Located at 27th Street and Dakota Avenue, Mark Twain was completed in 1921 to keep up with the City’s rapid population growth.

The Dubuque House was the first hotel built by the Western Town Company in 1857. It was located northwest of Seney Island above the falls on the west side of the river.

Louisa Gale (wife of Artemus Gale) began a library over the Williams Brothers store (Ninth Street and Phillips Avenue) in 1875. It was free to all Sioux Falls residents.

Bishop William H. Hare, and he was also instrumental in getting the residency laws changed in 1908 that ended the divorce business in South Dakota.

In 1882 the prisoners quarried the stone and built much of the facility. They also made shirts and twine and started making license plates in 1926.

Located on North Minnesota Avenue and built in 1891 by the Heynsohn brothers, the institute used the Keeley method to cure alcoholism and drug addiction.

Wallace L. Dow
At a cost of over $100,000, it was completed in 1890.

In 1882, Northwestern Telephone Exchange began providing service for the citizens of Sioux Falls. R. F. Pettigrew's phone number, for example, was “16” in 1889 telephone book.

The election was held on April 3, 1883, and Jacob Schaetzel Jr. was elected the first Mayor of the City. He served the community until 1885.

 

Galesburg developed by Artemus Gale (brother of Helen McKennan). It was located south of 14th Street and east of Phillips Avenue.

The plat is described as “Map of Sioux Falls, Dakota Territory,” later described as “J. L. Phillips Sioux Falls” to avoid confusion with subsequent plats. It consisted of nine blocks extending from Sixth Street to Ninth Street and from Phillips Avenue to Minnesota Avenue.

In 1876, under contract from the county commission, the Eighth Street bridge was built by Richard F. Pettigrew. It was swept away by the flood of 1881.

Dakota Land Company of St. Paul, Minnesota
Western Town Company of Dubuque, Iowa

Medary, Flandreau, Coteau Peree, and Emaniji

Mrs. T. H. Fersdahl (daughter of John Thompson)

Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Omaha reached Valley Springs on June 1, 1878, and reached Sioux Falls in December 1879

“The Democrat” which was published in 1858 and 1859 and was published “semi-occasionally” whenever sufficient material was at hand.

H. T. and W. H. Corson. It had 14 sleeping rooms and two parlors and was located on the northwest corner of Ninth Street and Phillips Avenue.

Captain E. Parliman. He was also the first county judge of Minnehaha County after statehood, a civil war veteran, and developed the “bucket brigade” for the village.

Louisa Gale (wife of Artemus Gale) began a library over the Williams Brothers store (Ninth Street and Phillips Avenue) in 1875. It was free to all Sioux Falls residents.

In the “Old Barracks” at Fort Dakota in 1865 with Edward Broughton as postmaster.

Minnehaha National Bank with Edwin A. Sherman as president and G. E. Lathrop as cashier with starting capital of $50,000.

Located below the Falls near the old NSP building, erected in 1883 at a cost of $75,000. Colonel Drake also opened the first stone quarry that same year.

The Electrical Light Company was located on the east side of the Sioux River near Eighth Street in 1884. D. L. and C. E. McKinney started the company with capital stock of $75,000.

No name was given to the first cemetery located west of Duluth Avenue in the vicinity of Sixth and Seventh Streets. It was obvious that this burial place was not properly located, so when Mt. Pleasant Cemetery was organized in 1873, most of the deceased were relocated.

W. A. Dow was the architect and E. A. Sherman gave the land.

Meredith Hall was the original building named after the first president and built in 1883.

Located at Sixth Street and Phillips Avenue and built in 1878, it was destroyed by fire in 1912 and replaced by the Albert House.

2,164

Figures prior to 1880 are taken from historical sources:

1856 — 5
1857 — 17
1858 — 35
1860 — 40
1873 — 593

C. K. Howard was the first president of the Board of Trustees of the village of Sioux Falls, with election held on March 20, 1877, at the schoolhouse with 139 ballots cast.

