South Dakota History Timeline

Important Dates, Events, and Milestones

Offers a chronological timeline of important dates,  events, and milestones in South Dakota history.

18th Century

1700 - From about this time, beads, knives, and tools from Europe showed up on the plains. Horses traded from the southwest and, later, guns from the east greatly changed life in Dakota.

1743 - The LaVerendrye Brothers, exploring for France, become the first white men to leave proof of their presence in South Dakota. They bury a lead plate on a hill on the west bank of the Missouri River near present day Fort Pierre to claim the area for France.

1760 - The Sioux Indians, having been pushed out of Minnesota by the Chippewa, first reach the Missouri River. On their way to the Missouri, the Sioux drove the Omaha Indians from the Big Sioux and James River valleys. Sioux arrival at the Missouri ignites a long war with the Arikara for control of the Missouri Valley in central South Dakota.

1794 -

• The Sioux war with the Arikara comes to an end about 1794, with the Sioux driving the Arikara out of central South Dakota.
• Jean Baptiste Trudeau establishes trading company

19th Century

1803 - The United States makes the Louisiana Purchase from France. The area that will become South Dakota is part of the Purchase.
1804-1806 - Lewis & Clark Expedition from St. Louis to the Pacific. The expedition passes through South Dakota twice. While camped near the mouth of the Bad River in 1804, the expedition raises the United States flag on 25 September 1804.

1817 - Joseph LaFramboise starts a fur trading post at the site of present day Fort Pierre. This marks the beginning of the oldest continuous white settlement in South Dakota.
1823 - Arikara Indians attack a fur trading party led by a General Ashley. Twelve of the fur traders were killed and eleven wounded.This fight is one of the first fights between Indians and whites in South Dakota.
1825 - Treaties are signed with a number of Indian tribes in South Dakota.
1831 - The Yellowstone becomes the first steamboat to travel on the Missouri River in South Dakota.
1838-1839 - Nicollet and Fremont conduct several exploration expeditions through South Dakota.
1855-1857 -

• The US Army buys Fort Pierre in 1855 and uses it as a military post. The poor site and the establishment of Fort Randall in 1856 causes the Army to abandon Fort Pierre in 1857. Although the Army leaves, people continue to live at the fort site.
•  Lt. G. K. Warren conducts a series of explorations and surveys in Dakota and Nebraska. These expeditions result in some of the first maps of western South Dakota. The 1856 expedition was a reconnaissance of the Missouri River intended to determine feasible sites for military posts.

