The Story of Yankton The story of Yankton is really the story of a state, a territory and a region. It is also the story of a people who carved a new life out of the land and prospered under harsh frontier conditions. History is Yankton’s most precious, enduring commodity --- a treasure trove that tells the story of this place. Here are some dates of note from the amazing history of Yankton: 1861 --- Dakota Territory Organized • Yankton Named Territorial Capital • Weekly Dakotian 1862 --- Santee Sioux Uprising • Yankton Stockade Built • Territorial Capitol Built 1866 --- Yankton’s First Brewery Opens 1869 --- City Of Yankton Incorporated 1873 --- Gen. George Custer And The 7th Calvary Stop At Yankton And Are Caught In Blizzard • Railroad Service Arrives In Yankton 1875 --- Yankton Swells During Black Hills Gold Rush • Yankton School District Organizes • Weekly Dakotian Becomes A Daily 1876 --- The ‘Far West,’ Captained By Grant Marsh, Recovers Survivors From Little Big Horn Combat 1877 --- Jack McCall Convicted, Hanged 1879 --- The Dakota Hospital For The Insane Opens 1881 --- The Flood Of 1881 • Yankton College Founded 1882 --- Yankton’s Last Public Hanging Held 1883 --- Yankton Loses Territorial Capitol 1887 --- First City Hall Built • Sacred Heart Monastery Relocates To Yankton 1888 --- Blizzard Of ‘88 Hits Region 1889 --- South Dakota Becomes A State 1893 --- Gurney Seed and Nursery Co. Moves To Yankton 1896 --- South Dakota State Fair Held In Yankton For First Time 1897 --- Sacred Heart Hospital Opens 1898 --- Soldiers From Yankton-Based Company C Participate In Spanish-American War 1899 --- President William McKinley Visits Yankton To Welcome Troops Home 1900 --- Presidential Candidate William Jennings Bryan Speaks In Yankton 1901 --- The Union Block Fire 1902 --- Yankton Masonic Temple Built • Dakota Theatre Built 1903 --- President Theodore Roosevelt Speaks In Yankton • Yankton’s Carnegie Library Opens 1904 --- Rosebud Land Rush Floods Yankton With More Than 57,000 Claimants 8 – Yankton, South Dakota