This historical marker stands near the 1893 Great Northern Railroad depot at the Dakota Territorial Museum in Westside Park.
The marker reads as follows:
[front]
YANKTON
Mother City of the Dakotas
---...---
Frost, Todd & company, under the guise and license of trade stores along the Missouri and at the Struck by the Ree Camp at Yancton, were able to get in on the ground floor of potential community sites, when others could acquire no rights. A rival concern, out of Sioux City, "squatted" C. J. Holman in March, 1858 near the river at Yancton but Frost, Todd soon thereafter erected a post near the foot of present Walnut Street. John Ball surveyed the township in the fall of 1860 and soon thereafter Moses K. Armstrong platted the area up Walnut and on both sides. J. B. S. Todd had an office at 2nd and Broadway and H. C. Ash a hotel at 3rd and Broadway. Downer T. Bramble erected the first store in town near Walnut & Second and on April 17, 1860 was named Postmaster of the town of YANCTON. Charles F. Picotte, who had a land grant at Yancton by the Treaty of 1857 had a house in the east end of the town. Gov. William Jayne arrived in late May, 1861 and set up the territorial capital in a log cabin near Ash's Hotel, with William Gleason, Attorney General, as a water carrying cabin mate. Not long after, on June 6, 1861, Frank M. Ziebach started the Weekly Dakotian. There were 10 advertisers in that first issue including W. W. Marsh, who ran the Ft. Randall stage. When the Indian War of the Outbreak brought trouble in August, 1862, the Yankton stockade protected the settlers. There are 21 historic markers in and about Yankton.
Erected 1966 by the Yankton Chamber of Commerce and State Highway Commission
[Map on back]
THE MISSOURI RIVER WAS HISTORIC HIGHWAY
LEGEND
[Raised white square] Historic Points
[Triangle] Lewis & Clark Campsites
[Dashed line] Interstate highway
[Solid line] State Highway
[Boat shape] Steamboat Wreck
[Wide dashed line] Military Road 1855
[Raised black dot] map markers
[Ring and cross] Grasshopper Cross
HISTORIC SITES
1 Pacquette's Ferry 1855
2 Hotchkiss & Dexter Mill 1867
3 Willows 1861 Adelescat 1869 Jefferson 1873
4 14 Mile House
5 First Homestead in US 1-1-1863
6 Fort Brule 1862
7 First election in NW US 8-22-1804
8 Fort Vermillion Fur Post 1833
9 Vermillion Fur Post, School, Church, Paper
A First Catholic Church
B St. Paul Lutheran Church
C Lincoln P. O. 6-1864-00
D Post Vermillion 1823
E McClellan's Post 1805
F Fort Hutchson 1864
G Stanage Ferry 1859
I Frost-Todd Trade Post 1859
J There are 16 historic markers located in YANKTON, the "Mother City"
K Custer Campsite April 1873
L Jack McCall Hung 1877
M Custer Campsite 1873
N Lewis and Clark council with Sioux 1804
O Spirit Mound 1804
Erected 1966 by the Yankton Chamber of Commerce and State Highway Commission"
In doing research for this waymark, Blasterz confirmed that the first Catholic Church in the decoder was located west of the Vermillion River near the modern-day South Dakota city of Vermillion, as is shown on the map side of this marker. From the South Dakota Historical Society: (
visit link)
"[page 10] ROMAN CATHOLICS
The influence of Catholicism and South Dakota can be traced to the mid 18th century when French explorers, fur traders, and adventurers traversed the area around the Missouri River. The most tangible evidence of these explorations is the discovery of the Verendrye plate at Ft. Pierre. The first recorded mission work by the Catholics in this area is attributed to father John Pierre De Smet, who, in 1839 landed his boat at Vermillion to convert the American Indians to Christianity to bring peace to the Omaha and Sioux tribes. De Smet was followed soon thereafter by Father Raveaux, who minister to the first traders at Ft. Pierre."