Roberts Co., SD - Description and History, 1884

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


				Roberts County

	This county lies immediately south of the 46th parallel of north 
latitude, and in the first tier of states west of the State of 
Minnesota. It is bounded on the north by Richland and Sargent counties; 
on the west by Day County, on the south by Grant County, on the south by 
Minnesota. It contains nineteen full congressional and twenty-nine 
fractional towns, the whole equal in area to about 1,250 square miles or 
800,000 acres. It lies on the eastern slope of the country known as 
"Dakota Hills," and the remarks made in reference to the topography of 
Grant County are pertinent to this county.

	The county was formed principally from the Sisseton and Wahpeton 
Indian Reservation, but partly from Grant and Richland counties. Three-
fourths of its area are drained by the Minnesota River, the remaining 
one-fourth draining into the Red River of the North, through Lake 
Traverse.

	The county boundary on the east runs through the center of Lakes 
Traverse and Big Stone for a distance of fifty miles, the former being 
the virtual head of the Red River of the North, and the latter of the 
Minnesota or St. Peter's River. Considerable early history attaches to 
these beautiful sheets of water which will be found related in the 
general chapters of this work.

	There is a considerable number of smaller lakes in the western 
part of the county, being a portion of the group of lakelets covering a 
large share of the hilly or coteau region. The largest of these is known 
as Dry Wood Lake situated in Town 125 north, Range 52 west, and covering 
about 5 square miles, or 3,200 acres. It drains into the Minnesota 
River. A considerable "string" of lakes extends through the northern 
central part of the county, apparently draining both ways into the head 
and foot of Lake Traverse. Bull Head Lake in Lake Township is a fine 
body of water covering probably 1,500 acres, and there is a marshy lake 
near the foot of Lake Traverse of about the same size, lying in the 
extreme northeastern corner of the Indian reservation, and draining 
northward into the Bois des Sioux River.

	Three railway lines traverse portions of this county, namely: the 
Whetstone Line of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway passing 
through the county southeast and northwest, and completed as far north 
as the center of the county; the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway 
proper, which passes through two townships in the extreme south of the 
county, and the Fargo Southern, which passes through the extreme 
northeastern corner of the county for a distance of about six miles, and 
crossing the foot of Lake Traverse in Town 128 north, Range 47 west.

	The Little Falls & Dakota Railway reaches a point very near the 
eastern boundary of the county at Brown's Valley, about two miles east 
of Travare, the county seat, which it is expected will be carried 
through the county toward the west.

	A large portion of this county is composed of fine agricultural 
land, and all portions can be profitably utilized for farming and 
grazing purposes.

	On the 8th day of March, 1883, the act creating this county was 
approved, and, in the month of August, following, Major Crissy, of the 
Sisseton Agency; Frederick Dittes, of Traverse City, and R. R. Hall, of 
Wilmot, were appointed commissioners to organize the county. The first 
meeting was held at the residence of F. Dittes, on 6th August, 1883. At 
this meeting the county seat was located at Travare, on the northwest 
quarter of Section 6, Town 124, Range 49 (by Miles A. Wooley's plat, 
made in 1882), and the following officers appointed: Register of 
Deeds, W. K. Weaver; Judge of Probate, O. W. Ballou; Sheriff, Alex. 
Meadows; Justice, W. Tallman; Constable, John Seltz.

	At a meeting held on the 18th day of August, 1883, the following 
appointments were made: Justices, F. A. Countryman, Henry Pelham; 
Constable, Jno. Lukenbell; Assessor, S. W. Hall; Surveyor, E. Rutledge; 
School Superintendent, W. P. Filbert; Treasurer, F. W. Dittes, Jr.; 
Coroner, H. W. Downing.

	The towns of this county are all new and small, WILMOT, on the 
Whetstone Line near the south line of the county, is the largest. It is 
well situated for trade and will probably grow to a busy town.

	TRAVARE, the county seat, is situated on the Minnesota River, a 
mile or more south of the head of Lake Traverse, about three miles 
northwest from the head of Big Stone Lake, and near the eastern boundary 
line. It is a new place, at present without railway connections, though 
only about two miles away.

	WHITE ROCK is a new town recently laid out by the Fargo Southern 
Railway Company near the foot of Lake Traverse. Other postoffices are 
PRIOR, on the Whetstone line; GENEVA and LOCKWOOD on Big Stone Lake, and 
the Sisseton Agency in the reservation.

	SISSETON AND WAHPETON INDIAN RESERVATION. - This reservation 
contains about 1,500 Sisseton an Wahpeton Indians, tribes of the great 
Sioux or Dakota Nation. It includes the greater part of Roberts County, 
and contains 918,000 acres. It is a reserve out of 10,000,000 acres sold 
by treaty, to the Government for $800,000, to be paid in ten annual 
installments, to be divided equally between these Indians and those at 
Devil's Lake. This treaty was signed on the 19th day of February, 1867, 
and a further agreement was made on the 20th day of September, 1872 
which was confirmed by act of Congress on the 30th of June, 1883.

	These Indians are fast becoming civilized. In 1882 they raised 
over 30,000 bushels of wheat and, including all kinds of crops, some 
70,000 bushels of produce. By an article of a recent treaty, when an 
Indian has 50 acres broken and in crop, he is entitled to 160 acres of 
land, to be held for himself and his heirs. Many have made attempts to 
profit by this arrangement, and during 1881, applications for patents 
were made out for several Indians who had earned their right to a 
homestead. About four-fifths of the population are full blood Indians, 
and about the same proportion are engaged in the cultivation of land to 
a greater or lesser extent. There are about 5,000 acres under 
cultivation, and nearly all the homesteaders have substantial dwellings 
of some kind, including eighteen or twenty frame houses.

	One of the most important factors in civilizing the Indians on 
this reservation, is the Government manual labor boarding-school, in 
which are some seventy-five children of both sexes, many of whom show 
great proficiency in their studies.

	There are on this reservation two other schools - Good Will 
Mission and Ascension school. There are six churches, five of which are 
under the management of the Presbyterians, with a membership of nearly 
400. These are presided over by native preachers as follows: Ascension, 
by Rev. J. B. Renville; Good Will, by Rev. C. R. Crawford; Buffalo Lake, 
by Rev. Lewis Mazawakianna (Iron Lightning); Myason, by Rev. David Grey 
Cloud; Long Hollow, by Rev. Joseph Tispamaza, or Iron Door. In July, 
1881, the Rev. Edward Ashley, an Episcopal minister, erected St. Mary’s 
church. This agency is situated about twelve and a half miles from 
Brown’s Valley in Town 124, Range 51, and is in charge of Major Cressey.