Charles Miner Biography


	This biography appears on pages 1125-1126 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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				CHARLES MINER.  

	Charles Miner is today the oldest resident in Beadle county in 
years of continuous connection therewith and is also one of the most 
extensive landowners and prosperous farmers. He was born in Dallas 
county, Iowa, in 1854, pursued his education in Vermillion, South 
Dakota, and has made farming his life work. In April, 1879, he removed 
to Clifton township, Beadle county, where he took up a homestead and 
also filed on a tree claim. He broke the first land in the county and 
built the first house, which he constructed of flat limestone and mud. 
He had a pail with which he carried water from the creek to mix with 
the earth, thus making the mud to serve as a mortar to hold the stones 
together, but the pail was run over and broken by a wagon. After that 
Mr. Miner used a gum blanket, dug a hole in the ground and carried 
water, with which he filled the hole. As soon as possible he 
concentrated his energies upon the cultivation and improvement of his 
land and to it added at different times until he is today one of the 
most extensive landowners of his part of the state, having two hundred 
and eighty acres, all on section 14, range 109-61 He and his sons farm 
this entire amount and he is one of the most prosperous farmers of his 
section of the state. Mr. Miner has always raised a great deal of 
stock, keeping high bred horses and cattle, and in this way he has 
added materially to his income. For a long time he had quite an 
extensive dairy, but has discontinued that. He keeps many hogs and 
always has high grade stock. His farms present an excellent appearance, 
being well improved according to the most modern and progressive 
methods of tilling the soil and caring for the crops. Mr. Miner set out 
a large grove, in which each year is held what is known as Miner's 
picnic, the pioneers gathering there on this annual occasion in good 
comradeship that binds them close together. Miner county was named in 
honor of Mr. Miner's father and Hyde county in honor of his brother-in-
law.  

	In 1880, in Vermillion, Mr. Miner was married to Miss Eliza 
Jordan, a daughter of Peter Jordan, who came to Vermillion in 1862 and 
followed farming until his death, which occurred in 1878. He was a 
native of Ireland and had lived in Iowa for some years prior to his 
removal to South Dakota. He donated the logs for the first schoolhouse 
in the state and Mr. Miner's father with his soldiers erected the 
building, a picture of which appears in this work. To Mr. and Mrs. 
Miner were born six children: Nelson, James, Mrs. Grace Small, Charles, 
Bell and Ruth, all of whom are residents of Beadle county.  

	Mr. Miner was one of the first commissioners and assisted in 
organizing Beadle county. He has held about all the township offices, 
but is independent in politics and does not seek nor desire political 
preferment. On the contrary, he has given his attention to his business 
affairs and his wise judgment and careful management have been the 
source of his growing success, which has made him one of the most 
substantial citizens of his section of the state. The splendid work 
instituted by his father in pioneer times has been continued by Mr. 
Miner, who is never found remiss in the duties of citizenship.