Codington Co., SD - Description and History, 1884 This file is a complete transcription of the descriptive information about Codington County as found in A. T. Andreas' "Historical Atlas of Dakota", 1884. CODINGTON COUNTY This county is situated on the 45th parallel of north latitude, in the eastern central portion of Dakota, and bounded on the north by Grant and Clark counties, on the south by Hamlin, on the east by Grant and Deuel, and on the west by Clark county. Its area comprises twenty congressional towns, equal to 720 square miles or 460,800 acres. The county is principally drained by the Big Sioux River, a small area in the northeast corner touching the watershed of the Minnesota River. The Big Sioux River traverses the county a little east of the center, running in a south by east direction, with several considerable branches flowing into it from the east. One of the remarkable topographical features of this county is the great number of natural lakes scattered over its surface, principally in the portion lying west of the Big Sioux River. The largest of these fine bodies of water is known in the expressive language of the Dakotas as Lake Kampeska, signifying the "Lake of the Shining Shells." It covers an area of about seven square miles, or nearly 4,500 acres. Lake Pelican, lying three miles south by east from Lake Kampeska, is the next body of water in importance in the county, being about five miles in length and one mile broad, and covering an area of nearly 3,000 acres. It has similar characteristics to those of Kampeska. It is a beautiful body of water and abounds in fish and wild fowl. Goose Lake lies about one and a half miles southwest from Pelican Lake and has an area of about 1,500 acres. Long Lake is a considerable body of water covering about the same area as Goose Lake, and in rainy seasons something more, its waters at such times extending over a large marshy district to the south. Twin Lakes is the name given two fine sheets of water in the northwest part of the county and extending in a northwest and southeast direction about six miles. The two cover about 3,000 acres. Nicholson Lake is about the size of Goose and Long lakes, and in the neighborhood are a number of smaller bodies of water, including Warner's Lake on the west line of the county. Chain Lakes is the name given to a cluster of eight or ten small lakes having altogether an area of 2,000 acres or more. A considerable lake, known as Poisoned Woman's Lake (now called "Punished Woman's Lake"), is situated in the northeast corner of the county, and near its eastern end is a smaller one. The two together have an area of nearly 800 acres. The whole water surface of the county may be estimated at something over 20,000 acres. The southern point of the Sisseton and Wahpeton Indian reservation terminates on the north shore of Lake Kampeska. LAKE KAMPESKA Thousands claim it to be the gem of all the small western lakes, and the claim is well founded. It is about eight miles in length and varying from one to three and one-half miles in width. The marvelous purity of its water at once attracts the attention of the visitor. There are no marshes or muddy banks about it, but both beach and bottom are composed of gravel and sand, so clean, that the most violent gale does not soil its crystal waters in the least, but at such times its wild waves dash upon the beach and high up the rocky promontories that here and there jut out into the lake as free from color of dirt as the purest New England mountain spring. The water of this magnificent lake is not only pure to look upon, but it is as fine tasting and wholesome to drink as spring water; it is adorned with miles of clean, fine gravel beach, wide enough to drive two teams of horses abreast, and which slopes out into the lake so gradual as to make it safe and delightful to bathe in during the warm months of summer. About midway of the lake on the west side, 160 acres of land has been purchased and platted into lots, parks and drives, by an incorporated company, composed of some of Watertown's most eminent and enterprising citizens; the company has been incorporated by the name of the "Lake Kampeska Park Association." The grounds selected are unrivaled for a summer resort, and will be known by the name of "Sunset Beach." Directly opposite this resort on the east bank, is Lake View, where Gov. Mellette has a summer residence, and has platted some fifty acres for summer residences. A large number of sail and row boats are now to be seen upon the waters, and two fine steamers are carrying pleasure seekers over the placid surface of the lake to the many points of interest. The steamer, "City of Watertown," Captain George M. West, commander, is a handsome, trim little craft. She was built in Stillwater, Minn., in 1881, and used by the government to inspect the dikes of the lower Mississippi river. She afterward navigated the waters of Lake Traverse and Red River of the North, and was brought here this season. The steamer is fifty-two feet long overall, ten foot beam, four and one-half foot hold, with an iron screw propelled by an engine of about twenty-five horse power. She can carry 120 people and accommodate 75 very pleasantly. The "Belle of Kampeska," owned by E. A. Trenholm, was built here and launched