Noah Newbanks Biography


	This biography appears on pages 1648-1649 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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	A photo of Mr. and Mrs. Noah Newbanks faces page 1648.


	NOAH NEWBANKS, city auditor of Pierre, was born in Senecaville, 
Guernsey county, Ohio, on the 25th of December, 1841, and is a son of 
Strother McNeil Newbanks and Sarah Sophia (Larrick) Newbanks. both of 
whom were born in Virginia. The subject received his educational 
training to the common schools of Ohio and Missouri, to which latter 
state his parents removed when he was about eight years of age. In 1859 
we find him engaged in mining in Colorado, where he remained until 1863, 
when he joined in the stampede to Montana, shortly after the discovery 
of gold in Alder gulch. He engaged in the mercantile business at 
Virginia City and there remained until the fall of 1865 having been one 
of the pioneers in that historic mining camp and having witnessed the 
work of the vigilantes, who had recourse to heroic measures in ridding 
the country of its outlaws and cut-throats, many of whom were executed 
by summary hanging. From Montana he proceeded to Salt Lake City and 
thence to San Francisco, making the trip across the plains to the Golden 
Gate and thence taking passage on a vessel bound for New York, making 
the voyage by way of Cape Horn. From the national metropolis Mr. 
Newbanks returned to Missouri, where he was engaged in farming until 
1868, when he removed to Junction City, Kansas, where he conducted a 
general store for one year, at the expiration of which he removed to 
Ellsworth, that state, where he was engaged in the same line of 
enterprise for the ensuing two years. He then returned to Missouri and 
was there identified with. agricultural pursuits until 1875, when he 
went to Denver, Colorado, where he remained until the following year, 
when he came to the Black Hills of South Dakota, reaching Custer City in 
April, 1876. From that point he went to Rapid City, assisting in the 
locating and staking out of the town. He also built a stockade corral 
and aided in the erection of a block house, both of these being 
necessary for protection from the hostile Indians, who were at that time 
constantly on the warpath, though mostly operating in small bands. Of 
this period Mr. Newbanks has written as follows: "The only instance 
where the Indians did any great damage was about August 1, 1876, when 
they attacked us in our stronghold, but they did not succeed in doing us 
any injury other than driving our men to cover, but upon leaving the 
stockade they circled around to the west of Rapid City and killed four 
men who were coming into town. Two of the party escaped and came in with 
the news. We then went out and recovered the four bodies, which we 
brought to the town, burying them in one grave. The next attack occurred 
early in September, when we had a running fight with the savages. They 
succeeded in taking our cattle, but I saved my horses, getting them to 
the corral and thus protecting them." 

	Mr. Newbanks conducted a general store and corral in Rapid City 
until 1878, when he engaged in freighting From Pierre to the Black 
Hills, continuing operations in this line successfully until 1886, when 
he again located in Rapid City, and freighted between that point and 
Deadwood for one year. The following spring he went to Whitewood and 
engaged in the commission business, forwarding goods from the end of the 
Elkhorn Railroad to Deadwood, Lead and other points in the Hills, and 
handling all of the freight for the famous Homestake Mining Company for 
one year. In the spring of 1889 he disposed of his commission business 
and engaged in the raising of cattle upon an extensive scale, locating 
in Custer county, where he remained until the autumn of 1892, when he 
removed to Lyman county, where he has since continued in the business, 
having a ranch of six hundred and forty acres. In 1896 he took up his 
residence in Pierre, where he and his wife have since maintained their 
home. 

	In politics Mr. Newbanks is a staunch supporter of the Democratic 
party, and while he has never been ambitious for office he has been a 
member of the state brand commission for the past eight years, during 
four of which he served as chairman, while he has been incumbent of the 
office of auditor of the city of Pierre since 1902. He is a member of 
the Baptist church and Mrs. Newbanks is an Episcopalian. 

	On the 28th of October, 1884, Mr. Newbanks was united in marriage 
to Miss Mary Josephine Anderson, who was born in Sparta, Illinois, on 
the 8th of May, 1884, being a daughter of Francis B. and Matilda T. 
Anderson. Mr. and Mrs. Newbanks have no children.