Independent Order of Odd Fellows
Citizens of Canton, SD were proud of their town. It offered many goods and services, and supported many civic and social clubs. Canton’s weekly newspaper, The Sioux Valley News, acted as a conduit of information and provides a lively picture of the townspeople’s interests and concerns.
On October 26, 1906, just one page of the newspaper covered the following events:
Typical Newspaper Ad
Medical ads in the early 1900s were imaginative, and sometimes a bit deceptive. Many were disguised as news articles that led readers to think they were getting a legitimate story, only to discover that a medical “cure” was at the heart of the piece. Continue reading
Oscar Sherman Gifford
Though it would be impossible to name all the prominent citizens who supported the Canton Asylum for Insane Indians at at the turn of the century, a few stand out.
Among the town’s early professionals was Oscar Sherman Gifford. Settling in Lincoln County in 1871 after passing the bar, Gifford was a practicing attorney, district attorney, merchant, and surveyor before he established a law office with partner Mark Bailey in 1875. Continue reading
Many early newspapers had society columns which detailed the entertainments and travels of prominent people. Small-town newspapers often had their counterpart, and reported on anything of interest which the town’s citizens might be doing. Here are entries in The Sioux Valley News‘ Local Mention column for Dec 4, 1903:
First Thanksgiving, (photo circa 1900-1920) courtesy Library of Congress
— Tom and Mrs. Stinson entertained a number of friends on Thanksgiving day.
— Oliver Carpenter’s many friends in this city will be pleased to learn that he has been promoted to the law department of the bureau of commerce at a salary of $1,200 a year.
— Mrs. C. M. Seely and Mrs. Dr. Turner gave a very pleasant dinner party to a few of their lady friends Monday afternoon at the Indian asylum.
— The Flandreau Indians scalped the Canton boys in foot ball Thanksgiving day by a score of 11 to 10. As this is Canton’s only defeat this year, the boys are quite happy. The game deserves an extended write-up but lack of space prevents.
Genoa Indian School Baseball Team, courtesy Nebraska State Historical Society
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The Sioux Valley News, August 9, 1895
Newspapers can give tremendous insight into an era, and small-town newspapers are gold mines of localized information, attitudes, and values. Many reported the comings and goings of their town’s citizens and reported on odd topics of interest. On Jan 22, 1904, the following items appeared in The Sioux Valley News in Canton, SD:
— Mrs. George Alexander of Poughkeepsie, N.Y. began crying for no apparent cause and literally sobbed herself to death.
— A few days ago H. Davison of Norfolk, Neb., purchased a pair of blue socks. Now his feet are in such a condition from wearing them that his attending physician says they will have to be amputated.
— As a result of drinking ginger ale flavored with lemon extract, Charles Benke, Albert Lewis and William Prudence are dead at Alexander, Ark.
The modern reader wonders what in the world happened in these three medical incidents, which were published as straightforward news items.
Vintage Ginger Ale Ad
Vintage Cigarette Ad
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1890 Census Report
Few patients enjoyed their stay at an insane asylum. Sam Black Buffalo managed to escape from the Canton Asylum for Insane Indians the week after Thanksgiving, in 1905. Canton’s weekly newspaper, The Sioux Valley News, recounted the escape, saying that Black Buffalo slipped away during an afternoon rain shower and wasn’t missed until supper. The paper called Black Buffalo “sharp as a tack, but deaf and dumb.” Even this early in its existence, the asylum was being used improperly to detain inconvenient, rather than insane, Indians.
On the same day it told of the escape, The Sioux Valley News gave its conclusion: “Dr. Turner, assistant superintendent of the asylum, went west Tuesday and discovered the fugitive on a way-freight at Emory. The conductor picked the fellow up at a watering tank and was afraid to put him off for fear he would freeze.”
Sam Black Buffalo was returned to the asylum on Wednesday, after two days of freedom.
One-Handed Alphabet for the Deaf and Dumb
Deaf and Dumb Asylum, Little Rock, Ark., (1905-1915)
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Mescalero Apache and Mountain Lion Pelt, circa 1883, courtesy Library of Congress
Though Canton, SD could boast of a beautiful college and insane asylum, along with other substantial structures, it remained on the edge of the wilderness. The state was still a wide-open, empty place, and even settled areas weren’t far removed from the frontier environment.
The March 12, 1909 issue of The Sioux Valley News (published each Friday) noted that mountain lions were encroaching on settled territory in the Black Hills. The paper stated, “The lions have so far confined their meals to chickens, cats and other small live stock, but as several of the animals have come almost into town and seem unusually bold, hunting parties are being organized to rid the community of their presence.”
Hand-picking Corn in South Dakota, early 1900s
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Few patients wanted to remain at the Canton Asylum for Insane Indians, and the staff (and sometimes townspeople) had to deal with a number of escapes. The April 28, 1905 edition of The Sioux Valley News, Canton’s weekly paper, mentioned that the superintendent of the asylum, O.S. Gifford, had “returned from the north and brought with him the runaway Indian who had escaped from the Indian asylum on Tuesday of last week.
“This is the same redskin who made his escape from the asylum several times before […] Judge Gifford said to a reporter for this paper on his return that it would be a warm day when the fellow would get the liberty enough to get away.” Unfortunately, the paper did not give the name of this determined patient.
Most escaped patients headed back to their reservations and families. The picture of Dirty John’s cabin represents the type of home they may have returned to.
Log Cabin Belonging to Dirty John, Flathead Reservation, 1909, courtesy Library of Congress
The Badlands, S.D., courtesy Library of Congress
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