County of marker: Harding County
Location of marker: Canam Hwy (US-85/SD-20), Centennial Park, Buffalo
Marker erected: July 3, 2009
Marker erected by: Harding County Chamber of Commerce
Marker text:
The Establishment of Harding County
South Dakota became the 40th state on November 2, 1889. The counties in northwestern South Dakota changed twice with what is now Harding County originally divided into three parts. The northern part was Ewing County, the corner part was Burdick County and the southern part was Harding County. The general election of 1889 changed the boundaries of Butte County to the south to include all of Harding County and Perkins County to the east.
A vote of the people in 1908 separated Harding and Perkins Counties from Butte County, thus establishing the present boundaries of the county. However, it could not be designated a county until a county seat was established.
Thus began an controversial battle for the county seat. Camp Crook, which was a thriving community along the Little Missouri River near the Montana state line, presented several strong arguments, it was the largest town in Harding County, the community around Camp Crook was thickly settled, it was one of the oldest towns and settlements in the county, and, in as much as no other town consisted of more than a store or two, Camp Crook was the only place which had the facilities for a county seat, a matter of great importance from the standpoint of economics.
However, Camp Crook's beautiful location along the banks of the Little Missouri River was also its biggest drawback. Citizens in the northwestern and southeastern parts of the county would have to travel more than 60 miles by horseback or by buggy to transact county business.
The concept of a centrally-located county seat took shape. During a gathering of interested citizens, two diagonal lines were drawn on a map of Harding County to locate the center of the county where they would locate a new town which would be named "Buffalo." Later, the decision was made to move the location about four miles west to the site of the crossing of the Grand River by the Deadwood-Medora Stage Line.
Ray Gilbert, Frank Gilbert, William Fried and Frank Van Horn -- all being settlers near the center of the county -- purchased 40 acres of land at the site. Ray and Frank Glbert formed a partnership known as Gilbert Brothers, erected a building on the site, and organized the "Grand River Mercantile" in 1908. Other buildings soon erected were the Van Horn Hotel, the Harding County Bank and the Harding County Herald Building. Soon Buffalo was a thriving young town, determined to be seriously considered in the selection of a county seat.
A bitter fight followed between the two towns, and so the county commissioners ordered an election to be held on January 26, 1909, to decide the question. As the election approached both towns did all in their power to get votes. The Gilbert Brothers & Company offered the county five rooms for office space above the Grand River Mercantile, rent free for two years, and offered the 40 ares of town site for $414. The following week, the citizens of Camp Crook, not to be outdone, advertised that they would give the county a gift of $2,400 and 40 acres of land.
To gain votes, both towns offered free entertainments, chiefly dances and ball games, to attract people from all parts of the county. At those gatherings, speakers presented the advantages of the town in which the celebration was taking place. As liquor flowed rather freely, fights between the supporters of each town were not infrequent.
The election resulted in a victory for Buffalo with 432 voting for Buffalo and 187 voting for Camp Crook. Buffalo, therefore became the temporary county seat. At a November election in 1910, the question of the permanent county seat was settled. 814 voted for Buffalo, 159 voted for Camp Crook.
The county officials conducted business from their offices above the Grand River Mercantile until 1911 when the court house was built on the present site. The building served Harding County until 1997 when a new court house was constructed.