The First Year in South Dakota


	This information appears in Chapter LXII of "History of South 
	Dakota" by Doane Robinson, Vol. I (1904), pages 338-342 and was 
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CHAPTER LXII

THE FIRST YEAR IN SOUTH DAKOTA.

	As will be apprehended from the previous chapter, the first year of South Dakota's existence as a state was not a very hopeful period.  Not only were the people laboring under the despondency of the crop failure and its incident hardships of the previous year, but the crop of 1890, too, was but little improved over the disastrous failure of 1889.  Prices were, however, very good and even in the single year the effort to find other dependence than wheat growing had resulted in a beginning in dairying and poultry, which helped out many a larder which otherwise would have been destitute.  It is the testimony of many who passed through that awful experience that poultry was the first resource that brought something of comfort and better living. "Everything on the place was mortgaged and had to go, except the chickens," has been declared to the writer by so many of the pioneers who stuck it out, that he is forced to the conclusion that the hen was a large factor in the salvation of Dakota from utter collapse.  But it required several years to recover and to discover the means of permanent prosperity, through diversified crops, live stock and dairying. Even those who clearly saw the way were unable from lack of means to do more than make a small start in the right direction and gradually grew into better things.

	The census taken as of the first of June gave the state 328,808 people. The loss of population for the previous year must have been considerable.

	This year the Elkhorn division of the Northwestern Railway completed its line into Deadwood, and the Burlington & Missouri River, which had entered the state from the southwest corner the previous year, pushed its line up into the central hills as far as Custer, and its branch to Hot Springs was completed.

	The first state legislature, which convened in January, 1890, was the strongest body of solons the state has had.  The ablest men in each community felt something of pride in sitting as members of this first body and we find in the roll the names of a surprisingly large number of individuals who stand at the very front in the state's citizenship to this day.  The session was largely devoted to providing the necessary legislation to facilitate tile operations of the new state, and give life to the provisions of the constitution. The powers and duties of the regents of education and the board of charities were prescribed, the manner of bringing actions against the state defined and the duties of the constitutional officers limited in a greater or less degree.  The old territorial laws which were not repealed were made applicable to state conditions and the necessary appropriations made to maintain the state and institutions.  The power of the state to provide directly for the destitute was discussed, but the weight of opinion was that the state had not the power under the constitution and Governor Mellette was strongly of that mind.  The drafting and passage of a prohibition law to make the constitutional provision effective was one of the most serious tasks and occupied a great deal of time.  Three new offices were created, commissioner of labor and statistics, engineer of irrigation and mine inspector.  Sutton E. Young, of Sioux Falls, was speaker of the house.

	The crop failure from drought brought the subject of irrigation into great prominence and many meetings were held at different points to discuss the topic and devise the best means of utilizing tile artesian waters for that purpose. Congress appropriated twenty thousand dollars to make an irrigation survey of South Dakota and the work, by Prof. Darton, was the means of gathering a vast amount of information relating to the probable extent and supply of artesian water.

	In July the State Editorial Association, as the guests of the city of Pierre, made the overland trip from Pierre to the Black Hills, returning by the Elkhorn Railway.

	Under the constitution the state officers are elected biennially upon the even numbered years and in consequence a new election fell in the antumn of 1890. 

	The Farmers' Alliance movement had prospered and during the hard times had taken a strongly political cast.  It was under the leadership of Henry L. Loucks, a most skillful propagandist and by this time had become a genuine ground-swell. The discouraged farmers, overwhelmed with reverses, were easily led to look for comfort in proposed political reforms and on the 9th of July a convention met at Huron to consider the political situation.  There, after some deliberation, it was resolved to project a third party movement to be known as the Independent party, but popularly known as the People's party, or Populists. Mr. Loucks was nominated for governor, and F. A. Leavitt and Fred Zipp for congress.  The Democrats met in Aberdeen and nominated Mans Taylor for governor and F. A. Clark and W. Y. Quigley for congress.

