Faulk County, SD History .....Chapter III Faulk County 1909 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/sd/sdfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com January 7, 2005, 3:51 pm CHAPTER III. FAULK COUNTY. Faulk County, South Dakota, is located on the east side of the divide between the waters of the James and Missouri Rivers, and, strictly speaking, is in the James River valley and is bounded on the north by Edmunds county, on the south by Hand and Hyde counties, on the east by Spink and on the west by Potter counties. The county has an area of one thousand and eight square miles, consisting, by government survey, of Townships 117, 118, 119 and 120 north, and range 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71 and 72 west, being twenty-four miles north and south, and forty-two miles east and west. It is watered by Scatterwood lake and Snake or Nixon creek, which rises in the southwestern portion of Edmunds county and the coteaux upon the extreme western line of Faulk county, which for ages had been the feeding ground of vast herds of buffalo, until they had been exterminated by the Indians who roamed upon the plains. The field notes of government surveyors gave a most discouraging account of the whole region, and, when in April 1882, a party of three home-seekers from Missouri left the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad at Redfield and started out in a westerly direction, on a three days' tour of exploration, one would have said it was inspiration rather than sound judgment, that prompted their movement. But after a most careful exploration, in place of a "barren waste scattered over with growing cactus,” they beheld a beautiful, slightly rolling prairie covered with luxuriant grasses and the clear waters of the Nixon. They returned with a most happy report that it was a "goodly land," and one to be earnestly sought after. This party consisted of Alexander LaFoon, D. S. Smith and T. H. McMullen. The location they selected was upon the south side of the creek, in what proved to be Township 118, range 68. (The government survey had not then been made.) Their plan was for a large colony, but the arrival of others broke up their arrangements so that their plan, so far as a Missouri colony was concerned, never materialized. A paramount idea was the location of a future county seat, and, but for the subsequent coming of the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad, there is little doubt but LaFoon, in place of Faulkton, would have been the county seat today. The first party of immigrants located permanently upon the ground in June, 1882, and among them were T. H, McMullen, Booth, Russell and Whitehead. Additions were soon made to the colony, and among them were some of the strong, influential men of our county at the present day. About this time a party of home-seekers from Charles City, Ia., located on the creek about five miles west of them in Range 67, and christened their town Faulkton, in honor of the distinguished and honored Governor Faulk, for whom the county was named. Faulkton at once became an active competitor for the county seat. On Dec. 21st, 1882, the first number of the Faulkton Times appeared, with H. A. Humphrey, editor and publisher. It is claimed that the Times was the first paper printed in Faulk county, yet the LaFoon Record, A. E. Evans, editor; Evans & Geddis, proprietors, was a very close second. On Dec. 25th the LaFoon town site was platted. Each of the papers left no stone unturned in advocating the advantages and superior claims, of its own location. The struggle to control the county organization and secure the county seat became the one and only theme of conversation and effort that commanded first attention, It soon became evident that a new factor must be taken into consideration. Gov. Ordway, through his son, George L. Ordway, and one Tibbits, who had been a business partner of George L. Ordway in Denver, Colorado, had put up the county organization, including the county seat, to the highest bidder. A den of thieves were in control and must be recognized. The Faulkton Times, in commenting upon the transaction, said: "The deal was a public one, and much of it a matter of public record. It was consummated in broad daylight,—as a matter of fact barter,—without a blush of shame, and the participants candidly conversed about the amount of land and money paid. The people of the county were disgusted and outraged that their interests should have been made an article of merchandise, and their most sacred rights should have been put up by the governor and sold to the highest bidder as an article of speculation" An intelligent and candid writer, who was familiar with all the circumstances at the time, said: "Faulk county residents are entirely excusable for the part taken by them in this piece of open bribery, because it was impossible to procure an organization of their county without yielding to the demands of the organizer. There were at least 2,500 people in the county at the time of its organization and they were suffering great inconvenience and expense for want of local government. A mathematical calculation has been made by a resident, and his figures show that if Faulk county had paid $10,000 in cash six months ago for an