Brookings County was home to roving Indians until 1862. Nicollet, a scientist, and Fremont, the “Pathfinder of the West,” visited Oakwood Lakes in July 1838, leaving the first reliable record. The region east of the Big Sioux was ceded by the Santee Sioux in 1851, and the region to the west by the Yankton Sioux in 1858. A breastwork was made at Oakwood Lakes in 1859 and occupied again in 1862-63. In 1857, Nobles Wagon Road was built through the county, crossing the Big Sioux over an improved ford, and a settlement called Medary existed there in 1857-58 until the Sioux forced its abandonment. Permanent settlement began nearby in 1869 when 10 Norwegians arrived, and Medary served as the county seat from 1871 to 1879. Another colony of 31 settled at Lake Hendricks in July 1873. Population increased rapidly after 1877, reaching 4,965 in 1880 and 10,132 in 1890. Brookings County was created in 1862 and named for Wilmont W. Brookings, a prominent pioneer judge and legislator. Until 1873 it included parts of Moody, Lake, and Kingsbury Counties, and it was organized on July 3rd, 1871, in Martin N. Trygstand’s cabin, 4 miles northwest of Medary. Most towns began in 1879 when the Northwestern R.R. crossed the county, and others followed when roads pushed north in 1884. Medary, Oakwood, and Fountain became ghost towns, and Brookings became the county seat. In 1881 State College was established in Brookings and opened in 1884.