Yankton

Perhaps the most violent moment in Dakota territorial politics was the killing of the territorial secretary in 1873. General Edwin Stanton McCook was a distinguished Civil War veteran and one of the “Fighting McCooks,” a prominent Union military family. In February of 1872, President Grant appointed McCook as secretary of Dakota Territory, a position which also served as acting governor. McCook soon afterward arrived in the capital city of Yankton with his family.

When Dakota Territory was created, that also meant organizing its Supreme Court, which was seated at Yankton in southern Dakota for many years. President…

The political borders involving this north-central region fluctuated for decades. In 1849, when Minnesota Territory was created, it stretched all the way…

Dakota’s territorial lawmakers convened in Bismarck in January of 1885. It was the first legislative session after the territory’s capitol was yanked from…