Medary Monument

Medary Monument. Erected 1929. The Medary Monument was built in 1929 to commemorate the location of the town of Medary, the first town site in the Dakota Territory 1857-1859 and 1871-1879. It was through the efforts of the early Tri-County Pioneers and the local Daughters of the American Revolution that this 17-foot shaft monument was originally erected, made of South Dakota stones and concrete. The contract was let to the Wold-Mark Construction Company., On July 18, 1929 the dedication program was held on this site during the 50th anniversary celebration for the City of Brookings. H.I. Stearns laid the cornerstone, and Governor William J. Bulow addressed the pioneers at the dedication ceremony., In 2015, the Medary Chapter NSDAR began working to restore the monument that had fallen into disrepair after finding out that the founders of their chapter were instrumental in its original construction. After years of fundraising and historical research, the reconstruction work was completed by the Niklason Construction Company on September 4, 2020. The monument and land officially became the property of Brookings County and the Commissioners oversaw the reconstruction project. The Medary Chapter NSDAR planted a garden of wildflowers indigenous to this area., There are still descendants of those first pioneers living in the area of "Old Medary."