	The hostility to Governor Mellette, engendered by his efforts to provide for the destitute, led to an active campaign against his nomination, but this opposition was withdrawn before the convention assembled at Mitchell on August 20th. Mellette was renominated for governor and John R. Gamble and John A. Pickler for congress. At this convention W. W. Taylor received his first nomination for state treasurer.  The campaign that followed these nominations was spirited and owing to the demoralization incident to the coincident and the previous capital campaigns was exceedingly uncertain and difficult to accurately measure.  At the admission of the state Mr. Moody had drawn the short term in the senate and consequently a senatorial campaign was also involved.

	Pierre and Huron were engaged in a furious contest for the permanent seat of government. Watertown had essayed to enter the fight, but had been subsidized by Huron to remain out of the race.  Corruption was carried to the limit in securing votes in this contest.

	The election in November resulted in the choice of the Republican ticket by thirty-five thousand, to twenty-five thousand for the Populists and eighteen thousand for the Democrats, the Populist strength having been drawn from both of the old parties, the Republicans contributing four-fifths and the Democrats one-fifth.

	In the choice of the legislature, however, the Republicans were not so fortunate. On the face of the returns the Democrats and Populists combined had an even show, with one Republican elected upon an independent ticket holding the balance of power.  Several contests were inaugurated on both sides which the legislature was called upon to decide.

	Pierre won over Huron, by a vote of forty thousand against twenty-seven thousand for Huron.

	As if drought and famine were not enough to try out the pioneers of the new state, the fall of 1890 brought to our very door a great Indian uprising which resulted in a vast tragedy.  In a degree, this uprising was an incident of the drought, though it was in a greater measure predicated upon other circumstances.  The extremely dry weather, however, had destroyed all the Indians' little efforts at agriculture and gardening with which they had for several years supplemented the rations issued to them by the government.  Uncle Sam is not quick to adjust himself to changed conditions and it was difficult to make him understand at once why the rations which were sufficient in 1888 were not adequate in 1889 and 1890.  The Indians had felt the pinch of hunger and were restive under the situation. At this juncture the South Dakota Sioux were visited by emissaries of tribes west of the Rocky mountains who, inspired by fanatical superstitions, represented to them that the Messiah of the Indians was about to return to earth and restore the old free life, with game and buffalo in abundance, while the whites were to be driven from the earth.  Early in November delegates were sent by the South Dakota bands to attend a gathering of choice spirits at Pyramid Lake in Utah, where it was represented that the Messiah was to appear.  These delegates stole away from the agencies and made remarkable progress to Pyramid lake, where they met representatives of sixteen other tribes, some of them having traveled fourteen hundred miles to reach the rendezvous.  It almost surpasses belief, but it is nevertheless true that these delegates. called without telegraph or written message, had started from points a thousand miles remote from each other and had arrived at the rendezvous at the appointed time. There the pretended Messiah appeared to them and made to them great promises. The youth of all the older Indians was to be renewed so that no man among them would be more than forty years old.  Everything was to be restored as it was in former times before the white men came.  That medicine men would be sent among them to cure with a touch all of their wounds and sickness so that they would live forever.  He then taught them to dance the ghost dance and sent them back to their tribes.

