Historical Marker · No. 199

Lake County / Miner County

Miner County · South Dakota
Erected by Lake County Historical Society and County Commissioners; County of Miner and State Highway Commission, 1957

The captain the Miner face names led the territory's first company of cavalry. Nelson Miner came to Vermillion from Adel, Iowa, in 1860 and kept a hotel there. On April 19, 1862, he was captain when the ninety-eight men of Company A, Dakota Cavalry, were mustered in at Yankton, and during the US-Dakota War that August its detachments escorted settlers to the stockades as Sioux Falls was abandoned. The company rode with Sully in 1864 and mustered out in May 1865. Miner died at Vermillion on October 24, 1879; the county also honors another legislator, Ephraim Miner.

What the plaque says

You are about to enter Lake County so named because of its beautiful lakes. It had been the realm of the Dacotah (Sioux) Indians with few white intruders until ceded by the Yankton tribe in 1858. In 1857 the Noble's Trail was built across its NE corner and that year Mrs. Wm. Marble, a captive of Inkepaduta's renegade Indian band was rescued at Lake Herman by two Christian Indians. It was created in 1873 from parts of Brookings, Minnehaha and Hanson Counties and organized October 6th with Herman N. Luce and John T. Hare as commissioners. Settlement began in 1870 when Wm. Lee, John Walker and Herman N. Luce arrived and built the Lee log cabin, its first edifice. Shortly, Madison, named for Madison, Wis. and Herman, named for Luce grew up on the shores of Lakes Madison and Herman, respectively. By 1880 its population was 2657 and the coming of the railroad that year shifted the county seat from "Old Madison" to Madison laid out by C. B. Kennedy July 6th 1880. The first train arrived January 12, 1881. The Swiss Colony at Badus was founded in 1878, Wentworth in 1880, Winifred 1882, Ramona 1887. Madison State Normal was established in 1881 with classes starting in 1883. Its present name, General Beadle State College, honors its President W. H. H. Beadle (1889-1906) who was known as the "Savior of the School Lands." From 1890 to 1932 the Lake Madison Chautauqua brought culture and entertainment to thousands from a wide area. Lake County, 24 miles square, rich in soil and scenery, welcomes you. Erected 1957 by Lake County Historical Society and County Commissioners You are about to enter Miner County named for Capt. Nelson Miner, Co. A 1st Dakota Cavalry and terri- torial legislator. The ancient Dacotah (Sioux) Trail from Pipestone Quarries to the Three Rivers of the Sioux, on the Missouri, passed through the county. Later in 1857 Dakota's first road, the Ft. Ridgely and South Pass Wagon Road passed through here as did the Minnesota and Powder River Road of 1865. In 1864 Miner County was a part of a gigantic Buffalo County and in 1870 an even larger Hanson County. In 1873 what are now Sanborn and Miner Counties were called Miner and Bramble each 48 miles long and in 1879 they were renamed Miner with Forestburg temporary county seat in 1880. By popular election in 1882 Howard became the county seat. Sanborn Co. was created in 1883. The first settler in Miner County was M. A. Moore, who took up a tree claim in April 1879 followed soon by many other homesteaders. In 1881 the first train came through Miner County bringing many settlers so that by 1890 the population of the county was 4,928. The County is 24 miles square with many prosperous farms on fertile well drained land abounding in pheasants and small game so that the county is known as a hunters paradise. Howard has the distinction of having the oldest public library in South Dakota. The prosperous towns in the County are Argonne, Canova, Carthage, Fedora, Howard, Roswell, Vilas, and Epiphany. We welcome you to Miner County. Erected by County of Miner and State Highway Commission

Where it stands

44.00830, -97.37014 · Directions

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