In 1910, the first airplane appeared at the racetrack in Coates fairgrounds.

A gift from Mrs. Inez Van Eps, and located on the northeast corner of Seventh Street and Minnesota Avenue, the one-half acre park was donated to the City in 1922.

In 1883, near East 26th Street and the Big Sioux River, Clark G. Coats purchased 540 acres and developed “Coats Fairgrounds.” It was also used for the state fair in 1895 and 1898.

In 1929, a privately owned airport was constructed by 41st Street and Western Avenue by Soo Skyway Inc. It provided private passengers service, flight training, and mail service.

Founded in 1905, the first club was located east of McKennan Park until 1914.

In 1913, the Park Department constructed a dam in Sherman Park in an oxbow of the Big Sioux River for the city’s first pool.

Helen McKennan donated $25,000 toward construction of McKennan Hospital.

Hattie Phillips, widow of J. L. Phillips, built a large house overlooking Covell Lake in 1885 and the house was razed in 1966.

In the “Old Barracks” at Fort Dakota in 1865 with Edward Broughton as postmaster.

Minnehaha National Bank with Edwin A. Sherman as president and G. E. Lathrop as cashier with starting capital of $50,000.

Early 1980s

Early 1980s

The zoo began in 1963. The Brockhouse family, who had displayed some animals at West Sioux Hardware, developed the collection.

1962—after numerous problems with the Big Sioux River flood.

New building was constructed in 1962 and some persons felt the old building should be demolished for a parking lot.

EROS was completed in 1974 to receive and interpret information from earth satellites.

1969—and it includes parts of the battleship that were salvaged.

In 1929, the band was started by Conductor Arthur R. Thompson. In 1933, the band was appointed as the official band of the state of South Dakota at the New York World’s Fair.

In 1921, after much fund raising. The YWCA was constructed to the east of the YMCA facility in 1936.

They were laid out in 1928. They were vandalized during World War II and restoration began in 1986 to preserve these beautiful gardens.

1889

Located at 27th Street and Dakota Avenue, Mark Twain was completed in 1921 to keep up with the City’s rapid population growth.

1965

Replacing the Moe Hospital at 14th Street and Main Avenue and a hospital at 19th Street and Minnesota Avenue, the new building was constructed in 1930.

In 1933, American Memorial Parks Inc. developed the unique cemetery where there are no gravestones, only bronze plates in the ground.

1962

System started in 1977 and trail completed from downtown to Falls Park in the early 1980s.

Private competition existed for many years. In 1901, the City constructed its own Light Plant.

1977

Under Mayor G. W. Burnside, Spitznagel & Schwarz designed City Hall which was occupied in 1936 at a cost of $420,000.

As part of a WPA project, the City started construction in 1938, and the hanger and administration building were dedicated on 120 acres in 1939.

1971—clearance occurred for the location of the new public library and parking area.

Midcontinent Broadcasting Company started KELO in 1953 and Joe Henkin, owner of KSOO, started another station in 1960. Dave Dedrick as Captain 11 started in 1955 and ran until December of 1996.

1973 into 1974—clearance of the entire block occurred including the historic Cataract Hotel.

Pedestrian Mall started in 1973 and was removed in three phases in 1984, 1986, and 1989.

On March 6, 1934, the gang robbed the bank and took five hostages who were released when their car was disabled. They escaped in another vehicle and were never apprehended.

Fire was in 1956 and the walls were knocked down to first floor level in 1961 for safety reasons. The flour mill built in 1879-81 only ran about a dozen years.

Shrivers first moved into the Western Mall in 1979 and later into the New Town Mall. It closed business in 1986.

Whittier was converted to a junior high, and Edison and Axtell Park were all opened in 1954. Patrick Henry was opened in 1957.

Made of beautiful quartzite stone, the Fire Station was built in 1912.

