Michael Gales Biography


	This biography is from "Memorial and biographical record; an illustrated
 	compendium of biography, containing a compendium of local biography,
	including biographical sketches of prominent old settlers and 
	representative citizens of South Dakota..." Published by G. A. Ogle & 
	Co., Chicago, 1899. Pages 291-292

	Scan, OCR and editing by Maurice Krueger,mkrueger@iw.net, 1998. 

	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


MICHAEL GALES is one of the most energetic and enterprising 
agriculturists of Aurora county, who from the wild prairie land has 
developed a fine farm in Gales township. He was born in Germany in 
1866, and is the eighth in order of birth in a family of twelve 
children, whose parents were Nicholas and Susan Gales. The father was a 
mechanic and worked as such for some time in France prior to the 
emigration of the family to the New World in 1878. They first located 
in Black Hawk county, Iowa, where he rented land and engaged in farming 
for four years. Coming to Aurora county, South Dakota, in 1882, he took 
up government land on the southwest quarter of section 17, Gales 
township, which was named in his honor. The first home of the family 
here was a sod house, twelve by sixteen feet, and a sod stable, roofed 
with hay, sheltered their stock, which then consisted of three horses 
and two cows. Our subject aided in the construction of these buildings, 
and also assisted in making: all the other improvements upon the place. 
He was educated in the country schools of his native land, which he 
continued to attend until coming to the United States with his parents. 
In 1890 the father died, but the mother is still living on the farm 
with our subject. 

On the death of the father the farm came into possession of the sons, 
Michael, Peter and Matthew, but the last named is now engaged in 
agricultural pursuits in Iowa. The first few years that the family 
spent here their crops were excellent and grain raising proved 
successful. At that time they gave little attention to the raising of 
stock, but later, when their crops failed, they gave more and more 
attention to that branch of their business, and to-day our subject is 
extensively engaged in cattle raising. He and his brother, Peter, 
control six quarter-sections of land and have under cultivation about 
two hundred acres, while six hundred acres are in pasture. They have 
erected good and substantial buildings, which stands as monuments to 
their thrift and enterprise, and to-day have one of the most desirable 
and attractive places in their section of the county. 

The Democratic party finds in Mr. Gales a stanch supporter of its 
principles, and he has done all in his power to insure its success in 
his community. In 1895 he was elected county commissioner and filled 
that office in a most creditable manner for one term. He was elected 
county treasurer in 1898, and in that position he is now serving to the 
entire satisfaction of his constituents, who place in him the utmost 
confidence. He has also held several township offices and any trust 
reposed in him has never been betrayed.