Percival H. Edmison Biography


	This biography appears on pages 519-520 in "History of Minnehaha
	County, South Dakota" by Dana R. Bailey and was scanned, OCRed
	and edited by Joy Fisher, http://www.rootsweb.com/~archreg/vols/00001.html#0000031
.

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EDMISON, PERCIVAL H., is a native of Canada, and was born February 24, 1844. 
He attended the public schools during his youth, and then took a two years 
course in the Queen's University at Kingston. He taught school three years 
in Canada and Michigan, and during the same time attended the University of 
Michigan, at Ann Arbor, one term.  He next engaged in mercantile business at 
Winthrop, Iowa, remaining in trade about four years, and then traveled for a 
commercial house for seven years.  In November, 1871, he started for Sioux 
Falls, but was caught in a blizzard at Beloit, and did not get any further 
until April, 1872, when he again started for Sioux Falls, this time arriving 
at his destination in due time.  He took up the southeast quarter of section 
thirteen in Sioux Falls township, and bought the corner of Phillips avenue 
and Ninth street upon which the Edmison-Jameson building now stands, where he 
built a frame building in 1873, which remained there until the present stone 
structure was erected.  In November, 1880, he removed his family to Sioux Falls.  
In 1882, he built the European Hotel, and in 1883, he erected the three story 
building on Ninth street, west of the Edmison-Jameson block. In 1890, he built a 
stone front business block on the west side of Phillips avenue between Ninth and 
Tenth streets, and the same year, in connection with James Jameson, erected the 
Edmison-Jameson building, a six story stone business block, the finest and most 
costly in the city. One thing is certainly true of Mr. Edmison, he had great faith 
in the future of Sioux Falls, and has not hesitated to invest largely in such 
enterprises as bid fair to return a good income, and has added greatly to the 
imposing character of the improvements of the city. For this he is entitled to 
great credit, and it has stamped him as one of the most enterprising and courageous 
citizens of Sioux Falls.