Then and Now: History Edition
| « PREVIOUS | » NEXT |
Ads on this page from the following advertisers...
Keywords: , , ,
THEN & NOW: PAGE 5B PRESS & DAKOTAN n MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2017 Discovery Bridge, built in 2008, has become one of the latest additions to Yankton s infrastructure array, allowing local manufacturers to ship their goods out to other parts of the country and the world. LEFT: In Yankton s earliest days, steamboats were the most reliable means of transportation and shipping. (Kelly Hertz/P&D) KELLY HERTZ/P&D P&D ARCHIVE PHOTO From Here To There Steamboats, Railroads And Express Highways: Yankton s Manufacturing Industry Changes And Grows Behind Infrastructure Advancements BY DILLON DWYER W dillon.dwyer@yankton.net hether it was the use of riverboats to navigate supplies up the Missouri River, the westward expansion of the railroad to meet the needs of the gold rush and military troops or the development of modern roadways to facilitate quicker and more reliable overland transport, Yankton s industrial sector has been dependent on the most accessible forms of transportation available during any given period of time. While Yankton boasted more than $20,051,900 in taxable sales and approximately 2.5 times the national average of manufactures in its community compared to other locations across the United States in 2016, the city hasn t always been the manufacturing hub it is today. Currently, manufacturing employs more than 18 percent of the community s workforce in Yankton, but during its formative years, the city was more of a consumer than an exporter. Before the arrival of the railroad in 1873, Yankton served primarily as a secondary stopping point for steamboats. The vessels would deliver building supplies, machinery and other freight needed to help develop the surrounding area. The main exports coming out of Yankton at that time were grain and wood used as boiler-fuel on the steamboats stopping through. In general, Yankton residents were customers more than profit takers of the river traffic, wrote Bob Karolevitz in the book Yankton: A Pioneer Past. It was the railroad that changed all of that. In 1869, during the midst of the Montana gold rush, 143 steamboat landings were reported in Yankton. Ships heading out west toward the rush hauled cargos filled with nails, glass, bolts, black powder, bacon, tobacco, vinegar, butter, nuts, cornmeal and flour. The same ships would often return with gold, furs, hides, skins, ore and horses. The first train engine to make its way into the Dakotas was the Judge Brookings from Dakota Southern on Oct. 1, 1872. A little more than four months later, the C.G. Wicker became the first train to reach Yankton, on Jan. 25, 1873. The expansion of the railroad to Yankton would mark a new era for the city. It was no longer necessary to depend upon unpredictable and uncomfortable stagecoaches and the slow, expensive freight wagons for overland travel, Karolevitz wrote. Instead of just being a steamboat stopover, the capital of the Dakota Territories would become the Missouri River railroad terminal, a warehouse center and loading point for upriver freight. PHOTOS: DAKOTA TERRITORIAL MUSEUM ABOVE: The railroad arrived in the 1870s, transforming life on the prairie. It also became an indispensable component to manufacturers shipping their goods across the country. It is still an important feature today. BELOW: Modern roadways have allowed for greater overland shipping by manufacturers. TRANSPORT | PAGE 6B Quality Healthcare and Education in the Benedictine Spirit Since 1880 ne Plants, .S. B. LaVon M. Blanch, O 1947 Sr. elly Children Arlene Conn Sisters and Students at Fort Yates, N D
- Sacred Heart Monastery
Keywords: , , ,
THEN & NOW: PAGE 5B PRESS & DAKOTAN n MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2017 Discovery Bridge, built in 2008, has become one of the latest additions to Yankton s infrastructure array, allowing local manufacturers to ship their goods out to other parts of the country and the world. LEFT: In Yankton s earliest days, steamboats were the most reliable means of transportation and shipping. (Kelly Hertz/P&D) KELLY HERTZ/P&D P&D ARCHIVE PHOTO From Here To There Steamboats, Railroads And Express Highways: Yankton s Manufacturing Industry Changes And Grows Behind Infrastructure Advancements BY DILLON DWYER W dillon.dwyer@yankton.net hether it was the use of riverboats to navigate supplies up the Missouri River, the westward expansion of the railroad to meet the needs of the gold rush and military troops or the development of modern roadways to facilitate quicker and more reliable overland transport, Yankton s industrial sector has been dependent on the most accessible forms of transportation available during any given period of time. While Yankton boasted more than $20,051,900 in taxable sales and approximately 2.5 times the national average of manufactures in its community compared to other locations across the United States in 2016, the city hasn t always been the manufacturing hub it is today. Currently, manufacturing employs more than 18 percent of the community s workforce in Yankton, but during its formative years, the city was more of a consumer than an exporter. Before the arrival of the railroad in 1873, Yankton served primarily as a secondary stopping point for steamboats. The vessels would deliver building supplies, machinery and other freight needed to help develop the surrounding area. The main exports coming out of Yankton at that time were grain and wood used as boiler-fuel on the steamboats stopping through. In general, Yankton residents were customers more than profit takers of the river traffic, wrote Bob Karolevitz in the book Yankton: A Pioneer Past. It was the railroad that changed all of that. In 1869, during the midst of the Montana gold rush, 143 steamboat landings were reported in Yankton. Ships heading out west toward the rush hauled cargos filled with nails, glass, bolts, black powder, bacon, tobacco, vinegar, butter, nuts, cornmeal and flour. The same ships would often return with gold, furs, hides, skins, ore and horses. The first train engine to make its way into the Dakotas was the Judge Brookings from Dakota Southern on Oct. 1, 1872. A little more than four months later, the C.G. Wicker became the first train to reach Yankton, on Jan. 25, 1873. The expansion of the railroad to Yankton would mark a new era for the city. It was no longer necessary to depend upon unpredictable and uncomfortable stagecoaches and the slow, expensive freight wagons for overland travel, Karolevitz wrote. Instead of just being a steamboat stopover, the capital of the Dakota Territories would become the Missouri River railroad terminal, a warehouse center and loading point for upriver freight. PHOTOS: DAKOTA TERRITORIAL MUSEUM ABOVE: The railroad arrived in the 1870s, transforming life on the prairie. It also became an indispensable component to manufacturers shipping their goods across the country. It is still an important feature today. BELOW: Modern roadways have allowed for greater overland shipping by manufacturers. TRANSPORT | PAGE 6B Quality Healthcare and Education in the Benedictine Spirit Since 1880 ne Plants, .S. B. LaVon M. Blanch, O 1947 Sr. elly Children Arlene Conn Sisters and Students at Fort Yates, N D
