In the early 1880s, multiple state institutions were divided throughout the Dakota Territory. Those institutions included the ...

Yankton Middle School (YMS) social studies teacher Amanda Blaha, who has a passion for Yankton and Dakota Territory history, ...

The following excerpt is from the new book “Wilder Weather,” which is available from the South Dakota Historical Society ...

Dakota Territory did not have a lieutenant governor. The latter duty came into play for McCormack when the Dakota Territorial Legislature convened on Jan. 11, 1887, and no governor had been appointed.

Here's the story: Back in 1889, North Dakota was carved out of the Dakota Territory and admitted to the Union at the same time as South Dakota. Or so everyone thought.

Few are aware of how active vigilantes were in 1880s Dakota Territory. Ron Berget's book, "Montana Stranglers in Dakota Territory," tells a largely forgotten story.

On the very day Abraham Lincoln was mortally wounded -- April 14, 1865 -- erstwhile Confederate soldiers were attacked by Indians while defending a fort in Dakota Territory.