About Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889
Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.] (1880-1889)

Yankton Daily Press and Dakotaian, Daily Press and Dakotaian and Press and Daily Dakotaian

The gold fever of the 1870s made Yankton, South Dakota, with its railroad terminus and a bustling river port, the principal supply depot for miners. George Kingsburg and Wheeler S. Bowen decided to publish a daily version of the Yankton Black Hiller with the miners as their target audience. Kingsburg and Bowen had been partners since 1873 on the weekly Yankton Press and Union and Dakotaian.

Their daily paper helped encourage the campaign to obtain the new "El Dorado," the Black Hills, from the Native Americans. The Yankton Black Hiller was so well received that the owners/writers launched on April 26, 1875, the Yankton Daily Press and Dakotaian. The new paper appeared every morning except on Mondays and consisted of four six-column pages. Beginning on June 7, 1875, it was published every evening, excluding Sundays. On November 5, 1875, the Yankton Daily Press and Dakotaian was renamed the Daily Press and Dakotaian. On May 26, 1880, the paper expanded to seven columns with four to six pages, as well as adopting a new header. Its new title, the Press and Daily Dakotaian,debuted on June 13, 1880; the spelling was changed to Dakotan on April 26, 1889.

The Daily Press and Dakotaian reported on happenings in Yankton and the surrounding area as well as news from larger cities such as Sioux Falls, Sioux City, Chicago, and St. Louis. It was one of the many papers that covered the death of the Governor William A. Howard on April 10, 1880, an event which shocked the entire territory. The Daily Press and Dakotaian described Governor Howard as "a steadfast friend, a wise counselor, and unflinching patriot...[who] gave his entire life to the good of man and battled persistently against evil whenever and wherever it raised its front." To show its grief, the town of Yankton flew flags at half-mast and closed executive offices and draped them in crepe.

The diversity in the subjects covered and descriptive writing made the Press and Daily Dakotaian one of the most popular papers in what later became South Dakota. There was little room for competition, and smaller presses were often merged into the Daily Press and Dakotan. Kingsbury and Bowen sold the paper to David E. Lloyd in 1902, after which it was sold to Willard C. Lusk, who combined the Daily Press and Dakotan with a paper called the Yankton Daily Gazette.The Press and Dakotan-Gazette continued until 1906.

Provided by: South Dakota State Historical Society – State Archives