Howard Wood Field was first in Nelson Park at Tenth Street and Cliff Avenue and a new field was constructed in 1957.

Built in 1884, it was originally a girl's school with programs through high school.

Thanks to R. F. Pettigrew, the Populist party held its convention in Sioux Falls to nominate William Jennings Bryan as a presidential candidate.

E. A. Sherman
In 1910, he donated 52 acres to the City of Sioux Falls to become a park. He became Chairman of the first Park Board.

In 1903, a library was built at Tenth Street and Dakota Avenue with a $30,000 total gift from the Carnegie corporations.

Mayor George W. Burnside
The building was constructed in 1917 and an annex added in 1932.

The Woolworth Store constructed in 1941 between Ninth and Tenth Street on Phillips Avenue.

In 1908, the Electric Street Car Company started the business, ending in 1930 when it was replaced by motor buses.

The Barrell Drive Inn was started at 31st Street and Minnesota Avenue in 1939 and closed in the 1970s.

Started in 1922, WFAT was owned by the Argus Leader. They sold it to Joseph Henkin and it was changed to KSOO.

A man died in the blast and the criminals were identified and caught. A huge crater was left and windows were broken as far away as Dell Rapids.

Powderhouse blast - A gang from Sioux City shot two of their members and blew up Larson's Hardware powderhouse storage to cover up the crime. Over $20,000 worth of glass was broken all over Sioux Falls. Windows were broken as far away as Dell Rapids.

Fawick gave the statue of Moses which graces the ground on the Augustana College campus.

The Milwaukee Railroad’s “Arrow” passenger train left Sioux Falls for the last time in 1965.

A popular hangout for the younger crowd located at 11th Street and Phillips Avenue—now Minerva’s.

In 1911, the City turned the municipal airport facilities over to the federal government to train military personnel in radio use.

A catholic boy’s school built in 1921. Land and buildings were purchased by the federal government during WWII and became the Sioux Falls Veteran’s Hospital.

The old Syndicate/Western Surety building at Eighth Street and Main Avenue was torn down and the First Bank of South Dakota was constructed.

In 1934, Drake Springs opened. The Army and Air Force (in cooperation with the Park Department) constructed the second pool in Terrace Park in 1943.

1965 was the opening of Lincoln and O’Gorman was completed in 1962.

Minnehaha Springs Building which was the original site of Heynsohn Brothers Springs.

State statue established only a six-month period for residency (other states were one year). In 1905, the state changed it to one year.

Sioux Falls Symphony developed from the Town & Gown Symphony Orchestra supported by Augustana College in 1960.

Civic Fine Arts Center in 1961

The mud lark was a floating hydraulic dredge used by the Park Department to dredge silt from Covell Lake in 1931-1933.  It was also used to dredge the drainage ditch north of Sioux Falls and it was also leased to other cities such as Sleepy Eye, MN and Madison, SD.

A giant slide extending from the bluff to the river bottom below was widely used. It was considered too dangerous, and was removed a year later.

The end of World War II brought many GI personnel using the government funds for education and the ability of the colleges to acquire former buildings from the Radio Training School at minimal cost to expand their facilities.

Pathfinder Nuclear Generating Plant was built adjacent to Brandon Road/East Rice Street and used only for a year.

A triangular tract at the juncture of Fourth Street and Highland Avenue, Winona Park was donated by Mr. and Mrs. William H. Lyon in 1928. It contains less than one-fourth acre of ground.

Fort Dakota and Company “E” of the 6th Iowa Cavalry took possession of the area.

In 1927, the City built a sewage treatment plant for its citizens. River dumping was then prohibited.

Overlooking downtown, the first church was built at the northeast corner of Eighth and Dakota. Now the public library occupies that area.

The federal government constructed a plant in 1942 for the Radio Training School located near the present day arena.

First automobiles were purchased in 1922 and car radios installed in 1935.

Four floors were removed in 1947, and Hubbard’s Cupboard was the tenant when it was demolished in the 1970s as part of urban renewal and redevelopment of this block.

