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Images of the Past: South Dakota's Civil War Veterans
by SDPB
The latest installment of Images of the Past looks more closely at the life of William Henry Harrison Beadle. A prominent figure in South Dakota's education and political organization, the Civil War veteran also presided over Capitol security for President Lincoln's second inauguration.
William Henry Harrison Beadle is best known in South Dakota as a champion of education and the one-time president of Dakota State Normal School, today’s Dakota State University, but Beadle was also a Civil War veteran, one of thousands who moved to Dakota Territory after the War was over. Beadle rose from the rank of Captain to Brevet General during the War and, in April of 1865, was placed in charge of Capitol security for Abraham Lincoln’s second inauguration. Dispatched to Dakota Territory as the U.S. Surveyor General, Beadle oversaw the work that laid out the Territories counties. He also helped write the South Dakota Constitution, created the Territorial system of school organization, and became a respected teacher and school administrator. Throughout April, “Images of the Past” will explore the impact that Beadle and other Civil War veterans had on South Dakota, from Territorial times to the present day.
SDPB’s Images of the Past is a multiplatform project that offers a fresh look at historic images and documents from the well-known and nearly unknown places, people, and events of South Dakota.
