Photos: Siouxland Heritage Museums
Melvin Grigsby.
In 1885, Dakota Territory was home to about 10,000 Union Army veterans. Over half lived in the southern counties of Dakota Territory. Many were combat veterans, many had been prisoners of the Confederacy, and many were disabled. Many took advantage of the Homestead Act of 1862 and established farms. Some opened small businesses based on their occupational skills, and others went into politics. Only about 100 Confederate Army veterans settled in Dakota Territory, perhaps because they were not allowed to even apply for the free land offered by the Homestead Act.
Join SDPB for a look at figures like Melvin Grigsby, (b. 1845) a Union Army vet who served as a South Dakota Attorney General, as well as John J. January, (b. 1845), who was take prisoner by the Confederates and faced such extreme deprivation he amputated his own feet with a penknife. After his release and recovery, January moved to Dell Rapids where he remained until his death at 60 years old. 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 the nearly unknown places, events, and people of South Dakota. More at: SDPB.org/ImagesOfThePast
Nye Phillips.
Dell Rapids Post, Grand Army of the Republic. (GAR)
“At length retracing the uncertain footpath scaling the precipitous embankment, I seek the level lands where grow the wild prairie flowers. And they, the lovely little folk, soothe my soul with their perfumed breath.” — Zitkala-Sa (1876-1938) March madness also translates into fingers itching to dig in the soil, perusing seed catalogs and hunting for signs of emerging pasque flowers and returning robins. Erik Helland, owner and president of Landscape Garden Centers in Sioux Falls, offers garden tips and tricks for growing and tending flowers, vegetables, plants and bushes throughout the seasons in the Upper Midwest. Start your garden prep with South Dakota Home Garden. Learn more at SDPB.org/show/south-dakota-home-garden March 2021 21
