Tabor, named for a Bohemian town of the same name, became known as “The Mother City of Dakota Czechs.” After Frank Bem advertised for Czechs who wanted to take up new land, a large contingent arrived in 1869, and on April 14, 1872, a meeting decided to buy the homestead of Johanna Kocer and Frank Bem platted the town. The first town officers were John Hakl, chairman, Joseph Vyborny, vice-chairman, Vaclav Janda, clerk, and Joseph Hruska, treasurer, and the first postmaster was Vicel Joseph Janda, appointed in January, 1873. The 160 acres were divided into 53 lots, with 40 acres set aside for the town and 3 acres each for the cemetery, church, and school. A school district was organized in 1873, the first school was built of logs, and Joseph Zitka was the first school teacher, with 30 students. The first Catholic Church, built in 1872 of chalk rock hauled from the Missouri bluffs, was followed by the arrival of the first resident priest, Father Joseph Krizek, in 1877; after several successors, Father E. A Bouska came in 1893 and remained with the parish until his death in 1941. Matt Petrik, a music man, came in 1872 and organized a band for which Tabor was famous for half a century. The 1880 census listed 569 names in the township, very few of whom had other than Bohemian names. Vaclav Janda became the first storekeeper in 1876. Although the population was only 89 in 1895, the coming of the Milwaukee Railroad in 1900 was followed by a population of 301 in 1905, and the town remained a solid community over the years at just short of 400 people, “The Heart of Czech Dakota-Land.”