1857 - The white influx into South Dakota receives a boost with the establishment of a settlement at the site of present day Sioux Falls.
1858 - The Yankton Sioux sign a treaty which cedes much of eastern South Dakota to the United  States and opens the land for settlement. White settlers continue to enter South Dakota. A provisional government is established, but it is not recognized by Washington.
1859-1860 - White settlers continue to come to South Dakota. Another attempt at establishing a territorial government is made. This attempt also fails to obtain Washington's recognition.
1860-61 - J.B.S. Todd, an early promoter of Dakota Territory and brother-in-law of Abraham Lincoln, goes to Washington, D.C. to lobby for territortial statis for Dakota. (J.B.S. Todd - Dakota Profile)
1861 - Dakota Territory is formally established. The legislation creating the new territory is signed by President James Buchanan. The new territory includes the present states of South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, and most of Wyoming. William Jayne of Illinois is appointed as the first territorial governor.
1862-1865 - The War of the Outbreak occurs. The war started in Minnesota with the Santee rising of 1862 and spread into Dakota. Several towns, including Sioux Falls, were evacuated until the end of hostilities. The war resulted in several forts being built in Dakota. Dakota's contribution to the war against the Indians consisted of two troops of volunteer cavalry and a number of militia units.
1865 - The Edmunds Commission, headed by Governor Newton Edmunds, negotiated a series of treaties with the Indians in Dakota. These treaties brought about a temporary end to hostilities.
1868 - A treaty is signed with the Sioux ending the Red Cloud War of 1866-1868. Among the provisions of the Ft. Laramie Treaty of 1868 is a clause that continues the Great Sioux Reservation. The area contained in this reservation included the Black Hills. (Dakota Profile - Spotted Tail) Peace Commission at Ft. Laramie, Wyoming, 1868 Shown from right of center pole are Gen. Harney, Gen. Sherman, Gen. Sanborn, General Augar, Gen. Terry, Gen. Henderson and Asa White, commission secretary.
1872 - The Dakota Southern Railroad becomes the first railroad to operate in South Dakota, running from Vermillion to Sioux City, Iowa. The road was completed to Yankton in 1873. The Judge Brookings, first locomotive in Dakota Terr. on the Dakota Southern RR. on Oct 1st, 1972
1874 - Rumors of gold and the need for military posts on the Great Sioux Reservation in the Black Hills area result in the Black Hills Expedition of Lt. Col. George A. Custer. In addition to troops, Custer's expedition included a large corps of scientists and several miners. Gold is discovered in the vicinity of present day Custer and the Black Hills gold rush begins.
1876 - Whites continue to enter the area of the Great Sioux Reservation. Many of the intruders go to the Black Hills to look for gold. The failure of the Army to keep whites out of the Hills angers the Sioux and war begins. The most notable event of the war is the defeat of Custer and the 7th Cavalry at the Little Big Horn in June.
1877 - A treaty is signed that ends the Black Hills war and gives the Black Hills to the United States. Renegade Indians are returned to their reservations and agencies. (Dakota Profile - Spotted Tail)

1878-1887 - This is the period of the Great Dakota Boom. Settlers pour into Dakota. The railroads provide a
major incentive to settlement. Agriculture and industry both prosper.
1880 - The Chicago & North Western Railroad becomes the first railroad to reach the Missouri River when its tracks reach the new town of Pierre late in the year. Although building west at the same time as the North Western, the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad will not officially reach the Missouri at
Chamberlain until early 1881.
1883 - By 1883, Dakota Territory had been reduced to what is now the States of South and North Dakota, Wyoming and Montana having been organized as separate territories. The northern part of the territory had grown in population to the point that the center of population was no longer in the Yankton area. This population shift led to the major event of 1883, the removal of the territorial capitol from Yankton to Bismarck. The move caused much bitterness among the people of southern Dakota. The capitol removal resulted in the first attempt to get southern Dakota admitted to the Union as a separate state. Washington refused to recognize the new state.
1885 - The discontent created by the capitol removal in 1883 sparked a second attempt to create a State of Dakota out of the southern half of the territory. Voters in southern Dakota approved a state constitution and elected a full slate of state officers. The legislature and state officials convened in Huron and organized the new state government. Senators were also chosen for the new state. Once again, Washington refused to grant statehood.
1886-1887 - Droughts bring the prosperity of the Great Dakota Boom to an end.
1888 - A major blizzard strikes the eastern part of southern Dakota. The blizzard
hits in January. Over 35 people die as a result of the storm.
1889 -

• White settlers continue to look with longing at the vast lands of the Great Sioux Reservation. After the failure of an effort in 1888 to get a land cession agreement, the Crook Commission of 1889 secures the signing of an agreement with the Sioux that opens new land for white settlement. The Sioux agree to move onto reservations with specified boundaries.
• The statehood movement finally bore fruit. On February 22, President Cleveland signed the Omnibus Bill creating the States of North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, and Washington. Dakota Territory formally ceased to exist on 2 November when President Harrison signed the documents formally admitting North and South Dakota to the Union as the 39th and 40th states. Harrison purposely shuffled the documents as he signed them so that no one would know which state was admitted first. Pierre is chosen as the temporary capitol of South Dakota.

