Capt. Joseph Giesler Biography


	This biography appears on pages 994-995 in "History of Dakota 
	Territory" by George W. Kingsbury, Vol. V (1915) and was 
	scanned, OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

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				CAPTAIN JOSEPH GIESLER. 

	Captain Joseph Giesler is president of the Yankton Bridge & Ferry 
Company and as such is widely, favorably and prominently known in his 
section of the state. He was born in Peoria, Illinois, March 22, 1860. 
His father, George Giesler, a native of Germany, came with his parents 
from that country to the new world when eight years of age, the family 
home being established at Madison, Indiana, where he learned the 
cooper's trade. He afterward went to New Orleans and while in that city 
wedded Elizabeth Halpin, a native of Dublin, Ireland. They lived in New 
Orleans for a brief period and then returned to the north, making the 
journey by boat to Peoria, Illinois, where Mr. Giesler conducted a 
cooperage shop for sixteen years. He then sold out and made a trip to 
Omaha, to Sioux City and to Yankton. He then returned to Peoria with a 
most favorable impression of the northwest. Thinking the matter over, 
he decided to remove to the west and drove across the country to 
Marshalltown, Iowa, where the family took a train for Sioux City, while 
the father and his son Joseph drove through to Sioux City, where they 
joined those who had made the journey by rail. From that place they 
continued to Elk Point, South Dakota, arriving in November, 1868, and 
there Mr. Giesler established his home. He purchased one hundred and 
sixty acres of land three miles southeast of Elk Point, to which place 
the family removed, the children being reared upon that farm. Only five 
acres of the claim had been broken when it came into his possession, 
but with characteristic energy he began its' cultivation, transformed 
the raw prairie into productive fields and soon had a large part of the 
farm under the plow, but a succession of disasters followed, including 
the grasshopper plague, the drouth, etc., and there were genuine 
hardships to be endured by the family. Notwithstanding all this, Mr. 
Giesler persevered in his attempt to make a farm in the northwest and 
his labors were ultimately rewarded with better conditions. He 
continued upon the old homestead until his life's labors were ended in 
death in 1908, his widow surviving him for but six months. Their 
children are as follows: John, who is engaged in the cattle business in 
Montana; Joseph, of this review; Elizabeth, the wife of Rufus King, of 
New York; Julia, the wife of Charles Murphy, of Elk Point, South 
Dakota; Mary, the wife of John Curry, of Elk Point; George, a merchant 
of Leeds, Iowa; and Henry, who is residing on the old homestead at Elk 
Point. 

	The usual experiences of the farm boy upon the frontier fell to 
the lot of Captain Joseph Giesler during his boyhood and youth. He had 
opportunity to attend school for only about three months each year, 
after the work of the farm was over in the fall. When his textbooks 
were put aside he concentrated his entire efforts upon the farm work 
and was thus engaged until 1879, when he decided to go to Sioux City, 
Iowa, for the purpose of starting from that point upon a trip to 
Montana. He secured a position as deck hand on a steamboat and was thus 
employed for three or four months, after which he was promoted to the 
position of fireman and so continued for eighteen months. He next 
secured a second engineer's license and was employed in that way for 
four years, when he obtained a chief engineer's license. His first runs 
were made from Sioux City to Fort Benton and later he ran from Fort 
Benton, Montana, to Bismarck, North Dakota, during which period he was 
chief engineer. He took one boat from Fort Benton to St. Louis and from 
St. Louis went to Hickman, Kentucky. In 1887 he returned to Sioux City 
and was engineer on a ferry boat there for two years. In 1889 he 
entered the employ of the United States government as an engineer on 
the steamer Josephine on the upper river around Fort Benton. He 
continued in that position until 1892, after which he returned to Sioux 
City and purchased a half interest in a ferry and pontoon business at 
that point, becoming a partner of Captain Talbot. The partnership 
continued for four years, or until the combination bridge was built 
across the Missouri. Mr. Giesler then sold his interest and entered the 
employ of the United States government again as engineer and pilot on 
the steamers Josephine, McPherson and Mandan and on the towboat 
Pauline, all snag boats. During this time the dikes were built opposite 
Yankton. Mr. Giesler remained in the employ of the government until 
1900 and in April of that year removed to Yankton and bought out the 
ferry line that was then in operation across to the Nebraska side of 
the Missouri river. He organized a corporation, of which he became 
president, known as the Yankton Bridge & Ferry Company, which put in 
the pontoon bridge and also operates the ferry during the high water. 
He devotes his entire time and attention to this business, which enjoys 
a liberal and profitable patronage, and he has also made successful 
investments in farm property near Elk Point. 

	Mr. Giesler was married in 1894 to Miss Grace Myers, a native of 
Dakota county, Nebraska, and they have four sons: Frank, born in 1895; 
George, in 1897; Paul, in 1899; and Joseph, in 1903. Captain Giesler is 
a member of the Roman Catholic church and holds membership in Council 
No. 3615, Knights of Columbus. He votes with the republican party and 
was a member of the city council of South Sioux City, Nebraska, during 
his residence there. At local elections, however, he is non-partisan. 
He has a beautiful residence at No. 416 Maple street and his 
possessions are the result of an indefatigable energy that has 
manifested itself in his continuous business activity, bringing him at 
last to the plane of affluence.