David O. Crooks Biography


	This biography appears on pages 290-293 in "History of Dakota 
	Territory" by George W. Kingsbury, Vol. V (1915) and was 
	scanned, OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

	This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit 
	organizations for their private use. 

	Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval 
	system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other 
	means requires the written approval of the file's author.

	This file is part of the SDGENWEB Archives. If you arrived here inside
	a frame or from a link from somewhere else, our front door is at

	http://usgwarchives.org/sd/sdfiles.htm


				DAVID O. CROOKS. 

	A student of history cannot carry his investigations far into the 
record of Minnehaha county without learning that the Crooks family has 
long been prominent not only in the pioneer development but also in the 
later progress of this section of the state. The enterprising town in 
which the subject of this review makes his home was named in honor of 
the family. The work of progress and development here instituted by the 
father is still continued by David O. Crooks, who is justly accounted 
one of the most progressive men of his section. 

	He was born near Quebec, Canada, on the 30th of November, 1854, 
and is a son of John Nelson and Caroline M. Crooks, the former a farmer 
by occupation. On leaving Canada in the spring of 1855 John Crooks 
removed with his family to Wisconsin, settling in Columbia county, and 
later he resided for a number of years in Dane county. It was during 
the period of the family's residence there that David O. Crooks 
acquired a common-school education at Black Earth, Wisconsin. Later the 
family removed to Iowa, where they remained for six years, and again 
David Crooks attended school there. In 1873 they came to South Dakota, 
settling on the present site of the town of Crooks, where the father 
homesteaded. His son David, then a young man of nineteen years, secured 
a preemption and timber claim in McCook county and the town of Crooks 
now stands upon a part of his preemption claim in Minnehaha county. It 
has a population of one hundred and is about the only town of its size 
that can boast of a water works. The plant is owned by David O. Crooks, 
who has been most active in promoting public progress and improvement 
in this section. 

	The family were among the pioneer settlers of the state, 
establishing their home here when the work of progress and improvement 
seemed scarcely begun. From that time to the present representatives of 
the family have been very active in forwarding the work of public 
improvement. The father died in 1882, but the mother, surviving for an 
extended period, passed away in 1905. 

	For about ten years David O. Crooks was engaged in general 
merchandising, conducting a well appointed store, in which he carried a 
large and carefully selected line of goods. It was in the spring of 
1904 that the townsite was platted and called Crooks, in honor of the 
family. Since the building of the railroad David O. Crooks has acted as 
depot and express agent. He is also a stockholder in the Farmers Lumber 
&; Elevator Company and president of the Crooks State Bank in addition 
to being owner of the water works and lighting plant. 

	On the 24th of January, 1887, occurred the marriage of Mr. Crooks 
and Miss Nettie Tyler, and to them have been born four children: Arthur 
Roy, who is cashier of the Crooks State Bank, while his wife is 
assistant cashier; Minnie; Grace; and Robert. The parents are members 
of the Christian church and in their lives exemplify its teachings. Mr. 
Crooks votes with the republican party, doing all in his power to 
promote its growth and insure its success. For six years he served as a 
member of the township board and for twelve years he served as 
postmaster at Crooks, retiring in 1913. He was also school treasurer of 
his district for twelve years. He is identified with the Ancient Order 
of United Workmen and with the Modern Woodmen of America, and all of 
his different associations are those which promote high standards of 
living. His influence is always on the side of progress and 
advancement, of truth and right.