1889-1897 -

• Drought in the late 1880s and a depressed national economy in the early and mid 1890s led to this period being called the Great Dakota Bust.
• The flow of settlers dropped off greatly. Some settlers left South Dakota to return to their previous homes.
• The state's economy slowed down, but recovered as the nation came out of the depression in the late 1890s.

1890 - Pierre is chosen as the permanent capital of South Dakota. A number of
challenges to Pierre's status come in succeeding years.The land cession agreement of 1889, the cut in beef rations, and crop failures brought the Sioux to the brink of starvation and hopelessness, It added to the resentment toward the white man and their promises. They were no longer free to roam the plains. The great buffalo herds gone, and food was inadequate. In the summer of that year, hope comes to them in the form of the "Ghost Dance," so called because they believed that this magical dance would bring back the dead and the buffalo as well as eliminate the whites. Non-Indians living near the reservation became frightened and demanded protection, leading to the Wounded Knee Massacre. In the fall of 1890, the army moved west to force the Indians to stop performing the Ghost Dance. In one of the first skirmishes, Sitting Bull was killed while being arrested by tribal police. On the Cheyenne near Belle Fouche, members of Big Foot's camp hear of Sitting Bull's death, panic and flee south to the Badlands. When they reached the Badlands, they are captured by soldiers and taken to a small village called Wounded Knee. On the morning of Dec. 29, 1890, the soldiers gathered the Indians and prepared to search them for weapons. Someone fired a shot, and then soldiers began shooting the Indians. Several hundred Indians, men, women and children, died that day, most of them unarmed. The Wounded Knee Massacre is sometimes cited as the final conquest of the Sioux.
1895 - In his opening address to the legislature on January 8, newly reelected governor Charles H. Sheldon praised outgoing treasurer Walter William Taylor for his efficiency, faithfulness, and the energy and zeal which he displayed in the management of the office of the treasury. The next day, January 9, governor Sheldon asked that his words of praise for Taylor be stricken from the official journal. It had just been discovered that Taylor, a former Redfield banker, had fled to South America and the state's treasury was short $367,000.
(see Volume 15 Number 2 of South Dakota History for more on Taylor's embezzlement of the state's treasury.)

1896 - Andrew E. Lee, a Populist, is elected as the third Governor of South Dakota. Lee was the first non-Republican governor. Only five other men who were not Republicans have served as governor, four being elected and one succeeding to the office on a resignation.
1898 - The Spanish-American War is fought. The Ist South Dakota Infantry is called into federal service and is sent to the Philippines. The regiment misses the fighting against the Spanish, but does see combat during the early months of the Philippine Insurrection in 1899. Besides the infantry regiment, South Dakota contributed five troops to the 3rd US Volunteer Cavalry, commanded by Col. Melvin Grigsby of Sioux Falls. The 3rd Cavalry spent the entire war in training camps in the United States.

20th Century

1900 - The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad reached the Missouri River at Evarts in northern South Dakota. Evarts quickly became a major shipping point for cattle from western South Dakota.
1904 -

• Land on the Rosebud Reservation is opened for white settlement. The land office for the opening was at Bonesteel. Chaotic conditions at Bonesteel prior to the opening and the threat of trouble on the opening day caused Lt. Gov. Snow to mobilize National Guard troops from Sioux Falls to protect the land office and keep order during the opening. The actual opening proved to be uneventful.
•  Pierre's position as capital of the state was challenged by Mitchell. Some people in the eastern part of the state felt that the capitol should be closer to the bulk of the state's population. A bitter election campaign pitted eastern interests against those of western South Dakota. The campaign has been characterized as an extended holiday for the entire state. Both the Chicago & North Western Railroad, which served Pierre, and the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul, which served Mitchell,
  transported large numbers of visitors to both cities at greatly reduced rates or on free passes. The inability of eastern South Dakota to act as a united body resulted in a wide margin of victory for Pierre. As an outgrowth of this capital fight, the 1905 legislature initiated the process that led to construction of a permanent capitol building in Pierre.

