While Yankton was the first point occupied by a permanent settlement of whites on the Missouri slope in Dakota, the country opposite Fort Randall contained a number of white men, not soldiers, who had probably come as civilian employes with the Harney expedition in 1855. They located in that vicinity by 1857, for the purpose of sharing in the wood and hay contracts that were annually given out by the army at Fort Randall. They were also engaged in the hauling of supplies for the government.
Thus the Hamilton and Pease settlements on the east side of the river above Fort Randall were both well established in 1859. Both communities were settled largely by discharged soldiers and French Canadians who had been employed in various civil capacities in General Harney’s campaign.
In February of 1912, a nine pound cannon ball was discovered on the banks of the Missouri River about fifteen miles south of Fort Pierre. It was thought that it had been fired during General Harney’s campaign to put down some of the numerous Indian uprisings earlier in the area.
During the last half of the 1800’s, Harney had his name attached to a 7.244 foot peak in the Black Hills. Black Elk Peak, formerly known as Harney Peak, is the highest natural point in South Dakota and is the highest summit in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains.
In 1858 Minnesota was admitted as a state. At that time its western boundary included that territory lying west to the Missouri River. This large expanse of fertile prairie was without a government. This explains the urgency of the early settlers to secure the organization of the Dakota Territory.
The earliest settlements by the whites within the boundaries of the future Territory of Dakota were made when all the country east and north of the Missouri River as far away as White Earth River (mouth of the White River), was embraced in the Territory of Minnesota. The country on the south and west of the Missouri was then considered a part of Nebraska Territory.
The first settlement in the future Dakota Territory by citizen of the United States was made a Pembina about 1843. A post office was located at the site with Norman Kittson as postmaster. Being located on the International Boundary, a custom house was established at Pembina to assist in the movement of citizens between Canada and the United States.
The first settlement on the Big Sioux River in what was to become Dakota Territory was established in December of 1856 by the Western Town Company of Dubuque, Iowa in June of 1857. Settlements were established at Medary and Flandreau on the Big Sioux River. Owing to Indian hostilities, the Sioux Falls settlements were abandoned in 1862, the Medary settlement in 1859 and the country remain unoccupied until 1867-68.
In 1857 settlements were made on the James River near Yankton by a number of individuals. As early as 1855, a farm with good improvements was established a few miles east of the Vermillion River. It was later abandoned in 1859.
The Hamilton settlement on Platte Creek on the east side of the river was the next point where a colony of early white settlers established a settlement. This was the home of Major Hamilton and his sons and a few other pioneers. Hamilton had been on the western frontier for over fifty years and during that time had become quite famous. It was the last of the white settlements on the public lands in the area to the northwest.
As the necessities of the Government required the transmission of a voluminous mail, all the forts and agencies above Fort Randall were supplied once a week. The telegraph line was extended from Yankton to Fort Sully in the early 1870’s by the United States Government.
On the 29th of July 1861, Governor Jayne issued a proclamation establishing legislative districts and apportioning the representation as follows: “All that portion of Dakota Territory bounded by a line west of and including that settlement known as the Hamilton settlement, and also that portion of Dakota situated between the Missouri River and the Niobrara River, shall compose the sixth council district and be entitled to one councilman.”
All of that portion of Dakota Territory bounded on the east by Choteau Creek, and bounded on the west by a line drawn west of, and to include the settlement known as the Hamilton settlement. Also, that portion of Dakota Territory situated between the Missouri and Niobrara rivers was included and this area composed the eighth representative district. It was entitled to elect one legislative representative.
The October 21, 1878 Daily Press and Dakotan reported that William Hamilton was one of the individuals nominated as a candidate for the position of Democratic Council for the First District. The First District, which was the area from Sioux City to above Fort Randall, was then referred to as Union County.
The first official act of Governor Jayne was the appointment of agents to take a census of the territory upon which to base and apportion the representation in the first legislative assembly.
Author Author Clarence Shoemaker, originally published in the Gregory Times-Advocate on January 29, 2025