Preface

The labor and expense in preparing this atlas and ----y of the Territory of Dakota have been much greater than the publisher anticipated. When the work was ------ it was thought possible to compile and have it ready for delivery within the space of at most one year; but, as --- work progressed, and its magnitude and importance became apparent, the idea was necessarily abandoned.

No one but an experienced party can comprehend the serious obstacles that confront the publisher of a work like this, covering, as it does, a vast territory reaching over an area of nearly 150,000 square miles.

The delay in publication has been partly owing to the ---- amount of labor involved in its preparation, but in a larger sense to the desire of the publisher to avail himself of the latest surveys, which in many counties, were lagging way behind settlement. A hurried compitation would have produced a volume much less satisfactory in every respect.

As an approximate estimate it may be stated that one thousand seven hundred congressional townships were ------ from the government records in the Surveyor-General's office; and these have been supplemented by thousands of items such as, cities, towns, hamlets, post ----s, railways, wagon-roads, trails, school buildings, churches, mills, mines, cemeteries, names of counties, ------ns, post offices and individuals, and many others. The only difficulty encountered in this department has been the impossibility of keeping up with the rapid growth, -----nges, and development in the country.

The historical department includes general chapters on the geography, geology, topography, climatology, ----, ------tions, Indian tribes, missions, early trading posts, military stations, railways, educational matters and the autonomy and civil history of the Territory. These chapters have been compiled from the best information, including surveys, local and territorial records, geological reports, and reports of the War and Interior Departments, newspaper articles, and personal observations and consultations.

The history of individual counties, cities, towns and settlements have been gathered principally from local authorities, including records, press articles and early settlers, and will be found unusually full, accurate and interesting. Some counties and towns are more fully treated than others for the reason that they were settled earlier, or materials were more readily obtainable; but in all cases great care has been taken to obtain all available information, and from the best sources.

A peculiar feature of the work is comprised in the maps and written description and statistics of the Black Hills, which has been carefully prepared from government and local surveys, county and other records, the columns of local papers, information obtained from capitalists, mining experts and stockmen, and from a thorough personal investigation on the ground. It will be found a valuable source of information of this remarkable region which has never before had maps of any special interest. On account of the isolation and peculiar characteristics of the region, its geological formation, minerals, mining interests and historical matters generally have been compiled in chapters grouped together by themselves, which arrangement it is believed will be satisfactory to the people of the Hills as well as to those of the Territory generally. A large number of biographies, written in all cases from personal information, accompany the work, many of them sketches of gentlemen prominent in the various professions and occupations of busy life, and all more or less connected with the general or local history of the Territory.

That minor errors and omissions should occur in a work of this description is simply unavoidable, and especially in the matter of individual names; but the greatest care has been taken in comparing and correcting, and we confidently believe that no serious mistakes will be found. The work is delivered to subscribers with the expectation that, as a whole, they will receive it as a valuable contribution to the knowledge of one of the most important regions of the American Republic.

We are under many obligations to thousands of people throughout the Territory for valuable assistance, especially to early settlers and county officers, and would particularly express our appreciation of favors extended by Cortez Fessenden, Surveyor- General, and his assisstants; Gen. W. H. H. Beadle, Superintendent of Public Instruction; Hon. Newton Edmunds, of Yankton; Judge W. W. Brookings, of Sioux Falls; A. H. Barber, Esq., of Yankton; Hon. F. N. Burdick, of Vermillion; Rev. Joseph Ward and Ex-Governor Faulk, of Yankton; Major J. W. Cramsie and W. F. Peck, Esq., of Fort Totten; Hon. B. W. Benson, of Valley City; Col. Lounsberry, of Bismarck Tribune; H. M. Gregg and Mr. R. Blackstone, of the Homestake Mining Company; Col. J. H. Davey, of Galena; C. W. Bryden, Surveyor of Custer County, and Samuel Scott, Surveyor of Pennington County.