1906-1907 - Both the Chicago & North Western and the Milwaukee Road build west from the Missouri River to Rapid City. The North Western beat the Milwaukee to Rapid City by several months. Development of western South Dakota was greatly aided by the establishment of two direct rail links with eastern South Dakota and eastern markets.

1906 - The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad begins construction of its Pacific Coast Extension. The Extension, when completed in 1909, gave the Milwaukee a line to the Pacific coast and put SouthDakota on a transcontinental rail line. The town of Evarts was abandoned when the Milwaukee decided
to cross the Missouri at the new town of Mobridge.
1908 - The cornerstone of the new capitol building is laid. The first steps are taken to open large parts of the Cheyenne River and Standing Rock Indian Reservations to white settlement. The land is formally opened in 1909.

1910 - The new capitol building in Pierre was opened for use. Designed by the same architects who designed the Montana capitol, the new capitol ended the possibility of new fights over the sight of the state capitol. Although growth in the size of state government required an addition to the capitol building in the 1930s and the construction of several separate office buildings, the building opened in 1910 has continued to serve as the capitol to the present day.

1916 -

• The 4th South Dakota Infantry was one of many National Guard regiments mobilized forservice on the Mexican border. The regiment was stationed near San Benito, Texas. The South Dakotans saw no action and returned home in March 1917. One battalion of the regiment was back in Federal service several months later guarding bridges against possible German sabotage.
•  Peter Norbeck was elected as the ninth governor of South Dakota. Norbeck was the first governor actually born in South Dakota. His election continued the tradition of Republican domination of state politics. After two terms as governor, Norbeck went on to serve in the United States Senate. He died in office during his third term.

1917-1918 - The United States was involved in World War I. South Dakota's major contribution to the war was the 147th Field Artillery Regiment. The 147th was created out of half of the 4th South Dakota Infantry and two batteries of Oregon National Guard Artillery. The 147th saw heavy action as it provided artillery sport for ten different American and French divisions. The regiment received numerous decorations and citations from both France and the United States. After the war's end, the 147th was retained as part of the South Dakota National Guard.

1927 - Gutzon Borglum begins work on the Mount Rushmore monument. The monument contains the faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. Borglum's work had its origin in the desire of State Historian Doane Robinson to have a monument to American history created in the Black Hills. Although never completed, the Rushmore monument is still a major tourist attraction.
1928 - Gov. Bulow pardons Poker Alice, 78, after she is convicted on a bootlegging charge. Gov. Bulow was said to be reluctant to send a white-haired old lady to prison. Poker Alice was a gambler/madam from Stugis whose enterprises catered to the soldiers at Ft. Meade.
1930s - South Dakota is hit hard by the Depression. Drought and dust created severe problems for agriculture. The Civilian Conservation Corps and the WPA provided many jobs. The CCC was instrumental in providing much forest conservation work in the Black Hills.
1939 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt creates Badlands National Park.
1940 - In November, the 147th Field Artillery Regiment of the South Dakota National Guard is called into Federal service. The regiment is assigned to Fort Ord, California.
1941 - the 147th Field Artillery performs well at Fort Ord, prompting troops of the regular army 7th Infantry Division to talk about having the 147th assigned as the divisional artillery. In November, the 147th is ordered to overseas duty in the Philippines. The regiment was in Hawaii at the end of November. The regiment's convoy was a week west of Hawaii when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. The attack on Pearl Harbor caused the 147th's convoy to be rerouted to Australia. For a time during the end of 1941 and the early months of 1942, the 147th was the only major Allied unit stationed in the Darwin area.
1941-1945 - The United States was involved in World War II. South Dakotans were involved in the fighting in Europe, Africa, and the Pacific. The most notable contribution by a South Dakota unit was made by the 147th Field Artillery during its service in the Pacific. The 147th was reorganized in 1943 into the 147th and 260th Field Artillery Battalions. The 147th was the last field artillery regiment to be reorganized by the Army. The 147th Battalion built a solid record of combat service in New Guinea and the Philippines as part of the 158th Regimental Combat Team. The 260th Battalion spent the rest of the war driving trucks. These two battalions were the only units of the South Dakota National Guard to maintain a specific South Dakota identity during the war.

