The Quartzite Border: Surveying and Marking the North Dakota - South Dakota Boundary 1891-1892

Synopsis

(From back cover) Between North Dakota and South Dakota there once stood 720 quartzite markers, cut from the quarries near Sioux Falls and placed there in 1891 and 1892 by United States surveyor Charles H. Bates and his crew. In The Quartzite Boarder, Dr. Gordon L. Iseminger of the University of North Dakota recounts, for the first time, the intriguing story behind the surveying and marking of one of the nation's longest borders. Based on the author's exhaustive research of Bate's survey notes and his correspondence with the Department of the Interior. The Quartzite Border reveals the political machinations of U.S. Senator Richard F. Pettigrew. Who attempted to prevent Bates from securing the contract to make the survey and, afterwards, sought to discredit his work. Using photographs, maps, and drawings, Dr. Iseminger provides the historical industry in Sioux Falls, given special attention to the struggle for statehood, the science of- surveying, the stone industry in Sioux Falls, steamboating on the Missouri River, and life in the small towns that bordered the seventh standard parallel two years after statehood. Yet, The Quartzite Boarder is far more than an Bates' survey and early statehood times. It is also an impassioned plea for the markers, which, Dr. Iseminger writes, "speak of a restless westering urge and the establishment of twin states where there was once a single territory; they speak of the confident expectation that the unsettled portions of the Dakotas would be filled by eager home seekers who would find the marked boundary to be of 'special utility' as they located their claims; they speak of budding industries in established cities like Sioux Falls and of high hopes for fledgling communities like Winona, White Rock, and LaGrace and they speak of a vast expanse of virgin prairie across which people had to transport themselves and their goods by railroad, steamboat, and teams and wagons."

Copyright:

1988

Book Details

Book Quality:

Excellent

Book Size:

136 Pages

ISBN-13:

9780931170409

Publisher:

N/A

Date of Addition:

06/09/08

Copyrighted By:

Gordon L. Iseminger

Adult content:

No

Language:

English

Has Image Descriptions:

No

Categories:

History, Nonfiction, Politics and Government

Submitted By:

Kari G

Proofread By:

cheryl fogle

Usage Restrictions:

This is a copyrighted book.