Finding Our First Capitol
By John Andrews
As the first city established in Dakota Territory and the seat of government for 22 years, Yankton is brimming with history. The trouble is you can't always find it.
A few months ago state political writer and columnist Bob Mercer wrote about his difficulties locating the site of the first territorial capitol in Yankton. I must admit it took me a while to figure out where it was after I moved here in 2005. The only signage is a historical marker and engraved stone bench, both of which face the side street instead of busy Fourth Street (which is also Highway 50).
So today we thought we would show you the site at the corner of Fourth and Capital. Today a grand white house stands there, but in territorial days the fathers built a simple white frame structure there. A replica now stands in Yankton's Riverside Park. It was the seat of government until Gov. Ordway stole it and placed it in Bismarck in 1883. We're still not allowed to utter his name around town.
Another important site in the state's history is the place where Jack McCall was hanged for the murder of Wild Bill Hickok. Again it's nothing more than a historical marker near the Human Services Center campus. Back then it was two miles north of town, but today it's on the very northern edge. These days kids play soccer around there and a sprawling Wal Mart (soon to be required in all American cities with populations over 50) lies across the highway to the south.
As the first city established in Dakota Territory and the seat of government for 22 years, Yankton is brimming with history. The trouble is you can't always find it.A few months ago state political writer and columnist Bob Mercer wrote about his difficulties locating the site of the first territorial capitol in Yankton. I must admit it took me a while to figure out where it was after I moved here in 2005. The only signage is a historical marker and engraved stone bench, both of which face the side street instead of busy Fourth Street (which is also Highway 50).
So today we thought we would show you the site at the corner of Fourth and Capital. Today a grand white house stands there, but in territorial days the fathers built a simple white frame structure there. A replica now stands in Yankton's Riverside Park. It was the seat of government until Gov. Ordway stole it and placed it in Bismarck in 1883. We're still not allowed to utter his name around town.
Another important site in the state's history is the place where Jack McCall was hanged for the murder of Wild Bill Hickok. Again it's nothing more than a historical marker near the Human Services Center campus. Back then it was two miles north of town, but today it's on the very northern edge. These days kids play soccer around there and a sprawling Wal Mart (soon to be required in all American cities with populations over 50) lies across the highway to the south.
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Where does the Pennington house…and the two others owned by SD Magazine fit into the picture?
Are they Yankton’s oldest buildings?
GP
Comment by GP — November 6, 2009 @ 9:55 am
Hi John,
Enjoyed the post. Maybe my priorities are misplaced, but I think it’s more worthwhile to spend money on some signage, a kiosk and maybe even a book about the first capitol than to put more money into rehabbing the old bridge. The bridge has a highly interesting story, I do acknowledge. Yankton truly was the gateway to Dakota Territory and has great potential as a historical-tourism destination, especially with USD just down the road. In general, our communities have great potential. Spending some of the tourism-tax receipts on grants and programs for historical development would be worth pursuing rather than paying mostly for outside-of-South Dakota advertising.
Comment by Bob Mercer — November 6, 2009 @ 11:05 am
My dad was a postman in Yankton for most of his life - a carrier for a lot of that, and he knew all those markers well - I remember him showing me the Jack McCall marker when I was a very little kid - I thought it was pretty cool. Joe.
Comment by Just call me Joe — November 6, 2009 @ 1:43 pm
Grant - Pennington House, aka South Dakota Magazine headquarters, was built in 1875 and is one of Yankton’s oldest buildings. Others include the Excelsior Flour Mill (1872), the Ohlman-Shannon House (1871) and the Captain’s Inn (1878) which was built for Commodore Sanford Coulson. There are also many farmsteads in the county that date to the early and mid-1870s.
Comment by John Andrews — November 6, 2009 @ 1:46 pm
Well Mr. Mercer I hate to disagree with you but I crossed that bridge nearly 70 years ago with my folks to visit family in SW Iowa and then last year I again headed to visit family in Iowa and I headed through Yankton so I could cross the bridge again before it was closed to auto traffic so that bridge is important to some of us. Bernie, just so you know, your building was looked up as well.
Comment by Grumpy — November 7, 2009 @ 7:33 am