FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  Sept. 5, 2007
CONTACT:  Nancy Tystad Koupal, (605) 773-3458 

Dakota missionaries, railroad surveying expedition featured in

latest issue of South Dakota History

PIERRE, S.D. -- Facing the challenges of a hostile environment in a largely unknown territory is the theme of the new summer issue of South Dakota History, the quarterly journal of the South Dakota State Historical Society.

Missionaries venturing onto the northern plains in the 1830s intended to civilize and Christianize American Indians. Their attempts to change native religion, language and ways of life, however, were often met with great opposition and hostility. In “‛Leagued together’: Dakota Resistance to ABCFM Missionaries and the Treaty of 1837,” Linda M. Clemmons explores the efforts of the Dakota Indians to force the missionaries out and close the mission churches and schools. Clemmons is an associate professor of history at Illinois State University-Normal.

In “Captain Javan B. Irvine and the 1871 Eastern Yellowstone Surveying Expedition,” M. John Lubetkin describes the attempt of surveyors for the Northern Pacific Railroad Company to find a rail route across northern Dakota Territory. The expedition, which included a large military escort under an incompetent commanding officer, left Fort Rice in late summer 1871. During their 40-day journey, the men faced a raging prairie fire, drastic weather changes, and fear of Indian attacks. Lubetkin’s account is based on four unpublished field diaries, including that of Captain Javan B. Irvine, who was stationed at Fort Sully with the 22nd Infantry Regiment. Lubetkin, of McLean, Va., is the author of a book on the Northern Pacific Railroad.

In a special “Dakota Resources” feature, Chelle Somsen describes the Javan B. Irvine Collection, housed at the South Dakota State Historical Society. Captain Irvine’s diaries, personal correspondence, and papers from his Civil War service through his years at Fort Sully are available to researchers in the State Archives at the Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre. Somsen is the state archivist with the South Dakota State Historical Society.

Basil Clement (Claymore), a trapper for the American Fur Company, is featured in “Dakota Images.” His knowledge of Dakota Territory and the Missouri River enabled him to work for the United States government as a scout, and he helped to guide the eastern Yellowstone surveying expedition in 1871. Jennifer Littlefield of the South Dakota State Historical Society provides the profile on Clement.

South Dakota History is a benefit of membership in the South Dakota State Historical Society. Memberships and individual copies of the magazine may be purchased from the society at 900 Governors Drive, Pierre, SD 57501-2217; by phone at (605) 773-6009; or through the South Dakota State Historical Society Press Web site at www.sdshspress.com.