Arthur Wellesley Kelley was born in New Brunswick on this date in 1832. Forty years and one week later, he became the first postmaster of Jamestown. He was also the town’s first settler and the first merchant.
Kelley’s first view of what would become Jamestown was in May of 1872. He had been in a partnership at Fort Totten dealing in the hay and wood business. Now he wanted to strike out on his own. He heard the railroad was approaching the James River valley and decided to have a look. Liking what he saw, he headed back to Fort Totten for his merchandise and livestock. When he returned to the valley a month later, railroad graders were at work, and track-layers were approaching. The military arrived the same day. They created Fort Seward, and Kelley opened a tent store.
When the store was well established, Kelley went back to Fort Totten to get his wife, Frances, and their two children. Horatio, 12, and Jennie, 6 were the first children in the little village.
Jennie later talked about their arrival, saying: “To my childish eyes, it was a vision of fairyland. On the bluffs west of the river, the campfires of the soldiers were burning brightly, while in the valley below, the twinkling lights of the town gleamed merrily through the darkness.”
When Fort Seward closed, Kelley salvaged some of the timbers and built an impressive new building called the Capital House. Arthur and Frances sold peanut butter, kerosene and vinegar in bulk. Apples and crackers were sold from barrels; and sugar, flour and coffee beans came in 100-pound sacks. Out front on the sidewalk, the Kelleys encouraged farm trade by selling hay bales.
Jennie later talked about how she and her brother loved running on the prairie. They grew up with the town and went to school with the military kids. She also talked about their Native American neighbors and said there was a friendliness between them and the early white settlers. On one occasion, Mrs. Kelley came in to the house to find her husband sitting on the floor smoking a pipe of peace with eleven Indian visitors.
Frances died in 1908, and Arthur followed fourteen days later. They had been married 36 years. Their children and grandchildren carried on, with grandson Arthur Kelley running a grocery store until 1936 – including hay bales on the sidewalk.
Dakota Datebook written by Merry Helm
