Bridgewater in McCook County, South Dakota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Bridgewater
1880
August 22, 2021
1. Bridgewater Marker
Inscription.
Bridgewater. The Milwaukee, building from Marion to the Missouri, in 1880 soon reached Nation, platted in 1879 by Robert and J. B. Nation, with Orlan K. Bullard its postmaster on 5 January 1880 and when changed to Bridgewater on November 20th he continued to serve. The election that year shifted the county seat from Cameron to Bridgewater, 119 to 109, when the canvassing board threw out 76 votes for Montrose on the pretext that it was nonexistent. The Cameron pioneers flocked to Bridgewater and to Melas, (Salem in reverse), and County Clerk H. H. Pierce took the records to the new Courthouse in Bridgewater on the corner of Poplar and 3rd Streets. Tabor and Berry, storekeepers at Cameron, shifted to Bridgewater too and had their store S of the tracks where the Shannard elevator now is located and all went through the terrific blizzard winter of 1880-81 without a train from January to April. That spring J. P. McKee's general store and W. J. Bollinger's hardware were put up on Poplar and Nation's bank at 3rd and Main. Salem won the county seat in the 1882 election. The school was moved from south of the tracks and a fine new 36 x 40 building erected in 1883 as well as the Catholic, Methodist and Presbyterian Churches. The Tribune was started in February 1881 and E. C. Kibbe ran the "Cricket" as an opposition paper. Thus for 80 years Bridgewater has been a good place to live and gets better every year.
The Milwaukee, building from Marion to the Missouri, in 1880 soon reached Nation, platted in 1879 by Robert and J. B. Nation, with Orlan K. Bullard its postmaster on 5 January 1880 and when changed to Bridgewater on November 20th he continued to serve. The election that year shifted the county seat from Cameron to Bridgewater, 119 to 109, when the canvassing board threw out 76 votes for Montrose on the pretext that it was nonexistent. The Cameron pioneers flocked to Bridgewater and to Melas, (Salem in reverse), and County Clerk H. H. Pierce took the records to the new Courthouse in Bridgewater on the corner of Poplar & 3rd Streets. Tabor & Berry, storekeepers at Cameron, shifted to Bridgewater too and had their store S of the tracks where the Shannard elevator now is located and all went through the terrific blizzard winter of 1880-81 without a train from January to April. That spring J. P. McKee's general store and W. J. Bollinger's hardware were put up on Poplar and Nation's bank at 3rd & Main. Salem won the county seat in the 1882 election. The school was moved from south of the tracks and a fine new 36 x 40 building erected in 1883 as well as the Catholic, Methodist & Presbyterian Churches. The Tribune was started in February 1881 and E. C. Kibbe ran the "Cricket" as an opposition paper. Thus for 80 years Bridgewater has been a good
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place to live and gets better every year.
Erected 1959 by Bridgewater City Commission and State Highway Commission. (Marker Number 275.)
Location. 43° 32.977′ N, 97° 30.148′ W. Marker is in Bridgewater, South Dakota, in McCook County. Marker is at the intersection of North Main Avenue and State Route 262, on the left when traveling north on North Main Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Bridgewater SD 57319, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on August 23, 2021. It was originally submitted on August 22, 2021. This page has been viewed 199 times since then and 38 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on August 23, 2021. • Mark Hilton was the editor who published this page.