The battleship USS. South Dakota was launched in 1941. Entering active service in 1942, the South Dakota became one of the most decorated American ships of the war. She saw extensive duty in the Pacific war as well as spending a short tour of duty in the Atlantic. The South Dakota was the flagship of Admiral Chester Nimitz at the time of the Japanese surrender. Often referred to as "Battleship X," the South Dakota was decommissioned in 1947 and scrapped in 1962. A memorial to the South Dakota was created in Sioux Falls after the ship was scrapped.

1944 - The Pick-Sloan Plan for development of the Missouri River was passed by Congress. This plan resulted in the construction of four dams on the Missouri River in South Dakota. The dams are Fort Randall, begun in 1946; Oahe, begun in 1948; Gavin's Point, begun in 1952; and Big Bend, begun in 1959. All four dams were completed by the late 1960s.
1947 - In response to Indian requests for a monument similar to Mount
Rushmore to honor Indian heroes, Korczak Ziolkowski began work on
Crazy Horse Mountain in the Black Hills. The work was to be a statue
in the round of the Oglala Sioux leader Crazy Horse. Though it was
still not finished at Ziolkowski's death in 1982, the Crazy Horse site
is a major tourist attraction.
1948 - Blizzard hits northeastern South Dakota. The National Guard
is called out to assist in clearing roads.
1949 - Blizzard hits South Dakota early in January. Air drops of hay
are required in much of central and western South Dakota. The
CNW line from Pierre to Rapid City was blocked for several weeks.
1950-1952 - The United States participated in the Korean War.
Several South Dakota National Guard units were called into federal
service, but none of them saw combat. The 196th Regimental
Combat Team held South Dakota's outstanding National Guard
tradition by outperforming units of the Regular Army both in
training in Colorado and on active duty in Alaska.
1952 - A major flood on the Missouri River proves the wisdom of the Pick-Sloan Act. Flood damage is severe in Pierre, with much of the town inundated. The flood causes damage all through South Dakota and in downstream states. The severity of the flood provided additional justification for construction of the Oahe Dam.
1962 - The electric generating station at the Oahe Dam is completed. Oahe is the largest of the six Missouri River Pick-Sloan dams, with a generating capacity of 700,000 kilowatts. With completion of the Big Bend Dam and generating station several years later, the Missouri River dams achieved a generating capacity of over 2,000,000 kilowatts of electricity.
1966 - The Pathfinder Atomic Power Plant built by Northern States Power Company near Sioux Falls begins producing electricity. It was considered the world's first all-nuclear power plant. After only one year's operation,however, it was converted to a conventional power plant because of technical problems.
Late 1960s - All four of the Pick-Sloan dams in South Dakota are completed.
Along with the Fort Peck Dam in Montana and the Garrison Dam in North Dakota, the South Dakota dams have contributed to electric power production, recreation, flood control, navigation, irrigation, public water splies, and fish and wildlife development.
1973 - South Dakota was rocked by Wounded Knee II and the Custer Court House Riots. Wounded Knee II was the occation of the town of Wounded Knee by members and sporters of the American Indian Movement. The Custer Court House Riots occurred during the trial of several Sioux in Custer. These two events appear to be a highwater mark for A.I.M. One result of the activity by A.I.M. has been an increase in demands by the Sioux for the return of the Black Hills to Sioux control.
1974 - As a result of the shortage of doctors in South Dakota, the legislature created a medical school for the University of South Dakota.
1978 - Richard Kneip became the first man to resign as governor when he resigned the office in July 1978 to become US Ambassador to Singapore. Kneip was the fifth non-Republican governor and only the fourth Democrat to be governor. Harvey Wollman, Richard Kneip's lieutenant governor, became the first man to serve as governor without being elected to the office. Wollman became governor on Kneip's resignation. Kneip's resignation came seven weeks after Wollman was defeated in the Democratic primary for governor.
Wollman served as governor for just over five months until the inauguration of
