dakota probably visited' by Raddisson and Groselliers, 1659. By LeSeuer's voyageurs, 1683. By Verendrye- 1745. Fur trade established, 1796. Explored by Lewis and Clark, 1804. Indian title extinguished, 1859. First permanent agricultural settlement. May 10, 1857. Territory established, 1861. First railroads, 1872. Gold discovered in Black Hills, 1874. Black Hills opened, 1876. Great boom of homesteaders, 1880-1883. Admitted as a state, November 2, 1889. Population The census of 1905 gives South Dakota 455,- 185 people. Six to the square mile. The center of population is near Carthage, Miner county. Her population is chiefly American. Those not American born are north of Europe immigrants. 2 (! All are thoroughly American in spirit. South Dakotans are intelligent, moral, public- spirited, energetic. They make the best neighbors in the world. Estimated population, January 1, 1908, 493,- 500. Foreigners There are 33,473 Scandinavians, 17,873 Prus- sian Germans and 12,365 Russian Germans, 11,144 Canadians, 5,564 from England, Scotland and Wales, 3,298 Irish and 1,566 Hollanders. Occupations By occupation the people are engaged as fol- lows: 82,857 are farmers, 16,821 are engaged in domestic and personal service, 15,274 are in trade' and transportation, 14,327 follow mechan- ical pursuits, 7,877 are in the professions. There are 147,165 school children and 107,053 voters. Homes The state has 83,536 homes; 57,288 homes are owned by the occupants; 37,483 homes are free from encumbrance. Property and Taxation South Dakota's assessed valuation is $260,- 000,000. The true valuation is more than a billion dollars. State taxes are limited by the constitution to two mills on the dollar. South Dakota is conducted for less money and gets more service for the money spent than any other state. The state has no bonded debt. Public affairs are managed upon the xnost conservative basis. State credit unsurpassed. Area and Topography The area is 76..000 square miles. The state is divided into almost equal parts by the Missouri river. •5. i With the exception of the rich mining district in the southwest corner, it is all rich farming- and pasture land. It is splendidly watered by streams and lakes. Surface wells are secured everywhere. Artesian wells are found everywhere west of the Sioux valley. The general surface is gently undulating and rises very gradually from the James river to the Black Hills. The average elevation is 1,200 feet. The greatest altitude is at Harney peak, in the Black Hills, which is 7,200 feet high. The Soil There are three distinct qualities of soil, all of which are productive. East of the Missouri river the state is cov- ered by a glacial clay, upon which is a deep coat of vegetable mould. Along the west side of the Missouri the soil is a tenacious clay produced from mountain erosion. Fifty miles back from the Missouri, and cov- ering the western portion, is found the black, sandy loam of the Laramie formation. The Climate The climate is bright, healthful and invig- orating. The average annual rainfall east of the Mis- souri is 21 inches. More than 12 inches of this falls in the five growing months. The following are the official figures for rain- fall from April to August, 1907. at points named : Sioux Valley — Inches Milbank 13.91 Watertown 10 . 08 Brookings 14.86 Sioux Falls • 15.50 4 James Valley — Aberdeen 12.91 Huron 11.01 Mitchell 17 . 84 Missouri Valley — Bowdle . . ' 11.29 Pierre 12 . 56 Yankton 20 . 34 Black Hills- Rapid City 14 . 00 The monthly average precipitation for twen- ty years at the government signal station at Huron, in the James river valley, has been as follows: Inches January 0.53 February - . 50 March 0.99 April 2.92 May 2.69 June 3.69 July 2.93 August 2 . 59 September 1.66 October 1.34 November 0.59 December 0.59 The average summer is delightful. The average winter is mild, agreeable and almost snowless. Temperature The normal mean temperature for^^faatiary^ and February is 11 degrees above zero. The average temperature for the year is 42.3. The monthly average at Huron for twenty years has been as follows: January 10.1 February 12.6 March 27.0 April 46.9 May 56.3 June 65 . 9 July 71.9 August 69 . 9 5 September . .56 . 3 October ..47.6 November 39,5 December ..15.4 Live stock grazes the prairie ranges all win- ter without shelter. Productions The following table of productions is taken from the Annual Review of the progress of the state for 1907, compiled by the State Historical Society, and was not intended for advertising purposes, but to set down the historical fact: Wheat, 30,292,818 bushels $ 24,234,250.40 Corn, 54,561,268 bushels 27,280,634.00 Oats, 36,942,508 bushels 14,037,153.04 Barley, 20,438,257 bushels 14,306,779.90 Flax, 5,000,000 bushels 5,000,000.00 Speltz, 3,500,000 bushels 1,400,000.00 Hay, 3,150,000 tons 14,175,000.00 Potatoes, veg-etables and fruits. . 5,000,000.00 Dairy products 8,000,000.00 Eggs and poultry 5,000,000 . 00 Honey 25,000 . 00 Livestock 34,173,527 . 45 Wool and hides 600,000 . 