Early Sioux Falls

The falls of the Big Sioux River were revered by many Native American cultures over time. Although no formal archaeological digs have been performed at the falls area, stone tools have been found throughout the region. The area around the falls was likely used as a camp or living area by nomadic hunters, perhaps as long as 10,000 years ago. Mound builders lived in the Big Sioux River Valley from about 500 A.D. to 800 A.D., and the mounds in this area were traditionally for ritual burials. After 800 A.D., the Oneota moved into the area and lived an agricultural lifestyle, traveling less frequently than other people. By the 1600s, contact between Europeans and Native people revolved mainly around trade. In the 1700s, the Lakota moved into the area from the east, and Native people reportedly used the falls of the Big Sioux River as a seasonal rendezvous. The area first appeared on maps in the early 1700s. In 1856, Doctor George Staples read explorer Philander Prescott's description of the falls in Jacob Ferris's The States and Territories of the Great West, and Staples and five partners formed the Western Town Company. They left Dubuque, Iowa, hoping to found a town near the falls. In the spring of 1857, members of the Dakota Land Company, based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, joined them after founding several towns along their journey from Saint Paul to the falls, and together the two companies established what became Sioux Falls City. By 1865, the military had established Fort Dakota along the Big Sioux River just above the falls near present-day Eighth Street. Fort Dakota eventually consisted of 18 buildings, some reusing earlier land company buildings. Most stood on the west side of the river, while the stable was built into the west bank, measured 160 feet long, and had room for 50 horses, and the ice house stood directly across the river on the east bank.

Sioux Falls, South Dakota · United States