Brown County, South Dakota, grew from early trade posts on the Elm River and at Talles Chenes, where Colin Campbell traded with Waneta's Cuthead Band of Yanctonaise Sioux, Leblanc maintained posts in 1835 and 1836, and Francis Rondelle later operated one. Settlement in the Tacoma Park area began in 1877, with Ole Everson returning in 1879 to build a frame house. After the south half was surveyed in 1878-79, settlers and a store located at the site of Columbia in October 1879. John B. James became postmaster on February 12, 1880, and the county was organized at Columbia on September 14 with Columbia as county seat. After the Milwaukee Railroad reached Aberdeen in 1881 and John H. Drake became postmaster there on February 17, a seven-year struggle over the county seat unfolded in elections, courts, and the legislature. Created in 1879 from Beadle, North and Mills, South and named for Alfred Brown, the county was repeatedly reshaped by the legislature in 1883 and 1885, but voters rejected those changes. In 1887 Aberdeen finally won, and the county seat moved there on July 29. Day County, South Dakota, was created west of the Sisseton Reservation Line by the legislature in 1879 from Greeley South and Stone North, names established in 1873, and was named for Merritt H. Day of Turner County. Before that, the area had been part of Hanson County in 1870. Francis Rondelle, a trader in the region as early as 1868, was living two miles west of present Waubay in October 1877. Earl P. Owen settled near Minnewaste Lake in April 1877 and became postmaster at Wahbay on November 3, 1879. In 1880 the Milwaukee's first train reached Webster City on J. P. Webster's homestead on October 27. The Reporter and Farmer began in September 1881, and on January 2, 1882, Charles Warner, Lansing Sykes, and George Bryant organized Day County and named Webster county seat. Land east of the Reservation Line was added in 1883, and a southern tier of townships from Clark was added in 1885. Much of the county lies on the High Coteau, and its lakes and grassed uplands supported abundant fish, waterfowl, and game birds.