"Events Leading Up to the Rise & Fall of Vayland"

The above is taken in Vayland, June of 2009.

Well, it's time to return "Vayland Memories: In Broken Down Yard" (South Dakota) by Lora B. Karinene-Venjohn to Art Cavenee. I've got several things of his to put in a mailer, hopefully on Monday. My next trip I hope to get my own copy from the author. I'm wondering what other books she's written.

I'd like to share a few "Events Leading up to the Rise & Fall of the Town of Vayland, SD." These events have made enormous changes in the entire Hand/Beadle/Spinks area of S.D.

1857 - Treaty with Sioux Indians and white settlers
1862 - Homestead Act, US Govt. gave free land (160 acres if could prove up land for 5 yrs.).
1873 - Hand County was created by territory legislature.
1873 - The Depression of 1873. Timber Culture Act provided qtr. section if planted 2700 trees, if 675 "living" trees at grant of patent, land free. Note: I believe that William Daugherty and William Wilson planted their trees...evidence of them still may be seen.
1880 - Small post offices boom.
1879 - Dakota Central RR Company routed RR through Hand Co. with siding/shacks along the route from Minnesota, west.
1882 - A boom period in Hand Co. as 2nd generation settlers arrive.
1888 - Bad blizzard in area leaving 200 dead. Was our gggrandfather, Peter DeLong one of them?
1890 - Tractors powered by internal combustion engines developed. Land: $5.00 an acre.
1893 - Seven Year Drought; Depression of 1893.
1996 - Railroad reaches Silex #2, rename siding Vayland
1900 - steam engines started replacing horses.
1900-1910 - Early businesses in Vayland boom (see previous posting for description)
1908-1927 - Model T appears, gas refueling station is opened in Vayland.
1910 - gas fueled tractor is replacing the steam engine with 3-5 bottom plows.
1920 - The population of Vayland was 200 with 33 businesses.
1920-30's - State acquired more mortgaged land. This deflationary period lent to the depression as population drops. Many folks from Vayland moved their houses somewhere else.
1920-33 - Period of National Prohibition. Women pushed for the right to vote.
1925 - 175 state-chartered banks closed because of shrinking property values. People of SD lost over $39 million.
Oct., 1929 - Stock Market Crash.
The Dirty Thirties - Drought and 1933 grasshopper infestation.
1930 - Great Depression/New Deal w FDR; Gov't surplus; buy back cattle @$1.00 each and slaughter NW of Vayland
1934 - Disaster Relief programs implemented.
1939-40"s - 300,000 acres sold @$20.48 per acre. Big family, cooperative farmers were able to acquire lrger farming acreages. Little farming operations dwindled.(2009 - land @ $1800 an acre).
1981 - Roger Venjohn moved his family & business to Vayland to start a scrap yard business.