The Territorial System

Built during the early period of Dakota Territory, the railroad sponsored by Yankton County faced a myriad of challenges stoked by the territorial system, which was governed predominantly by the federal government. Having no state government, nor the type of congressional representation enjoyed by the states, territorial residents were more dependent on the edicts and appointments made by a distant executive branch in Washington, D.C. The nature and workings of this territorial system would exert profound influences on Yankton County’s pursuit of a railroad.