00 Minerals and stone 7,000,000.00 Total for year $160,232,344.79 The growth of the state in productions since this department was organized in 1901 has been steadily progressive. The following table gives the totals by years and the increase: Value of Year Productions Increase 1900 $106,500,000.00 1901 ' 113,652.750.00 $ 7,152,750.00 1902 119,949,000.00 6,492,250.00 1903 136,124,000.00 16,175,000.00 1904* 116,792,000.00 1905 126,686,261.00 9,994,261.00 1906 145,812,831.29 19.128,590.29 1907 160,232,344.74 14,311,513.80 * Wheat lost bv rust. Our Actual Marketings South Dakota is peculiarly well situated to secure an accurate determination of the amount of productions which she actually supplies to the general markets, as all we produce, except sufficient for home consumption, is sold in mar- kets outside of the state and is carried to those markets by the railroads. The following table is made upon the reports of the several rail- roads operating in South Dakota as to the amount of freight carried out of South Dakota for the fiscal year ending July 1, 1907: Wheat. 34,417,199 bushels $22,371,179.35 Corn, 8,972,124 bushels 3,140,243.35 Oats, 18,959,379 bushels 4,929,437.54 Barley, 16,813,431 bushels 5,884,700.85 Flax, 4,441,000 bushels 4,751,870.00 Rye, 572,081 bushels 286,040.50 Cattle, 274,737,715 pounds 15,736,885.75 Hogs, 196,047,225 pounds 11,762,835.50 Horses, 24,825,060 pounds 1,988,004.80 Sheep, 28,096,690 pounds 1,685,801 . 40 Dairy products, poultry, eggs, hides, wool, hay, potatoes, vege- tables, fruits and minor pro- ducts 18,425,000 . 00 Grand total for 1907 $90,961,999.09 Grand total for 1906 87,919,856.85 Net increase $ 3,042,142 . 24 Wheat Wheat growing is a prominent industry and is pursued with profit. White, or bread wheat, of the spring variety, is chiefly produced. About 30 per cent of the entire crop is maca- roni, or durum wheat. Winter wheat growing is a new industry and meets with success where tried. For twenty years the average spring wheat crop has been twelve bushels per acre. 7 In 1905 and 1906 the average was fifteen bushels. Durum wheat yields twenty-one bushels on the average. Modern methods cultivate, harvest and mar- ket the wheat crop at a nominaL cost. The Corn Belt South Dakota lies in the corn belt. The crop constantly increases in importance. In 1907 it surpassed the wheat crop in value by $3,000,000. Live Stock The live stock industry vastly exceeds any other in importance. For 1903 the live stock industry, exclusive of dairying, yielded the state $35,950,164. Cattle, horses, hogs and sheep all thrive on our nutritious native grasses. The wonderful western range for stock cattle, Where stock graze all winter without hay, grain or shelter, and The fertile farms of the grain belt, for finish- ing, afford a combination of interests and op- portunities not elsewhere equaled for live stock money-making. By the last federal census South Dakota had $160 worth of live stock per capita, Iowa $122, Minnesota $49 and Wisconsin $45. Dairying Dairying is an already well-established indus- try and is destined to become the most valu- able. Every condition is favorable to successful dairying. The state dairy and food commission approxi- mate the value of the dairy product for the cur- rent year at $8,000,000. There are in the state 152 creameries. There are 325,000 milch cows. The native grasses give a peculiarly pleasant flavor and a solidarity of texture to butter I 4> «• which places it at the very top of the eastern market. By the last federal census, South Dakota had .62 dairy cows per capita of population, not counting 270,285 cows running on the South Dakota range, Iowa had .60, Minnesota .32, and Wisconsin, the great dairying state, but .36. Sheep South Dakota is particularly adapted to sheep raising. The climate and grasses join in contributing healthy and splendidly flavored mutton. Da- kota lambs invariably top the Chicago market. Wool of the finest staple is produced, but the mutton breeds are most grown by South Da- kota sheepmen. Hog Breeding As the state is fast taking a leading position as a corn producer, it naturally follows that much attention is given to pork making. Hogs are more healthy here than in Illinois and Iowa. The industry is one of first importance, con- tributing annually six million dollars to the state's wealth. Poultry South Dakota is splendidly adapted to poul- try growing. The egg and poultry product is worth $5,000,000 annually. Fruit Growing Continued experiments have demonstrated that all northern fruits do well in South Da- kota. South Dakota has two of the largest apple orchards in America. One is now twenty-two years since planting. It stands on high, unprotected prairie. It produced 22,000 bushels of splendid apples in 1904. The other, in the Black Hills, is equally pro- lific. 