Artemas Gale Biography


	This biography appears on page 537-538, 539 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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GALE, ARTEMAS, is one of the pioneers of Minnehaha county, and if his 
prosperity is to measure his satisfaction for coming here, he must be one 
of the most contented of our citizens. He was born on the 4th day of March, 
1825, in New Jersey, and removed, when thirteen years of age, with his father 
who was a merchant, to Olean, N.Y.  In 1854 he came to St. Paul, and pre-
empted 160 acres of land where West St. Paul is now located, and was one of 
eight persons who filed the first plat of West St. Paul, consisting of 640 
acres. He engaged in the mercantile and grain business on Third street in St. 
Paul, from 1854 until 1870.  Visited Sioux Falls in 1868, also in 1869, and 
again in 1870, where he located 400 acres of land with half-breed scrip, and 
in 1870 broke up 180 acres. This scrip was located by an agent for Mr. Gale 
in 1863, but the military reservation of 1864 kept him from occupying it 
until 1870. The northwest one-fourth, the east half of the southwest one-
fourth, and the west half of the east half of sections 21-101-49, comprised 
the 400 acres.  He made his first plat in the fall of 1870, on the east 
half of the northwest one-fourth.  In the spring of 1872 he built his house, 
and since then Sioux Falls has been his home. He was one of the members of 
the Congregational church at its organization, and was one of its most liberal 
supporters. He was chairman of the board of county commissioners in 1877-8-9. 
During the first few years of his residence in Sioux Falls he was active in 
school matters, and was a director in the Dakota National Bank during the 
whole time of its existence.  He was a conservative, careful official, when 
chairman of the board of county commissioners, and is a man of excellent business qualifications and an honest upright esteemed citizen.