Vermillion and Vicinity: A view from 1901

Vermillion and vicinity - RD12124 - USD - Richardson Collection - Digital Library of South Dakota (DLSD)

In late March to early April of 1881, catastrophe struck Vermillion, Dakota Territory then located on a peninsula between the Vermillion and Missouri Rivers. Large ice floes and heavy snow melts destroyed three-quarters of the city. In addition, the flood caused the Missouri River and Vermillion River to change their courses dramatically. Vermillion was no longer a river town. City leaders made the decision to rebuild the town on the bluffs overlooking the flood plain. According to a July 1881, Dakota Republican editorial by Frank Brudick, by the summer of that year many businesses established themselves in the new downtown Vermillion.

Twenty years after the floods, this digital pictorial booklet, “Vermillion and Vicinity” was printed. By then, Vermillion, South Dakota boasted a vibrant downtown with large brick buildings housing businesses including livery stables, furniture stores, pharmacies, two banks (First National Bank and Clay County Bank), and mercantile stores. The booklet did not contain names of photographers, but Henry Butler, pioneer photographer, took pictures of Vermillion before the flood and buildings on the USD campus.

The booklet includes images of the University of South Dakota (USD) that started in 1882 as the University of Dakota. By 1901 USD consisted of three buildings East Hall, West Hall, and Old Main; a fourth, Science Hall, would be constructed in 1902. An architectural rendering of Science Hall by W. R. Parsons and Son illustrates the three-story brick building with unique architectural features.

Additional photographs denote farming enterprises including orchards, strawberry fields, wheat, and corn fields. Each photograph identifies the farm owner and may show the processes involved in harvesting the crops.

Nine pages present photographs of residences belonging to prominent Vermillion people such M. D. Thompson, Mrs. H. J. Austin, T. R. Walker, Professor Lewis Akeley, E. D. Brookman, L. T. Sweezey, J. L. Jolley, and D. A. Brosius. As usual at the time, the residences lack addresses.

Three pages show photographs of churches in Vermillion and Dalesburg, sometimes including photos of the interior of the buildings.

A short blurb In the December 23, 1902, Vermillion Plain Talk, advertised “Jonasson’s booklet”, Vermillion and Vicinity, as a souvenir costing fifty cents (equivalent to about $19 in 2026). The booklet’s turn of the twentieth century content is priceless for researchers of Vermillion and its surroundings.