on the lake this season, making her first pleasure trip on July 4th. She is a side-wheel steamer, sixty-five feet long, twenty-two wide and six feet deep. She is able to carry all the people that can get aboard, and comfortably provide for about 200 souls. The settlement of this county practically began in 1878, when immigration to this part of Dakota commenced in earnest, though the beauty and fertility of the country, together with the fact, known several years before, that a railroad was to be built and operated to a point at or near Lake Kampeska, attracted perhaps fifteen or twenty persons here previous to the spring of 1878. The portion of this county in which Watertown is situated formerly belonged to Hamlin County. It was named in honor of Rev. G. S. Codington, who was a member of the Legislature, and who lived at Medary, representing in the Legislature the counties of Moody, Brookings and several others. Mr. Codington was a Congregational clergyman. Codington County was carved out of the above mentioned counties, for the purpose of making the expected city at the outlet of Lake Kampeska a county-seat town. It will be noticed, by referring to the map, that the outlet of the lake is the center of the county. Certain parties at Yankton, a short time previous, had obtained considerable land at the outlet and terminus of the track, and then succeeded admirably in forming a county to suit them. The county was not organized and the county-seat located, however, until July 19, 1878. It was then located at Kampeska City, at the outlet, by the County Commissioners, but removed by a vote of the people the following fall to Watertown. Watertown had not an existence in fact or in name when the Commissioners located the county-seat, neither was this county known as Codington or Hamlin county; but was then known, and for years previous, as the Lake Kampeska county, Kampeska being by far the oldest geographical name in this section of Dakota. The lake had a fame far and wide for remarkable beauty. In April of 1877, a trio of persons started out across the country from Yankton to reach the famous Lake Kampeska country. These were C. C. Wiley, James Riley, and O. S. Jewel. Arriving here they found not a person in the county. Mr. Lovejoy had gone to Wisconsin the previous fall and had not returned. Messrs. Pike, Montgomery, Keeler and Stoddard had all left. The whole country was in its primitive wildness, notwithstanding a railroad had been built to the lake nearly four years previous. Mr. Wiley had filed in the fall of '76 on a quarter section, located just across the outlet on the north side of the lake. We have now come down to the spring of '78 when immigration began in earnest. Previous to this time not more than fifteen persons had settled in the whole county, and during the winter of '77-78 only five persons resided here, although as early as 1872 a few adventurous pioneers began settlement. We append a list of the settlers who located in the county during the spring and summer of 1878, the majority of whom settled in the vicinity of Watertown, and in the lake region: Geo. N. Tuthill, Geo. Riggs, Jas. E. Tanner, Louis Slosson, E. N. Brann, Geo. E. Hanson, Gilbert Tuthill, N. Clark, Wm. Lybarger, G. H. Cady, E. Robbins, John H. Drake, L. L. Leach, M. F. Waite, O. T. Bigelow, W. C. Waite, R. B. Spicer, A. E. Weston, J. C. Miller, J. A. Lee, H. McMillan, J. R. Stowell, G. R. Williams, O. H. Tarbell, C. A. Beek, A. F. Paulson, M. O. Paulson, G. Oshier, A. D. Heath, C. H. Wilson, Wm. Delap, Jno. Delap, J. C. Kuney, E. A. Brizee, E. H. Ulrich, I.I. T. Griner, Jno. B. Severy, P. F. Howe, F. Hoskins, W. Davison, Geo. Davison, W. Gillett, Otto Olsen, H. Hanson, O. Larsen, C. O. Carpenter, L. S. Deming, E. Webster, Geo. Carpenter, W. R. Thomas, Chas Deming, E. Wheelock, R. T. Warner, O. J. Webster, P. Inglesby, F. W. Warner, O. P. Kemp, Bradley Roges, W. H. Donaldson, F. Hoskins, Geo. G. Ball, J. B. Ball, W. W. Proutt,C. A. Beck. There was also during this summer a considerable settlement made in the vicinity of Kranzburg, by J. W. Spooner, H. Franklin, M. Kranz, J. Hoffman, C. E. South, C. O. Bliness and others.The population of the county largely from New York State with a considerable number from Wisconsin. There are few if any counties in the territory better settled and with a more prosperous, energetic class of people. The asssessed valuation of property in 1883 was $1,500,000, and had all the land under cultivation been proved upon it would have amounted to at least $3,000,000. The wheat crop of 1879 was but 3,500 bushels; in 1880, 153,000 bushels; in 1881, 328,000 bushels; in 1882, 650,000 bushels, and in 1883 nearly 800,000 bushels. The entire crop of grain for 1883 amounted to about 2,000,000 bushels. WATERTOWN. -- In July, 1878, this town was laid out upon Lake Kampeska, about four and a half miles from its present site, and named "Kampeska" after the lake, and would undoubtedly have retained its first location but for the fact that the Chicago & Northwestern Railway held a land grant which covered the present site of Watertown, but only extended to within a half mile of the lake. As soon as it was known that Kampeska was not upon railway land, the present city of Watertown was laid out and, as several parties