History of Yankton BY KELLY HERTZ Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan It’s not at all a stretch to say that the history of South Dakota, as well as much of the Upper Midwest, runs through Yankton. Yes, much of that is do with the Missouri River, which served as the great highway for white settlers heading out to forge their lives on the prairie. Yankton served as a jumping-off point for many of those settlers, and a vital outpost for others who were moving through. But there is more to Yankton’s history than simply being a river port at a time when the river was the only major artery to carry people and supplies across the plains. Yankton survived and thrived, and it is still a regional center some 150 years after its founding. There is a rich past that is still on display and still celebrated in this 21st century community. 44 – VISITORS GUIDE • YANKTON, SOUTH DAKOTA Yankton’s history actually begins before the settlement was ever even a dream in someone’s mind. In 1804, the Corps of Discovery expedition headed by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark moved up the Missouri River and came through what would be the Yankton area in August of that year. In fact, the expedition had its first encounter with indigenous tribes in this area, and held a counsel with them at Calumet Bluff, which is near the site of the Lewis and Clark Visitor Center overlooking Gavins Point Dam. According to one legend, the two explorers wrapped a newborn baby in an American flag as a show of friendship and fraternity; that child grew up to be the chief Struck-By-The-Ree, who was instrumental in negotiating a treaty in 1858 which opened up this land for white expansion. When Dakota Territory was formed in 1861, Yankton (which was built near the site of one of Struck-By-The-Ree’s encampments) was declared the first territorial capital. It would remain so for more than 20 years, during which time the lawmakers working here oversaw the growth of the territory and the establishment of order, and set the stage for statehood. The community also served as a supply hub for a tidal wave of prospectors when gold was discovered in the Black Hills in 1874. The resulting rush swelled Yankton’s ranks, forcing it to grow up quickly. (As a side note, it was because of that gold rush traffic that the local newspaper, the Yankton Weekly Dakotian, turned into a daily publication, which it still is today.) It was also during this time that Yankton played host to one of the most famous events in Old West lore. In 1876, Wild Bill Hickok was gunned down in the Black Hills boom town of Deadwood. A man named Jack McCall was tried and acquitted by a Deadwood jury, but he later bragged of the killing while in Wyoming. He was arrested again and sent east to Yankton for trial. He was convicted and hanged in March 1877. He is buried in an unmarked grave, but the site of the hanging is remembered with a historical marker near the intersection of 31st and Broadway in northern Yankton. The community lost its status as territorial capital (under dubious circumstances) in 1883, but Yankton survived at a time when the fate of other towns and settlements were being determined by the path of the railroad, which took much of the importance away from waterways like the Missouri River. Yankton continued to grow as the 20th century arrived, but it soon became evident that the lack of a permanent bridge over the Missouri River was hindering the community’s economic prospects. Community leaders had dreamed for decades of building a bridge over the river, but that dream was not realized until 1924 when the Meridian Bridge, a double-decker draw bridge, was opened. Much of the money for the project was raised locally, and the community spent the next 29 years taking tolls to retire the debt on the structure. When the bill was paid off in 1953, a huge celebration was held — mirroring the festivities held when the bridge opened in the 1920s. After Yanktonians found a way to cross the river, they then saw the mighty Missouri tamed by the construction of Gavins Point Dam in 1957. This dam, the southernmost of a series of six dams set up by the Pick-Sloan Act in 1944, was a massive undertaking that literally changed the character of the region. In the middle of the prairie, this dam established a large lake — christened Lewis and Clark Lake — that added a new economic dynamic to the region. Yankton has grown into a popular tourist destination, with the Lewis and Clark Recreation Area being the most visited attraction in South Dakota outside of the Black Hills. The lake that man created now draws in more than 1 million people a year. Needless to say, it has made the tourism industry a key component to the regional economy. In recent years, Yankton has also developed a strong manufacturing sector to further diversify its economic base. The community that began as a river port is still cultivating considerable history on that river. In 2008, the aging Meridian Bridge was replaced by the Discovery Bridge, located just west of the old structure. And now the Meridian Bridge has been reborn, having been converted into a pedestrian bridge that crosses over to a park and trail planned for the Nebraska side. Yankton’s history is all around us, from the Dakota Territorial Museum, to the many historic homes and businesses, to the many historic markers in the area. It thrives on the river and away from the river. And as the community continues to grow, that history will remain as important as ever to the city’s ongoing tale. VISITORS GUIDE • YANKTON, SOUTH DAKOTA – 45