	Short Bull, an Oglala, was the leader of the Dakota delegates.  His home was at Pine Ridge. He was a hostile, or heathen Indian, as distinguished from the friendly fellows who thronged about the agency.  He came home and at once began to teach the doctrines of the new Messiah to the chiefs and the dance to the young men. At first he told him all the mysterious changes would come in two seasons, but as the Indians took up the new doctrine and became frenzied in the dance, which they carried to the extreme, dancing for days in succession without rest or food until dropping down from sheer exhaustion, Short Bull, who at first was but a John the Baptist, announcing the coming of the Messiah, grew holder and proclaimed his own divine and miraculous power.  His first act was to set ahead the date of the uprising. which was to be a preliminary to the grand restoration, one year, that is to the fall of 1890, which by this time was already at hand. He then commanded all the warriors to assemble in the Bad Lands on White river in November.  While the dancing and excitement was largely confined to Pine Ridge, the Sioux at the other agencies were uneasy and inclined to listen to Short Bull's runners who were constantly among them. This is particularly true of the wild Indians belonging to the Cheyenne river agency, who lived back on Cherry creek, and the Uncpapas on upper Grand river.  Almost immediately the Indians started for the Bad Lands, looting the homes of the farmer Indians as they went and forcing many peaceably inclined ones to join them. They made a camp near the mouth of Pass creek, where in a short time three thousand of the dancers were assembled.  Dr. D. F. Royer, the agent at Pine Ridge, first became alarmed about the middle of the month and General Miles, in command of the department of the Northwest, had sent strong detachments of troops under General Brooke to Pine Ridge and Rosebud, but no general alarm was felt in the state until the 24th of November when Scotty Philip came in from his ranch on Bad river to inform Governor Mellette that an outbreak was imminent at any moment.  Governor Mellette telegraphed this information promptly to General Miles, who at once strengthened the force at the agencies and a cordon of troops were placed along the Cheyenne from the Forks up to the Elkhorn railway crossing and down that line toward Chadron as a protection to the Black Hills, and strong garrisons were posted at Forts Bennett and Sully and at Fort Yates.  Little danger was apprehended from the Indians at Cheyenne river agency proper. In fact the leading Indians there could confidently be depended upon to assist in the protection of the frontier; but there was some cause for apprehension that the Uncpapas on Grand river who came under the direct personal influence of Sitting Bull, might make a dash across the river among the settlers, the force at Fort Yates was kept on the qui vive and Governor Mellette armed the militia in Walworth and Campbell counties and they were some time kept under marching orders under the command of Col. Thomas Orr. General Miles established his headquarters at Rapid City. The policy of the army was to force the Indians back to the agency without a conflict.  To this end efforts were put forth to create dissentions among the Sioux themselves and so weaken their strength.