9 Plums, cherries and small fruits yield abund- antly. Last year's apple crop amounted to 217,880 bushels. Forestry Tree growing is receiving wide attention. Great success attends it. In a large portion of the state the horizon presents an almost unbroken timber line. Ash, box elder, cottonwood and elm are the favorite forest trees grown. Artesian Weils South Dakota has more than three thousand artesian wells. The basin everywhere west of the Sioux val- ley appears to be inexhaustible. The wells afford an abundance of water. They are under high pressure, affording power for many purposes. An inch and a quarter well will furnish an abundance of water for a section of land. Such a well costs from $100 to $600. The imwrtance of the artesian wells can scarcely be overestimated. They afford an abundance of pure water for the cities and a protection against fire. They fill the low places with water, affording an evaporation which has already made a per- ceptible modification of the climate. They accelerate forestry and in a hundred ways add to the advantage and comfort of life on the prairies. Surface wells of good water can be secured anywhere at from 15 to 50 feet. Naturai Gas South Dakota has the most extensive natural gas belt on the continent The area already determined is 50 by 150 miles in extent. The deposit is found at 1,400 feet. It is used for heat, light and all kinds of power. 10 The gas wells at the same time furnish a tremendous flow of warm, soft water. Pierre, the state capital, is central in the gas belt. At Capa, a new town in the Teton valley, on the Northwestern extension west of Pierre, a well recently sunk furnishes a strong flow of hot water 135 degrees Fahrenheit. Minerals and Mining The Black Hills are the richest 100 miles square in the world. They are rich in gold, silver, lead, tin and numerous other metals. The annual mineral production of South Da- kota aggregates $10,000,000. Portland Cement The Missouri river bluffs bear, in close rela- tion, the lime rock and the clays which make the strongest Portland cement known. These deposits extend from Sioux City to above Pierre. The Western works at Yankton employ 100 men and find an unlimited market for their splendid product. The supply is inexhaustible and there is a broad field for investment in the industry. State Institutions South Dakota is equipped with all the ma- chinery for development. It has a state university. An agricultural college. Four state normal schools. A school of mines. Schools for the deaf and blind. All are doing good work. And all are paid for. She has fully equipped and paid for a com- plete outfit of charitable, penal and reformatory institutions. A magnificent state capitol is now under erection. 11 The cost is paid from sale of capitol lands granted by government. The new homeseeker will be taxed for none of these. Public Schools South Dakota's public schools are the state's chiefest pride, and everywhere the pioneers planted white school houses even before they provided themselves with better than sod houses. There are now more than 147,000 school chil- dren, and their education costs nearly two mil- lion dollars per year. There is a complete course of study in the common schools, from which the pupils are regularly graduated at the completion of the eighth grade. From the common school the pupil passes by regular graduation to the high school and the university. Country school children are given free tuition in the city high schools. School Lands South Dakota has the grandest school fund of any state. Two million one hundred thousand acres of choice land. Not one acre can be sold for less than ten dollars. The constitution guarantees this. Two hundred and seventy thousand acres have thus far been sold at an average of $18 per acre. The annual apportionment of interest already reaches $3.14 per capita. Native Grasses The native grasses of South Dakota are of exceptional value as food plants. They are chiefly of three varieties — Ordinary prairie grass. Blue joint, Buffalo grass. 12 The value of prairie grass and blue joint for hay is generally known. Buffalo grass is a wonderful pasture plant. It ripens on the stalk and is as nutritious in the winter as in the summer. It abounds everywhere west of the Sioux and is the secret of the value of the wonderful winter pastures. Manufacturing According to the census of 1900 the manu- factures of South Dakota amount to $12,230,239 annually. They consist chiefly of flour, beer, cigars, Portland cement, harness, clothing and confec- tionery. Every locality invites manufacturing enter- prises. Wholesaling Wholesaling is well established, and is ex- tensively carried on at Sioux Falls, Aberdeen, Watertown, Pierre. Mitchell and Yankton. The lines represented embrace groceries, hardware, drugs, harness, fruits and machinery. The outlook for the jobbing trade is bright, and the enterprising cities of the state offer strong inducements for the location of jobbing houses. Private Finances The people of the state are prosperous. The banks are overflowing with funds. More than $58,000,000 are on deposit in the banks of South Dakota. These are the deposits of the common people. There are no very rich men or great corpo- rations reii resented in the bank deposits of South Dakota. Churches All the denominations are well represented in the state, both with societies and church buildings. These are conveniently located both in town and in the country. 