Full text of "History of Minnehaha Co." Statement

	This file contains the full text of Bailey's History (1899),
	Statement, pages 258 to 262.

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A STATEMENT

IN REFERENCE TO THE ARRANGEMENT AND CONTENTS OF THE REMAINDER OF THIS WORK.

	In giving the history of the twenty-four townships comprising the County 
of Minnehaha,, with the municipalities carved out and organized within their 
limits, the same order has been followed as adopted by the government survey and 
followed by the county commissioners in dividing the county into civil 
townships.

	The survey, the streams and lakes, and to some extent the topographical 
features of each township are described, and a brief account of its settlement, 
industries, churches and other societies also appears. Some of the official 
proceedings of the townships and other municipal organizations are noticed, and 
a list of township, town and city officials from the time of their organization 
to 1899, inclusive, are carefully compiled, followed by biographical sketches of 
residents.

	The design at first was to publish this work in 1895, but the financial 
depression at that time made it impracticable to do so, and not until now has it 
seemed expedient to present it to the public. In some matters nothing has been 
added since then, especially in reference to the fraternal societies and kindred 
subjects. A large proportion of the biographical sketches had been written at 
that time, and since then some of the persons whose biographies appear, have 
removed and others died, of which, for obvious reasons, no mention is made. In 
procuring biographical sketches at least fifteen hundred circular letters were 
mailed to residents of the county, with questions for them to answer, and 
although a postage stamp was inclosed a large number of these circulars were not 
returned, and consequently biographical sketches of many of the old residents do 
not appear. Great pains has been taken to be exact in the matter of dates and in 
presenting the names of persons correctly, but errors in this respect have 
undoubtedly been committed, owing to unreliable information and the obscure 
signatures we necessarily had to decipher.

	In compiling the lists of officials the records have been examined for the 
necessary information. Some of these records are quite complete, while others 
are very incomplete, failing to give the names of the officials from year to 
year, and the records being practically the only reliable source of information, 
some of the lists must necessarily be quite imperfect.

ORGANIZATION OF CIVIL TOWNSHIPS.

	In the issue of the Sioux Falls Pantagraph published in Sioux Falls on the 
18th day of February, 1874, the following item appears: "In the month of January 
last, four new townships were organized in Minnehaha county, and officers 
elected. The officers of the new town of Benton were Wm. Alguire, J. C. Eldridge 
and Mr. Hartwell, supervisors; A. S. Fuller, clerk; J. D. Green, treasurer; J. 
C. Eldridge, assessor; R. Foster and H. Neer, justices; H. W. Burvee and A. 
Lifto, constables; D. Alguire, Sr., overseer of highways." Having had access to 
the clerk's books of every township in the county, and finding no records prior 
to 1881, Mr. Eldridge of Benton was interviewed in reference to this item, and 
he said: "I remember there was a meeting held at my place about that time, and 
that a school district was organized, and township matters discussed, but I have 
no recollection of being elected supervisor or assessor. I know I never did any 
assessing", there was a county assessor at that time." Upon interviewing other 
persons likely to know something in regard to such township organization, their 
recollections were found to be so indistinct and conflicting in fact, and the 
improbability of being able to ascertain the exact facts, where no records could 
be found, the idea of any further reference to them was abandoned.

	One thing is certain, however, that all the townships in the county were 
organized under the provisions of "An Act providing for Organization of Civil 
Townships, and the Government thereof" to take effect from and after its passage 
and approval, which was passed by the legislature of the Territory of Dakota in 
1879, and approved February 18.

	There were ninety-eight sections in this law, and its provisions justified 
its title. It enacted that upon the presentation of a petition from fifty legal 
voters of any county to the county commissioners, they should, at a special 
election, submit the question whether the system of township government as 
provided in the law should be adopted by the county, and if a majority of the 
votes cast at such election should be in favor of township government, then the 
board of county commissioners should immediately proceed to divide the county 
into civil townships, fix and determine the boundaries thereof and number the 
same, and in so doing should have regard for the natural boundaries, and that at 
any time thereafter the board might alter and change the same, provided, that 
the number of civil townships should not exceed the number of congressional 
townships or fractional parts thereof greater than one-half.

	On the 22d day of May, 1880, petitions containing in the aggregate the 
names of 145 legal voters of the county were presented to the county board, 
asking to have the question of township government submitted to a vote of the 
people of the county. In pursuance to the request of the petitioners, a special 
election was ordered, and held on Monday the 28th day of June, and resulted in 
favor of township government, 582 votes being cast for, and 88 against.

	On the 8th day of July, the county board canvassed the vote and numbered 
the townships, commencing with Valley Springs as number one, and so on through 
township one hundred and one, then Red Rock as number seven, concluding with 
Buffalo as number twenty-four.

	By the provisions of this law the electors of the several townships were 
required at the first election to choose by ballot a name for the township to 
take the place of the number fixed by the county board.

	Since the passage of this act, the law governing townships has been 
changed from time to time to meet the wants of the people, so that at the 
present time a well digested system appears upon our statute books, and its 
provisions are generally understood by those interested. It is to be hoped that 
there will be very little legislation in the future in reference to this 
subject, and only such legislation as the exigencies of the times may 
imperatively demand.

[photo - VIEW BELOW THE FALLS-SIOUX FALLS.]

[photo - PANORAMIC VIEW IN MINNEHAHA COUNTY.]