Fawick gave the statue to the citizens in 1971 and the dedication of the park where it was erected was held in October of 1973.

Old buildings east of Phillips Avenue and west of the river between Ninth and Tenth Street were demolished to allow for much needed downtown parking space.

The block on Second Avenue between 11th and 12th Street was cleared for the new post office building.

In 1927, by resolution, the City of Sioux Falls adopted zoning regulations and A. A. Chenoweth was approved as “Zoning Engineer.”

R. F. Pettigrew was president of this company until service ended in 1899. The horse-drawn cars were stored in a barn at the northeast corner of 11th Street and Dakota Avenue.

The quartzite-stone building was developed by R. F. Pettigrew and S. L. Tate. It was demolished in 1940 as part of a WPA project.

In 1901, a single span steel truss bridge was built. It was replaced in 1960 after a flood damaged the structure.

In 1889, a wood bridge was constructed and replaced by the county in 1906 with a single span steel truss bridge.

Private companies provided electric lights in 1884 and a gas company provided gas lights in 1886-1906.

Van Brunt building on Phillips Avenue north of Eighth Street
Albert Hotel on southwest corner of Sixth Street and Phillips Avenue
Soo Hotel on southwest corner of Sixth Street and Main Avenue
Illinois Central Railroad Depot on East Eighth Street east of river
Kuehn Warehouse on northwest corner of Sixth Street and Phillips Avenue

The federal government turned the land over to the City of Sioux Falls and sold many of the barracks buildings.

In 1917, the City purchased from the Phillips sisters a large portion of Covell Lake and adjoining land. Subsequent purchases occurred in 1926, 1927, and 1929 from Larson and Fernyhough.

At the facility’s peak use in 1942, there were 20,000 military and civilian personnel.

Located in an old canning factory north of Sioux Falls, the City purchased a ½ (half) acre of land and the building for $2,000.

This three-story structure located at Ninth Street and Phillips Avenue was completely destroyed on June 30, 1900.

In August 1900, the City Council passed Ordinance No. 261 to provide full-time fire protection for Sioux Falls.

P. W. McKeever: 1900-1906—with compensation of $75 per month.
Fire fighters were part-time and made $1 for the first hour and $.50 per hour thereafter.

Richard F. Pettigrew

A large packing plant, a woolen mill, a soap factory, a starch factory, a grease factory, and a hotel.

Seven miles per hour, except when turning corners, when the speed must not exceed four miles per hour.

1898 ordinance required portland cement or stone. In 1901, officials also approved brick or tile and prohibited the further use of wood.

In 1888, Phillips Avenue from 5th to 12th Street was paved with quartzite blocks.

In 1890, construction started on a wood plank bridge which accommodated the trolley car, the horse and wagon, and pedestrians.

In 1930 and 1934, the bridge was replaced and named Rushmore Bridge.

All residents hastily gathered up what property they could carry and abandoned their settlement on August 28, 1862. For many of them, their five-year struggle to establish a new life in Sioux Falls had seemingly come to a tragic end.

Meredith Hall was the original building named after the first president and built in 1883.

1915

In 1918, following a Lutheran Church merger, Augustana College was moved from Canton and the united schools became Augustana College.

Located at Eighth and Reid Streets, Hattie Phillips was the proprietor.

In 1884, a private company supplied water to the citizens from a stone building on the west side of the Sioux River near Eighth Street. In 1907, the City of Sioux Falls started pumping from City wells provided by their new Water Plant.

Richard Pettigrew

1895
First expansion of third floor completed in 1911.
WPA project of annex completed in 1933.

Designed by Wallace Dow, and barely completed in 1899, the National Buttermaker Association held its annual convention in the Assembly Hall.

Captain E. Parliman. He was also the first county judge of Minnehaha County after statehood, a civil war veteran, and developed the “bucket brigade” for the village.