Early Sioux Falls

Early Sioux Falls. . Over history the falls have been revered by many different Native American cultures. No formal archaeological digs have been performed at the falls area, but stone tools have been found throughout the region. The area surrounding the falls was likely used as a camp or living area by nomadic hunters, perhaps as long as 10,000 years ago. Mound builders lived in the Big Sioux River Valley from about 500 A.D. to 800 A.D. The mounds of this area were traditionally for ritual burials. The Oneota moved into this area after 800 A.D. They lived an agricultural lifestyle, traveling less frequently than other people. , By the 1600s, contact between Europeans and Native people revolved mainly around trade. In the 1700s, the Lakota people moved into this area from the east. Native people reportedly used the falls of the Big Sioux River as a seasonal rendezvous. This area was first indicated on maps in the early 1700s. , In 1856, Dr. George Staples read explorer Philander Prescott's description of the falls in Jacob Ferris's The States and Territories of the Great West. Staples and five partners formed the Western Town Company. Together, they left Dubuque, Iowa, with aspirations for founding a town near the falls. In the spring of 1857, the members of the Western Town Company were joined by members of the Dakota Land Company. The Dakota Land Company was based in St. Paul, Minnesota, and had founded several towns along their journey from St. Paul to the falls. Together they established what was to become Sioux Falls City. , By 1865, the military had established Fort Dakota along the Big Sioux River, just above the falls, near present-day Eighth Street. Fort Dakota eventually consisted of 18 buildings, some of which were reuses of earlier buildings from the land companies. Most of the buildings were located on the west side of the river. The stable was built into the west bank, was 160 feet long, and had room for 50 horses. The ice house was directly across the river from the stable on the east bank.