Dakota Territorial Capitol Replica

If both Dakotas were just one state, it would be the fourth-largest in America, despite having just 1.7 million people. Yet, for 28 years, Dakota was indeed just one territory, even more sparsely populated than today. This being the time of the Wild West, a small building like the Dakota Territorial Capitol, originally located a few blocks north, could pack a lot of history and interesting, dramatic stories.

Yankton first became the capital of Dakota Territory in 1862, when it was provisionally chosen by Governor William Jayne. It was located in the most densely populated part of the territory and was an important trading port on the Missouri River. When the Territorial Legislature first met, a debate immediately broke out over where the capital should be. Supporters of Vermillion, Yankton, and Bon Homme often got violent with each other, for instance getting into a food fight at a dinner party. However, it was eventually agreed that the capital would remain in Yankton, while other cities got other institutions.

That was far from the only violence that occurred at the territorial capitol. Territorial House speaker George Pinney was once threatened with being thrown out the window by his opponents. Although he obtained the protection of troops in the chamber and agreed to resign, this did not stop his enemies, who threw him out a saloon window when they got the chance!

As the territory's population grew, so did rivalry between the northern and southern halves. After Yankton was devastated by a flood in 1881, there was fierce competition for which town would replace it as the capital. Bismarck was chosen, further angering South Dakotans.

Ultimately, both Dakotas were admitted simultaneously as separate states, largely because Republicans wanted to obtain as many safe senate seats as possible. However, Yankton was not in the running for capital of South Dakota, and the original territorial capitol had already been torn down. The building seen today is a reconstruction built in 1988.