Charles K. Thompson Biography

	This biography appears on pages 1153-1155 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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	CHARLES K. THOMPSON, whose finely improved farm is located one and 
a half miles north of Northville, Spink county, was born in Burlington, 
Kane county, Illinois, on the 2d of February, 1860, and is a son of T. 
J. and Hannah A. Thompson, both of whom were born in West Virginia, the 
former being of English and Irish ancestry and the latter of English and 
Welsh. When they were children they accompanied their respective parents 
on their immigration to Illinois, making the overland trip from West 
Virginia with wagons and becoming numbered among the early settlers of 
Kane county, Illinois, where both were reared to maturity and where 
their marriage was solemnized. There the father of the subject continued 
to be identified with agricultural pursuits until 1881, when he came to 
South Dakota, where both he and his wife passed the residue of their 
long and useful lives, having been honored pioneers of Spink county. 
They were accompanied by their four sons and one daughter and all are 
still living in the state except the youngest son, who died in 1891 in 
Northville, to which he had been removed while sick. 

	Concerning the early experiences of the family in South Dakota we 
are gratified to be able to offer the following interesting little 
narrative, contributed by the subject of this sketch: "I came to the 
territory of Dakota in December, 1880, and first set my foot on the ice-
fettered surface of the 'roaring Jim' river on Christmas day. I came 
through from Watertown by team, accompanied by my brother, J. R. 
Thompson, who is now engaged in the practice of medicine in Northville, 
and who had been in Spink county with our father during the preceding 
summer and broken a small portion on one of the claims which had been 
taken up, while they' had erected a sod house and stable. Father desired 
to return to the old home in Illinois for the winter, in the meanwhile 
making preparations for bringing the remainder of the family to the new 
home in the spring, together with the household effects and other 
requisite supplies. He thus requested me and my brother to come out and 
take care of the stock and keep the primitive little home cheerful 
during the intervening winter months. Well, I discovered forthwith that 
this was a big country and that the wind not only had a great sweep but 
also that it swept! The house had been roofed with boards covered with 
tarred paper, and to keep the latter in place stones had been placed on 
the corners. These were not, however, sufficient to hold the roof so 
closely to the sod as to prevent the gentle zephyrs from sifting the 
'beautiful snow' under the edge of the roof and waking us from dreams of 
home and loved ones. This was the season known as the winter of the big 
snow, and the snow covered our stable so completely that we were often 
compelled to feed our stock through an opening in the roof. As it was 
quite impossible for horses to travel in the snow nearly all travel was 
done on foot, by means of snow shoes. The snowfall being unusual, the 
settlers had not prepared for it, and their supply of flour was consumed 
long before spring opened, and in many cases wheat was taken miles to a 
neighbor who was fortunate in possessing a coffee-mill in which the 
cereal could be partially ground and thus made available for food. As 
for my brother and myself, we had buried near our house a quantity of 
potatoes which were being reserved for seed, and when necessity came we 
unearthed these tubers and fared on the same very well for two or three 
weeks, having only salt to lend relish. It is my opinion that at that 
time we were located farther to the west than any other settler in the 
county. At least we saw nothing to the west save occasionally a wolf or 
coyote. However on a certain day about a hundred antelope visited our 
ranch, and we succeeded in catching one of the number, being unable to 
shoot any of them as we had loaned our only gun to a neighbor. We 
attempted to domesticate the animal which we had captured, endeavoring 
to teach it to eat hay and adapt itself to the customs of civilization. 
Its refusal to comply with our instructions brought it to an untimely 
end, as we were soon compelled to kill it. Finally came the advent of 
spring: floods came; folks came; flowers came; harvest came, and Dakota 
demonstrated that she was a land of glorious possibilities. All seemed 
to fall in love with their adopted homes and felt that this land of 
sunshine had much to commend it to favor. While in the early days many 
stories went forth to frighten prospective settlers, the people of this 
vicinity have had but one genuine scare, which occurred in 1882. I 
remember that I had been to Watertown and having secured a ride back as 
far as the James river was proceeding thence on foot to my home, when I 
met a man and woman who were driving rapidly from the west with their 
team and wagon and who stopped long enough to inform me that the Indians 
were southwest of Northville and moving toward the town, on the warpath. 
This was somewhat disquieting news and I hurried along to Mellette, 
where I found the populace gathered at the postoffice, listening to the 
many rumors which were afloat concerning the Indian depredations. I then 
hastened on to my parents' home and found some of the neighbors 
assembled there and provided with divers sorts of firearms, good, bad 
and indifferent, while complete arrangements were being made for 
defense, so far as possible, against an attack. Northville sent out 
scouts and it was soon found that the alarm was without foundation, and 
peace and quiet soon reigned again. All these scares are things of the 
past and our section of the state is settled in the main by good, 
substantial citizens, who are in comfortable circumstances." 

	Mr. Thompson received his early educational discipline in the 
public schools of Kane county, Illinois, having attended the high school 
in Geneva, and having supplemented this discipline by effective study in 
Pingree Seminary and the Elgin Academy. He was associated with his 
father in the management of the home farm until he had attained his 
legal majority, since which time he has been engaged in the same 
vocation for himself, having been prospered in his efforts and now 
having one of the attractive and well-improved farms of Spink county. He 
gave his support to the Republican party from the time of attaining his 
majority until the close of the first administration of President 
McKinley, since which time he has exercised his franchise and lent his 
influence in support of the Prohibition party. As a Republican, he was 
elected to represent his county in the state legislature in 1897, and in 
the session of the general assembly had the honor of assisting in the 
election of Hon. James H. Kyle to the United States senate. He was 
reared in the faith of the Wesleyan Methodist church, of which both he 
and his wife are members. 

	On the 2d of July, 1885, Mr. Thompson was united in marriage to 
Miss Flora B. Torrence, who was born in Noble county, Ohio, on the 21st 
of May, 1869, being a daughter of James and Sarah Jane Torrence, who 
were early settlers in Spink county. Mr. and Mrs. Thompson have five 
children, namely: Theos J., J. Gail, Lois H., Cita M. and John R.