	Among the Uncpapas it was believed that the chief disturber was old Sitting Bull himself and that if he could be placed under arrest, his followers would remain quietly at the agency, or at least upon the reservation and the excitement would soon die out.  Sitting Bull had spent a season or two as an attraction in the Wild West show of "Buffalo Bill" Cody and General Miles was of the opinion that Cody would have greater influence with him than any other white man. Cody was therefore sent to Standing Rock to coax the old medicine man to come in on the 25th of November, but the Indians, suspecting his mission, sent the showman off on a fool's errand to find Sitting Bull at a point a long distance from where he actually was, and after chasing about in a vain hunt for him, Cody gave up the mission.  This attempt to draw off the old disturber having failed, the war department, being unduly fearful of Sitting Bull's power, it was determined to arrest him at all hazards and the commandant at Fort Yates was instructed to effect his arrest without delay.  Consequently on the evening of December 10th Major McLaughlin the agent at Standing Rock, selected a body of Indian police in whom he had confidence, to go out and make the arrest.  They were to be supported by Captain Fechet with a detail of troops.  Sitting Bull's home was in a substantial log house located on Grand river, in South Dakota, not far from the mouth of Rock creek and about thirty-five miles southwest of Standing Rock. The police, closely followed by the troops, left the agency about midnight, on the night of the 10th and made a rapid drive to Sitting Bull's where they arrived about four o'clock in the morning. The police arrived first and going directly to the house found the old man asleep in bed they awakened him and told him their business and advised him to submit peaceably.  He was indignant and raised a cry of revolt which speedily drew about him a strong force of his followers, who opened fire upon the police and a desperate fight ensued in which six of the policemen and Sitting Bull himself were killed.  The hostiles were vastly in the majority and it is probable that the entire body of policemen would have been wiped out had not Captain Fechet arrived at the moment the fight was at its height and, quickly mounting a Hochkiss gun, soon drove back the hostiles and rescued the remaining policemen.  Most of the remaining hostiles gave up at once, but some of them started for the Short Bull camp in the Bad Lands, but were intercepted on the Cheyenne, and, with the exception of thirty, who made their way to the White river, were placed under arrest and in a short time returned to Standing Rock.  The hostile element among the Cheyenne river Indians were chiefly in the band of Hump, out on Cherry creek.  Hump was considered to be particularly formidable and his location too was such that he made a strong link in the line of communication between the hostile Oglalas and the Uncpapas. Captain Ewers, of the Fifth Infantry, had during his residence at Fort Bennett, became a strong friend of Hump's.  At this time Ewers was stationed in Texas, but he was sent for and, proceeding to Fort Bennett, drove at once out to Hump's camp, sixty miles away, on Cherry creek, without troops and unarmed.  Hump was twenty miles from home, but a runner went to him and he at once came in to see his old friend. Captain Ewers explained the situation to him and asked him to accompany him to Fort Bennett.  To this Hump at once assented and took his people down to the fort, where they remained peaceably until the troubles were over, Hump himself joining General Miles' forces and rendering effective service as a scout.  One of the sub-chiefs, however, did not come in, but started to join Short Bull.  This was Big Foot, who with certain scattered hostiles from the Cheyenne and Grand River, rounded up one hundred and sixteen men and, though once apprehended by Captain Summers, they by a subterfuge evaded him.  When Colonel Sumner had intercepted Big Foot near the Cheyenne on December 22d, he promised to return with his people to the Ciheyenne river agency, but on that night escaped and started south to join Short Bull.  This fact was at once communicated to headquarters and orders were telegraphed to General Brooke at Pine Ridge to intercept Big Foot and place him and his warriors under arrest.  In the meantime Short Bull had become more reasonable and had determined to return to the agency, and on the night of December 29th had arrived within six miles of Pine Ridge. On the 28th of December Major Whiteside, under orders from General Brooke, met Big Foot and his band near Porcupine creek and demanded his surrender.  Big Foot and his band of one hundred and six warriors and their women and children submitted without resistence.  Ten others of Big Foot's warriors were out on a scout attempting to locate the camp of Short Bull. After the arrest they moved over on to Wounded Knee creek and went into camp.  At this camp Major Whiteside was joined by Colonel Forsythe and Lieutenant Taylor with details of troops, so that in the aggregate they had four hundred and seventy fighting men.  The next morning the scouting party of hostiles returned to camp and immediately the Indians opened fire upon the troops from short guns, which they had cached under their blankets, and a fight ensued in which in a few minutes' time thirty soldiers were killed and two hundred Indians, more than half of them women and children.  This most deplorable affair, while directly the result of the treachery of the Indian prisoners, was in its awful fatalities attributable to the fact that the soldiers lost their heads and seeing their companions falling about them spared nothing that wore a blanket.

	When Short Bull and his band of three thousand Indians, who were about to resume peaceable relations at the agency, heard from Wounded Knee, they at once turned back toward the Bad Lands, where they were joined by about as many more of the Indians who hitherto had been peaceable, so that there were from five to six thousand in his camp, which he established seventeen miles from the agency.  On the next day a party of seventy of the young warriors made a sally in the direction of the agency and at the Catholic mission, about six miles west of Pine Ridge, set fire to one of the out-buildings.  They were here attacked by Colonel Forsythe, who was sent out with eight troops of cavalry to drive them away. He soon found himself surrounded by the Indians and in a perilous situation, but was relieved by Major Henry, who with four troops of cavalry and a Hotchkiss gun soon had them flying. Lientenaut Mann and one private of Colonel Forsythe's force were killed.  On the 3d of January, 1891, an attack was made on Colonel Carr's troops of the Sixth Cavalry, but was handsomely repulsed.  At this juncture General Miles took personal command in the field and, securing communication with the leaders, established terms of peace with them, and on January i6th they came in and camped about the agency and the trouble was at an end.

	During all of this time the state militia from the Black Hills rendered effective service, under Col. Merritt H. Day, scouting along the upper Cheyenne and White rivers.