Union Co, SD - 1884 History and Description

Union County

	Union County occupies the extreme southeastern corner of the Territory, the 
southern portion forming a "cul de sac" between the Missouri and Big Sioux rivers. The 
county is bounded north by Lincoln County, west by Clay County, and south and east by 
the Missouri and Big Sioux rivers respectively. It contains seven full Congressional 
townships, with the exception of a part of fraction 36, in Town 93, Range 49, and thirteen 
fractional townships, some of them very small, in all equal to about twelve full townships, 
or 276,480 acres of land.

	The county is nearly equally divided into rolling prairie and river bottom lands, 
with a black loamy soil, averaging from two feet on the plateaus to five or six feet in depth 
on the bottoms, and remarkably fertile, producing immense crops of blue-joint grass, corn, 
wheat, oats, barley, flax, and vegetables. As a Stock producing region it is as good as the 
best.

	The Missouri washes the southern border of the county in a very tortuous course 
of about forty miles, with numerous islands and sand-bars in its channel, and a number of 
marshes or low meadow-lands lying parallel to its course.

	The Big Sioux River washes the entire eastern border and forms the boundary 
between the Territory and the state of Minnesota [ actually Iowa!! -JRF] Its course is 
exceedingly tortuous. In making a direct distance of about forty miles, it probably 
traverses not less than 100 miles actual distance.

	The bottom lands along the Missouri River are very broad in this region, extending 
to the Big Sioux, a distance of from three to ten miles. There is considerable timber 
growing along the Missouri bottoms, mostly composed of cottonwood, elm, willow, and 
box elder. The latter also grows sparsely along the Big Sioux. 

	The principal inland stream of the county is the Brule Creek, which rises in Lincoln 
County and traverses the central portions of Union County, discharging into the Big Sioux 
River at a point on the township line between Townships 91 and 92 north, about four 
miles northeast of Elk Point. Other creeks are Union, Jim [James - JRF], Green, and a 
number of unimportant ones, but all valuable as water supplies for stock.

	For civil purposes the county is divided into nine voting precincts, which may be 
changed at any time to civil and school townships, whenever the commissioners may deem 
it advisable.

SETTLEMENT - The early settlements of Union County mostly concentrated around Elk 
Point, and Sioux Point at the junction of the Missouri and Big Sioux rivers. At this last 
named locality were a number of French Canadians, some of whom had previously resided 
at other places in the United States. Most of them were allied with the Indians by marriage 
and raised large families. Some engaged in stock-raising, but the greater number were 
hunters and trappers, who built log cabins in some sheltered spot, and perhaps cultivated a 
few acres in corn and vegetables.

	The following, as near as can be ascertained are the names of those who settled at 
Sioux Point: J. B. LaPlant, John B. McBride, Peter Arpin, J. Chattellion, Adolphe Mason, 
Antoine Fleury, ____ Primeau. There were several others whose names are not 
recollected. Several of these, among whom was LaPlant, located as early as 1848 or 1849. 
The latter is now in Charles Mix County, and the others have removed to various parts of 
the West.

	The first settlement by a citizen of the United States was made at Elk Point by Eli 
B. Wixon, from the State of New York, on the 22nd day of July, 1859, at which time he 
located a claim and began the erection of a log dwelling, twelve by sixteen feet in 
dimensions, one story in height, which he covered with shakes, over which was spread a 
heavy layer of earth; the earth also formed the floor. Mr. Wixon occupied this building in 
August following, and opened a public house for the accommodation of travelers. He also 
kept a small stock of groceries.

	In the fall of the same year C. Maloney, William Mathers, and G. and A. Christie 
settled near him. During the winter of 1859-60 a band of about seventy-five Santee 
Indians encamped at Elk Point and hunted through the season. With these Mr. Wixon had 
a good trade. In the spring of 1862 several families settled around Elk Point, and about the 
same time M. Ryan located near the present site of Jefferson.

	Hon. M. K. Armstrong, in his admirable history of southeastern Dakota, says the 
first house erected in Cole (Union) County was in 1857, on the bank of the Big Sioux 
River at Pacquette’s ferry, probably at the crossing of the old Territorial road.

	During the year 1860 Mr. Wixon built the Elk Point House on the town site in 
which he continued the hotel business, and managed his farm, cultivating sixty acres 
during the season. In the following winter Joseph LaBarge and family lived in the new 
hotel, Mrs. LaBarge being the first white woman in the place. W. W. Adams erected the 
Adams House the same year.

	In June, 1862, Charles LaBreche, from Dubuque County, Iowa, and the following 
eight families made a settlement in the vicinity of Jefferson: P. Limoges, D. Chausse, B. 
Gardepie, F. Riandeau, B. Moran, LaVoil brothers, J. Volin, and Octave Brouillette. In 
the autumn of the same year the colony was increased by the arrival of J. Brouillette and 
B. Fontaine.