A Brief History of South Dakota Agriculture

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A Brief History of South Dakota Agriculture

• Range 215
• January 19, 2005

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• Up until 1825, what use there was of land in the
  Dakotas, was dominated by hunter-gatherers. The
  landscape was dominated by the migration of large
  herds of grazing ungulates.

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• With the arrival of the French fur trappers in
  the early 1800s, the Dakotas under went rapid
  and enormous change. The main animal they were
  after was the Beaver.
• Why? And what changes did removing the beaver
  from the ecosystem have.
  

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• Why? The European demand for FELT! Felt was
  used to make cloth, and was fashioned into hats,
  and still is.
  
• -5X Beaver Stetson vs. a 7X Beaver Stetson.
• -The beaver was literally trapped to extinction
  in the prairie, and the trappers moved on west to
  the Rocky Mountains.

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• What happened when you removed thousands upon
  thousands of small dams on thousands of
  tributaries to the major rivers of our
  region?
• Floods and dried out prairie

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4 Key Events in Development of South Dakota

• The Louisiana Purchase, 1803
• -Thomas Jefferson bought this country from
  Napoleon, 0.50/acre
  
• 2. The Homestead Act, 1862
• -gave any citizen or alien who intended to
  become a citizen, 160 acres, if he or she lived
  on the land for 5 years and they improved it.
  
• -500,000 settlers but wide spread abuse, only
  11 ended up in being settled by Homesteaders,
  the rest ended up in the hands of speculators.

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• Discovery of gold both in California and the
  Black Hills, 1850s and 1870s -brought railroads
  and settlers
  
• Opening of Indian Territory in 1889 -land not
  assigned to reservations opened up for
  homesteading.

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And with the settlers came agriculture

• Range livestock production consisted of two
  types.
  
• 1). Massive herds of yearlings, two year old and
  three year old steers brought up from Texas to be
  fattened during the summer months on the hard
  grass of the Dakotas.
• -These cattle were owned by entrepreneurs,
  who took advantage of unfenced, government owned
  land. May or not pay rent. The key to their
  operations was the ownership of strategic pieces
  of land. Land with water, river crossings, and
  access to railroads, winter protection.

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• 2). Homesteaders and small ranchers running a
  few cows, pretty soon they drift together with
  the neighbors. Require roundups to determine
  ownership. Branding and Barbed wire.

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• Even with free land, Homesteaders couldnt make
  it
  
• Stanley County 1910- 14000
  1920- 2400
  
• farming in this country is not yet adapted to
  the natural conditions of soil and climate and
  market and other environmental factors.
  
• Liberty Bailey, 1907

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• So the remaining people struggled along, absorbed
  their neighbors, ran right smack into the
  depression first, and the most severe drought of
  our century second.
• This was followed by WW2

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• And then came the most profitable period of Ag in
  the Northern Plains. 1950-1973
  
• Most of the wealth we see, buildings farms and
  ranches and trees etc really took off during this
  time.
  
• Since then its really been a roller coaster
• -1970s inflation
• -1980s Ag crisis, depression
• -1990s a real roller coaster
• Are we adapted any better than in 1907?

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Major Historical Events

• Louisiana Purchase, 1803
• Gold Rush, 1850s-1870s
• Homestead Act, 1862 Ag comes to the prairie
• Depression and Drought of 1920s and 1930s,
• Post WWII boom
• Economic Roller Coaster mid 1970s to Present

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Major Ecosystem Events

• Removing the beaver
• Eliminating fire
• Barbed Wire
• Plowing
• Dust Bowl
• Trees