from Watertown, N.Y. were instrumental in bringing this locality into prominence, the name was changed to Watertown. This took place in August, 1878. Additions to the town have since been added by the Kemp Brothers Townsite Company, Oscar P. Kemp, president; Jno. A. Teeple, vice-president, and Jno. Kemp, treasurer, and by Mellette & McIntyre and Mr. Brock. The first building was erected by M. O. Paulson, and now forms part of the store occupied by Howard & Preston, in which a small stock of hardware was opened. H. P. Packard built a store and L. S. Deming erected a small building for a land office. These buildings were all put up from October 1st, 1878, to January 1st, 1879. On the 1st day of January, 1879, William McIntyre commenced the erection of the East Watertown Hotel - the first in the town. In the early spring of 1879, buildings went up very rapidly, some fifty or sixty business establishments were started simultaneously, prominent among which were Rice Bros. store, Kemp Bros. hardware store, the Central House, Owsley Bros. general store, O. H. Tarbell's drug store, the law office of the Thomas Bros., O. Gesley's hardware store, Monk & Wiser's hardware store, A. Weaver's grocery store and many others. LEGENDS OF CODINGTON COUNTY Minnequa (The Laughing Maiden)Many, many moons have come and gone since a fierce war raged between the Assinaboines and the Wahpetons. Osconee, son of Isconee, the chief of the Assinaboines, was leader of his tribe, as his father, old and with wounds from the wars, was confined to his lodge. Isconcee by his bravery, had won the affection of Minnequa, a lovely maiden, daughter of the chief of the Teton tribe, which tribe was allied with the Osconees in the war against the Wahpetons. The bridal night had arrived, and the nuptial ceremonies were about to commence, when the Wahpetons surprised the village of the Assinaboines, overcame the braves before they could secure their arms, which they had left in the lodges so they could take part in the festivities of the marriage ceremony. After killing many, the Wahpetons retreated, but bearing with them the bride, Minnequa, a prisoner, back to the village on Lake Kampeska. The distance between the hunting grounds of the opposing tribes was many days of marching, as the Assinaboines was far away on the Missouri River. Wawenneta was the young chief and great brave of his tribe, the Wahpetons; the elder chief, his father, having been killed in battle. The young brave was at once smitten with the charms of his fair prisoner. But Minnequa scornfully rejected all his proffered love and profuse presents. Then Wawenneta resorted to threats, which she heeded not, but constantly refused him. He then took her in his canoe and placed her on a pile of rocks in Lake Kampeska, which rocks are still seen at the present day in the southern part of the lake. He said she should remain there without food till she consented to become his bride. He brought his lodge and pitched it close to the borders of the lake, so he could watch her and be near to bring her off to the shore again as soon as she would relent.Every morning and night he would call to her from the shore, asking her to become his bride ere she died of starvation. She still, whenever she deigned an answer, scornfully rejected him. Sometimes he would paddle out to the rocks in his canoe, dressed in his magnificent battle costume and feathers, to try and impress her heart with his personal appearance, for he well knew he had a noble presence. But all of no avail; Minnequa still remained constant to Osconee, her first and only love. 'Then here you shall upon the arid rocks starve,' said he, 'and I will keep my lodge on the shore and watch the carrion hawks pick your bones. 'Now, it so happened that a pelican had made a nest in a large crevice of the cluster of rocks and had just hatched out its young. Seeing Minnequa upon the rocks by day it waited until night to feed its offspring, when it came with its large pouch below its huge bill distended with food for its young. Minnequa each night divided this provender with the young pelicans. The brutish enemy did not know this, nor did he see from the shore the little fish that sometimes would leap out of the water upon the rock to escape the voracious pike and pickerel chasing them. Sometimes these larger fish themselves, in their avidity to secure their game, would leap clear out of the water upon the rock. These, too, would Minnequa secure, and at night, when she was unobserved by her jailor, would eat. So she did not actually want for food, and fresh water plentifully surrounded her.At that time the rocks were higher out of the water, and there were more of them., than at the present day; as all the Indians know, for they are sinking slowly, year after year, and when they entirely disappear, then will the 'pale faces' have entire possession of the Indians' lands, when the Indians will have disappeared from the face of the earth. This fact the 'medicine men' of the Indians affirm at the present day.The faithful Indian maiden was at last rewarded, her lover having followed her, arriving just in time to hear the proposals of his rival and their scornful rejection. He drew an arrow from his quiver, shot his rival, and, taking his canoe, bore his bride away.