Council Rock

Council Rock. Indian Capitol of the Dakotas. , The Sioux tribes established, near here, Council Rock as a central meeting place for all the bands. Using a black oviate rock measuring 6” x 11” surrounded by a circle of stones 15 feet in diameter, representatives of each tribe sat with feet extended toward the Council Rock to settle affairs of the Sioux nation. The site had religious significance and was maintained as a sanctuary from war and strife. As many as 3,000 Teton, Santee, Yankton and Yanktonai gathered here annually for a great Trade Fair, where goods were bartered among the tribes. Needy persons could always find supplies here., Prehistoric Indian people selected this general area because of the protection afforded by the James River and the high elevation of the terrain. Later the historic Indian people settled in this vicinity and later still, pioneers filed homesteads around Old Ashton, the first county seat of Spink county., In 1939 the Daughters of the American Revolution and county school children made a reproduction of the original stone and placed it approximately twenty rods south of the original site.