Planning the Railroad

With the building of the transcontinental railroads, the latter part of the nineteenth century quickly became the era of the railroad. Yankton residents knew that their position as territorial trade center depended on Yankton’s acquisition of a railroad connection. Such a connection would bolster Yankton’s steamboat business and solidify its prominence within the Territory. In their quest for the first railroad into the southern part of Dakota Territory, Yankton leaders pursued numerous railroads, until finally incorporating and funding the Dakota Southern Railroad.