Fred J. Cross Biography


	This biography appears on pages 1715-1716 in "History of South 
	Dakota" by Doane Robinson, Vol. II (1904) and was scanned, 
	OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

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	FRED J. CROSS is a native of the state of New York, born at Cape 
Vincent, Jefferson county, on August 30, 1835. His father was a merchant 
at Cape Vincent, and during his childhood the family moved to the wilds 
of Ohio, locating about thirty-five miles south of Cleveland. The whole 
surrounding country was then a dense forest, and life in its midst 
entailed all the privations, hardships and dangers of the frontier. It 
was in the scenes and experiences of such a life that the son grew to 
manhood and received the only schooling available under the primitive 
conditions of the time and locality. In 1853, at the age of eighteen, he 
left the paternal rooftree and moved westward to Stephenson county, 
Illinois, where he learned his trade as a tinner and worked at it until 
1868. Then with two other men he came to the territory of Dakota, making 
the journey with ox-teams. They settled in Clay county, and taking up 
land engaged in farming. There were but few settlers in that part of the 
country then, and the experiences of his childhood and youth in Ohio 
were repeated in this western world in his young manhood. The towns of 
Yankton and Vermillion were merely outfitting points, and without any of 
the advantages of advanced civilization. He continued farming in Clay 
county until 1872, then went to Sioux Falls and opened a hardware store 
in partnership with N. E. Phillips, which he conducted successfully 
until 1874. His health then failing, he was obliged to sell his business 
and for a time measurably relinquished all active pursuits. In 1868 he 
was elected to the territorial legislature, but as there was no session 
owing to a misinterpretation of the law, he was re-elected in 1870. In 
the ensuing session the first memorial to congress to divide the 
territory into North and South Dakota was framed and signed by the 
members. In 1874 he was elected emigration commissioner and 
superintendent of the territory, and in 1876 he was again chosen to this 
important office. He served until the following spring, when he came to 
Custer as register of deeds for the county by appointment of the 
governor. Soon after his arrival in April the county seat was changed to 
Hayward and he removed to that town. He accepted the office of register 
because it was impossible at the time to get another suitable man who 
had been a resident of the state a year. When he wished to resign the 
county refused to let him, but he forced it to before the county seat 
was changed back to Custer. While making Hayward his home he came into 
the neighborhood of Keystone and located mining property on which he is 
now living. In those days Harney was a thriving mining camp and drew all 
comers to its promising fields. Mr. Cross was among the first 
prospectors to come into the Keystone region and take up claims, and is 
therefore the pioneer of this section. In 1878 he settled on his claim 
and here he has since made his home. In 1880 he was elected to the 
legislature from Pennington county on the Republican ticket, and in the 
session which followed he was prominent and useful in securing the 
passage of serviceable legislation, especially in reference to the stock 
industry. He was elected county commissioner in 1886 and served one 
term. In 1897 he was again elected to this office and he has held it 
continuously since that time. He is a firm and faithful Republican in 
politics, and to the aid of his party he has on all occasions brought 
wise counsel and efficient service. He owns many valuable mining 
properties and others of considerable worth here and elsewhere, and no 
citizen of the state has a higher or more firmly fixed place in the 
public regard and good will.