organization, the people would have been ahead today in a financial sense.” It can, therefore, readily be seen that after so large experience and the disastrous consquences of delay, the citizens of Faulk county were ready to resort to any process which would give them government. They were forced into a bargain by the procrastination of a scheming executive. Faulkton had made her bid, and of course LaFoon must go her one better. Nearly a section of adjoining land, half of the town site and $3,000 was the price paid. As soon as this man Tibbits had time to confer with Governor Ordway, commissions were issued to Thomas L. Humes, Matthew J. Jarvis and Hervey A. Humphrey, appointing them commissioners of Faulk county, with full power to organize said county. On the 5th day of November, 1883, they met at the office of J. A. Pickler, Esq., in Faulkton, each of them presenting his commission of appointment to the office of county commissioner in and for said Faulk county, by His Excellency, N. G. Ordway, Governor of the Territory of Dakota. The commissioners qualified according to law and organized as a board by the election of Hervey A. Humphrey as chairman, and on motion, Geo. W. Fifield was elected temporary secretary. On motion of Commissioner Hume, Joseph H. Bottum was elected by ballot, register of deeds. On motion the board adjourned to meet at the office of D. N. Hunt & Co. at LaFoon in said Faulk county on Wednesday, Nov. 7th, 1883, at 10 o'clock a. m. The board met pursuant to adjournment and J. H. Bottum was elected clerk pro. tem. C. F. Hardy was elected judge of probate. By a vote of two to one LaFoon was declared the county seat. At the afternoon session E. C. Sage was chosen sheriff; George J. Jarvis, assessor; H. S. Utley of DeVoe, county treasurer; Miss Angie Harrington, superintendent of schools; E. Baldwin, county surveyor; J. S. Bates, coroner; Frank Turner and C. M. Kellogg, justices of the peace; J. T. McKinley and Edward Chapman, constables. Other and continued efforts were made to remove the county seat five miles west to Faulkton and that much nearer the geographical center of the county, but as the eastern part of the county was first and more densely inhabited, always resulted in favor of LaFoon, and it is quite evident that LaFoon would have remained the county seat until the present day if the coming of the Chicago & Northwestern railroad had not aided Faulkton; so soon to be followed by the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul railway, with a branch road from Aberdeen to Faulkton and Orient near the southern line of the county. Even then LaFoon was able to dictate its terms of surrender and come as equals, with equal rights and privileges, including their homes, their churches, and their public buildings. On Sept. 18, 1884, the first convention for the election of county officers was held at LaFoon composed of the. following citizens: Precinct No. 1 G. S, Rice, L. H. Bailey, Ed. Clifford, James Devine and Charles B. Chambers. No. 2: M. Purdy, C. C. Getting and A. Garrick. No. 3: Morgan G. Millard, G. W. McTier and G. B. Dyer. No. 4: Charles Rathke and Otto Mielke. No. 5; Harry H. Sprowls, J. B. Smack and B. H. Clark. No. 6: J, A. Pickler, W. G. Faulkner, J. W. Bass and J. H. Shirk. No. 7: P. B. Durley, Ed. Hoisel, H. A. Humphrey and J. W. Hayes No. 8: A. B. Sheldon, R. G. Morton, Joseph Powell, C. B. Oakes and A. E. Evens. No. 9: H. S. Utley, George M. Butterfield, Alex Miller and Travis. No. 10: Robert Kmapton, F. M. Brown and J. M. Miles. No. 11: H. Chain, H, Pool, Orin Strevel and H. Metz. No. 12: D. N. Hillman, Geo. A. Morse and Chas. F. Chase. No. 13: C. H. Ellis, W. W. Gwin and John Parsons. The convention was called to order by Judge C. H. Derr and Morgan G. Millard and A. E. Evans were chosen secretaries. The following persons were placed in nomination for the several county offices, all of whom were elected on Tuesday after the first Monday in November, 1884: C. H. Derr, judge of probate; Frank A. Pangburn, clerk of district court; James W. Johnston, register of deeds; P. E. Knox, treasurer; Mrs. Angie Rose, county superintendent; for sheriff, L. M. Buland; for assessor, E. G. Sage; for coroner, Dr. L. M. Sprowles; for surveyor, B. H. Clark; for district attorney, C. C. Clifford; for justices of the peace, Frank Turner, W. R. Davis, W. G. Faulkner and D. S. Smith; for constables, J. W. Bass, C. B. Oakes, Ed. Hoisel and Channey J. Cooper. John L. Chain was nominated for county commissioner for the second commissioner district. The following persons were chosen to the republican convention at Pierre: John A. Pickler and John L. Chain. To the district convention at Redfield, W. S. Belknap, C. H. Ellis, M. L. Wood and F. M. Brown. Thus ended the first organized and well attended county convention in which there was a consciousness that it was the people and not politicians that were then in control of county affairs. Additional Comments: From: HISTORY OF FAULK COUNTY SOUTH DAKOTA CAPTAIN C. H. ELLIS TOGETHER WITH BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF PIONEERS AND PROMINENT CITIZENS ILLUSTRATED 19O9 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/sd/faulk/history/other/gms6chapteri.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/sdfiles/ File size: 10.8 Kb