Douglas Co., SD - Description and History, 1884

	This file is a complete transcription of the descriptive information about 
	Douglas County as found in A. T. Andreas' "Historical Atlas of Dakota", 1884.


				DOUGLAS COUNTY.

This county is situated between the James and Missouri rivers in the southern part of the 
Territory, and bounded as follows:  On the north by Davison and Aurora counties, on the 
south by the Yankton Indian Reservation (part of Charles Mix County), on the east by 
Hutchinson County, and on the west by the west part of Charles Mix County.  It is in the 
form of an unequal-sided quadrangle, and contains about thirteen Congressional 
townships, equal to 468 square miles, or 299, 520 acres.

The principal drainage is toward the south into Choteau and other creeks, which discharge 
into the Missouri River in Charles Mix County.  A small area in the extreme northeast 
corner of the county is drained by a branch of the James River, and Platte Creek probably 
receives the drainage of a few acres in the northwest corner.  There are no lakes and few 
marshes in the county, the entire area being a fine, undulating prairie.

An attempt was made in the early part of 1881 to organize the county.  It is claimed that a 
fraudulent petition containing over fifty names was presented to Governor Ordway praying 
for county organization when the facts showed not above forty land entries, nor more than 
five resident voters and no post office in the county.

The petition was circulated if circulated at all, at a time when deep snows made it 
impossible to travel over the county.  Remonstrances against such proceedings, setting 
forth the true state of affairs were presented to Governor Ordway, but he paid no heed to 
them and appointed the commissioners who proceeded to organize the county, by 
appointing a number of county officers and issuing a great number of warrants or 
certificates, said to amount to the large sum of $200,000.

The county was subsequently organized in due form.  It immediately began to fill up with 
an enterprising class of people, and at this date, June, 1884, contains a population of 
several thousand.  The present county officers are as follows:  Register of Deeds and Clerk 
of Court, K. G. Foster; Judge of Probate, Joseph C. Fairchild; Sheriff, E. A. Parker; 
Coroner, T. M. Stewart; Treasurer, Willaim Palmer; Superintendent of Schools, John T. 
Mathews; Surveyor, F. P. Dobson; Assessor, John Geidel.

SETTLEMENT--The first settlement in Douglas County was made in the fall of 1878 in the 
southeast part, by Michael Denley, by R. Gage and Major Robert Dollard in the northeast 
in April, 1880, and by William Palmer and family, David Palmer and Robert Sawyer in the 
northeast, and the Johnson, Manbecks, Warrens and others in the southeast.  In the same 
year also Frederick Deislerhorpt and the Hudner brothers--Kane and other German families 
settled in the northeast part of the county.

Charles E. Foster, John Baird and others settled on Choteau Creek.

Major Dollard remained on his claim until the fall of 1880 when he proved up and returned 
to Scotland, where he resumed the practice of the law.  The major was instrumental in 
bringing to light the fraudulent methods employed in the original organization of the 
county.

GRAND VIEW, the county seat, was settled in the fall of 1882.  It contains the court 
house, a church, two newspapers, a bank, two hotels, about ten mercantile houses, two 
lumber dealers, several attorneys, a number of land and loan agencies, agricultural 
implement dealers and the usual mechanics.  The town was named from the splendid view 
it commands of the surrounding country, which is not excelled by any other prairie location 
in the Territory.  It is situated very near the geographical center of the county, and if the 
proposed extension of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway from Scotland to 
Chamberlain is built will probably be an important point on the line.

HUSTON and MAITLAND are thriving villages, with stores and shops and HARRISON 
is a growing town settled by Hollanders and containing a church, school building, hotel, 
several stores and a number of mechanic shops.

PLAINVIEW and BEULAH are post offices.  These places are nearly all on the mail route 
between Scotland and Plankinton.  We are indebted to the superintendent of schools for 
valuable information concerning this county.