Tom Hayes - Aberdeen in Vintage Postcards

This is one of the earliest known postmarks from the new town of Aberdeen, Dakota Territory, from two of the pioneer merchants. In fact, Samuel H. Jumper was the very first person to arrive here on the empty prairie as the agent for C.H. Prior, the land agent for Milwaukee Railroad the owner of the town site.

Frank H. Hagerty and his partner, Henry M. Marple, were both prominent territorial pioneer residents and businessmen. These bankers were located on the southwest corner of Main Street and Second Avenue. The Citizens Bank was built upon this location after their bank dissolved. This envelope is from 1885.

C.A. Bliss former partner, Samuel H. Jumper, was an enlightened entrepreneur that was good at starting needed businesses, selling out to his partner, and moving on to another venture. The C.A. Bliss Dry Goods, Groceries & Crockery was located on the northeast corner of Main Street and First Avenue, on the present location of the Dacotah Prairie Museum. This envelope is from 1885.

Horace Greeley was quoted as saying, Go west, young man, go west. And to the west people came as more land was opened up for homesteading. Those who settled in the Aberdeen, Dakota Territory area in the early part of the 1880s had to walk or go by horse to the U.S. Land Office in Watertown to file their claim. And remember, there were no roads or bridges at that time. Finally, the Department of the Interior opened a land office in Aberdeen. This is an example from 1885.

In the 1880s, the Sherman House Hotel was located on the northeast corner of Main Street and Third Avenue, the present location of the New Sherman Apartments. Before this and after the hotel was demolished in the 1970s, they built an albatross of a three-story parking garage that never lasted long as it proved unsafe and was demolished.

This advertising cover from Beard, Gage & Beard, a dry goods and grocery store located on the southeast corner of Main Street and Third Avenue, gave rise to the towns nickname. This nickname, Aberdeen, the Railway Hub of Dakota, was shortened to The Hub City. This map shows all the different railroads and tracks that came through Aberdeen, creating what looks like the spokes of a wheel with Aberdeen as the hub or hubcap. The postmark on this is from 1888.

The Park Place Hotel was located on the southwest corner of Chicago Avenue (now known as Railroad Avenue) and First Street (now known as Washington Street). John Proud was the proprietor. Their rates, in the 1880s were $2 per day and they offered a free bus to and from all trains. This postmark is from 1888.

Aberdeen quickly became one of the larger towns in South Dakota and people in town wanted all the new inventions considered to be modern conveniences. These included indoor plumbing, telephone service, and electricity. Part of this was satisfied by the Aberdeen Light and Fuel Co. that later became known as the Aberdeen Gas and Electric Light Co. This envelope is dated 1892. Their offices were in the Northwestern National Bank Building, which is now the Dacotah Prairie Museum Building.