William Janklow in January 1979.
1980 - The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad abandons several thousand miles of track and withdraws from the Pacific Coast. The abandonment affected more than half of South Dakota's total railroad mileage. The lack of rail service caused by the abandonment created severe problems for South Dakota agriculture. The Milwaukee was persuaded to keep the mainline through northern South Dakota open to Miles City, Montana, so that coal shipments could continue
to a power plant at Big Stone City, South Dakota, on the Minnesota border.
1981 - Governor William Janklow calls a special session of the state legislature to deal with problems caused by the Milwaukee abandonment. The result of the special session was the purchase of much of the abandoned Milwaukee track in South Dakota. This purchase was used to form the base for an essential core rail
system in the state. Much of the purchased track was leased to the Burlington
Northern Railroad for operation.
1982 - The Milwaukee pulls out of South Dakota completely when it abandons all track west of Ortonville, Minnesota, in March. The importance of the mainline to agriculture and the Big Stone power plant resulted in the State purchasing the line from Ortonville to Miles City, Montana. Burlington Northern Railroad assumed operation of the line under a lease-purchase agreement. With the purchase of the
Milwaukee mainline, South Dakota owned railroad track in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Iowa.
1986 - The Chicago & NorthWestern Railroad ended its long association with central South Dakota and the city of Pierre when the NorthWestern sold its line from Rapid City, South Dakota, to Winona, Minnesota to the L. B. Foster Company of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. The sale came about because of intense opposition to abandonment of the line between Huron and Rapid City. The NorthWestern had tried to abandon the part of the line between Pierre and Rapid City in 1983, but the ICC blocked the abandonment. The sale stopped another abandonment attempt. The Rapid City-Winona line is now being operated by the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad. The NorthWestern retained a spur line into Sioux Falls and a line from Chadron, Nebraska through Rapid City to Colony, Wyoming. With the Milwaukee already gone from South Dakota, the sale of the Rapid City-Winona line removed all but a small portion of the two railroads which were instrumental in the settlement and growth of South Dakota.
George S. Mickelson was elected as the 28th governor of South Dakota. Mickelson was the son of George T. Mickelson, who was governor from 1947-1951. He was the first son of a governor to become governor. Mickelson defeated Democrat Lars Herseth in the contest for governor. Herseth is also the son of a former governor.
1987 -

• South Dakota began operation of a state sponsored lottery. The lottery began after voters approved a ballot measure in 1986 calling for establishment of a lottery.
• A fire in December destroyed a block of the historic downtown area of Deadwood. This fire was the latest in a series of disasters that have plagued Deadwood throughout its history.

1988 - South Dakota suffers from severe drought conditions. The drought had its beginnings in the fall and winter of 1987, when rain and snow amounts were far below normal. Farmers and ranchers in many parts of the state were faced with partial or total crop failures and severe lack of feed for cattle. Lightning caused a large forest fire in the Black Hills in July. Helped along by existing drought conditions, the fire destroyed approximately 16,000 acres in the vicinity of
Custer State Park and Mount Rushmore. The fire burned for over a week before it was contained. South Dakota voters approve a constitutional amendment that will allow limited gambling in the city of Deadwood. Before gambling could go into effect, the legislature would have to pass appropriate regulations and the voters of Deadwood would have to approve gambling in a special vote.
1989 - Deadwood voters approved the gambling measure and a state board
established to oversee the games and establish the regulations. The state legislature voted to expand the state lottery by adding video
game machines to the scratch-and-match games already in operation.
Only certain games and low limit wagers were to be allowed on the machines.