13 Most of the denominations have strong edu- cational institutions. The Methodists have colleges at Mitchell and Hot Springs. The Congregationalists at Yankton and Red- field. The Presbyterians at Huron. The Baptists at Sioux Falls. 'f'he Scandinavian Lutherans at Sioux Falls and Canton. The Episcopalians at Sioux Falls. The Catholics have well equipped academies at Aberdeen, Sturgis, Elkton, Marion, Vermil- lion and other points. The Mennonites at Freeman. The Catholics also maintain excellent hos- pitals at Pierre, Yankton, Aberdeen, Webster and Hot Springs. The Scandinavian Lutherans have an orphan asylum at Beresford. Politics South Dakota is strongly Republican in poli- tics. The majority at 1904 election was 50,089. The total vote, 101,379. Railroads Every portion of the eastern section is ac- cessible to railroads and many new lines are projected. Three lines west of the Missouri were built during 1906. The Milwaukee from Chamberlain to Black Hills. The same road from Glenham towards Pa- cific coast. The Northwestern from Pierre to Rapid City. They open a magnificent country hitherto not accessible. Many business opportunities are open along these lines. The Minneapolis & St. Louis has completed an extension, Watertown to Leola via Aber- deen and west fi'om Conde to the Missouri. 14 A HALF CENTURY South Dakota is no longer an experiment. Fifty years have elapsed since the agricultural population first came into the state, and .the entire portion east of the Missouri has been settled for more than twenty years. The pio- neer settlers were confronted with new condi- tions. Many of them, who came to Dakota as homesteaders, were factory operatives and tradesmen, wholly inexperienced in agriculture. That many should fail and give up in discour- agement was inevitable. And, too, there were periods calculated to try the hearts of the most experienced. Fire, flood, drought, seem to be the portion of the pioneer in every section, and South Dakota has been no exception to the gen- eral rule. But once tried out, nature turns to the ])ioneer a smiling countenance and showers the faithful ones with many favors. So it has been in Dakota. The men and women who had the faith and courage to stick it out have learned the heart secrets of the mother state and she has given to them the blessings of great happiness and prosperity. She has taught them the trick of the soil. Inch by inch she has yielded to them for fruitful agriculture until all of her abounding domain blossoms with rich harvests or nourishing pastures where uncounted herds fatten on the lush grasses; and where once the buffalo and the antelope panted for water there now gush from her bosom many hundreds of never failing foun- tains, feeding purling streams and beautiful lakes, about which spring groves to shade and 15 comfort the land. Even her breath, once hot and scorching as a desert wind, has become soft and humid, bearing frequent showers to refresh the earth. In other words, fifty years of occupation and experience have taught the Soutli Dakotan liow to avail himself of the natural conditions and how to adapt his methods to the best ends, and in this age, where material results are the measure of all values. South Dakota passes the extreme test, for she yields to her people more per capita wealth than any other com- monwealth. To summarize in a paragraph the advantages which South Dakota presents to the home- seeker, it may be said that the soil is uniformly fertile, producing fair returns of all field crops indigenous to the northern states. Wheat grow- ing is no longer a chief dependence, though a gooJ average crop can always be counted upon. Corn is fast encroaching upon the wheat fields with most advantageous results. Barley is a sure and profitable crop of groVing import- ance. Flax is extensively and profitably grown. Hay and fodder grow in prodigious quantities and find a profitable market for ship- ment. Dairying has revolutionized many sec- tions and is unquestionably the coming great industry of the state, already adding millions per year to her wealth. Cattle, hogs, sheep and horses are turning thirty-five millions per year into the coffers of our breeders and feeders. It is the great live stock paradise, for here "A dollar a year will keep a steer.'' These are some of the material advantages offered. On the other side South Dakota offers a highly developed citizenship, fully organized for all humanities. Schools, churches, univer- sities, hospitals. Intelligence, sobriety, mor- ality, patriotism. Everything which combines to make the home congenial, comfortable and prosperous. DOANE ROBIXSOX. 16 ^ •?».' IkH 5:4 :-A'^ SOUtl LIBRARY OF CONGRESS Offef Adv2 016 092 282 5 FARMER AND HOMESEEKER Nowhere else can you find such desir= able conditions and land values so reasonable as here For detailed information call upon or write to