The Aberdeen South Dakota Commercial Historic District

Railroad Town Hub City and Main Street Commercial Development

Since its founding in 1881, Aberdeen has been the dominant regional commercial center for northeast South Dakota and the Aberdeen Commercial Historic District is the commercial core of this regional hub. Main Street is a homogeneous collection of brick buildings built between 1884 and 1983, with special emphasis on the 1908-29 period. The district conveys a strong feeling of architectural cohesiveness with design elements such as corbelling and geometric brick and concrete patterns as distinguishing features that reinforce the feeling of time and place.

General Characteristics the Aberdeen Commercial Historic District extends six full blocks on either side of the predominant commercial street in town, Main Street. All eighty-two buildings were built for commercial use, except for the recent brick Sherman Apartments and the 1899 Masonic Temple. As befits a railroad town, the linear district emanates from the source of Aberdeen's establishment, the Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad tracks, then continues south to Sixth Avenue - Highway 12.

The commercial development of Main Street has been continuous and the break in construction between 1938 and 1951 offers a distinct end to the period of significance, 1884 to 1938. The lengthy, four-decades-long period provides a significant continuum that illustrates the initial and unbroken economic vitality of Main Street. Within this fifty-four-year period of significance is a notable cluster of construction dates. Fully forty of the eighty-two buildings were built between 1908 and 1929, reflecting the boom years of Aberdeen's and South Dakota's commercial development.

Aberdeen was born of railroad construction and the related Dakota land boom of the 1880s. The selection of a site reflected the economic motives behind its creation. Representatives of the Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad were responsible for the town's founding and based their selection on the best chance for maximum economic return. They chose this site at the expense of the existing settlement of Columbia, favoring an intersection point with the North-Western Railroad, fully recognizing the economic dividends of a location at two intersecting rail lines.

The site was very flat and low. Sloughs and marshes greeted the actual surveyors in the fall of 1880. A town plan, named for the home town of Milwaukee Road president Alexander Mitchell, was filed on January 3, 1881, and the first lot buyers arrived that spring. The first train stopped at the station at the north end of Main Street on July 6, 1881, and from then on building after building was erected in rapid succession, according to contemporary reports by pioneer merchant T. Clarkson Gage. By that fall there were reportedly 250 residents.

Lots on Main Street sold for $125 for a 25-foot frontage, $150 for corner sites

The early buildings were small, hastily constructed wood frame stores with boom town fronts. With the highly advantageous position at the crossing of two rail lines and the resulting converging travelers, merchandise, and commodities, Aberdeen was immediately a locus for commercial enterprise in Brown County. The county grew from just 353 people in 1880 to 12,241 five years later, approximately 2,000 of them in Aberdeen.

By 1886 the eminence of Aberdeen was assured. Now three railroads served the community, giving the city the sobriquet, the Hub City. The U.S. Land Office opened an office there, and all manner of commercial enterprise served the growing hinterland. An 1889 city directory, for example, lists no less than eleven farm implement dealers, six banks and eight mortgage companies, seven dry goods stores, twenty hotels and boarding houses, six newspapers, and ten saloons

Depression and Rebuilding 1890-1929. The late 1880s also brought the end of the initial and speedy prosperity of the heady settlement era. Crop failures, then a nationwide financial depression in the 1890s ended the construction boom and stilled commercial development in Aberdeen. None of the extant buildings along Main Street apparently were built between 1893 and 1898. At the turn of the century came another cycle of plenty which continued unabated into the 1920s. Again, a land boom triggered speculation; rising crop prices brought a return to prosperity. Population mushroomed from 4,087 in 1900 to 10,150 a decade later, a 160 percent increase.

The further development of Main Street reflected the newfound abundance in Aberdeen, both in its expansion and in the quality of construction. Larger and more permanent and costly brick- veneered replacements dotted Main Street; every decade brought a spate of new buildings. Aberdonians gained the largest steel and concrete building in the state, except for the contemporary State Capitol. Built the following year, the McDiarmid & Slater Building occupied a pivotal corner site on the south end of block five, west side. Its distinctive tan brick with contrasting red- brown brick, corbelled cornice and lively geometric patterns exemplified Aberdeen commercial buildings from the early twentieth century.

. In 1926 the elaborate five- story Capitol Theater opened, its exotic Moorish and Gothic Revival motifs and immense neon sign a beacon on Saturday nights.

The 1920s marked the arrival of national chain stores in Aberdeen. Kresge and J.C. Penney

The Great Depression 1929-41. Following WWI and the related slide in farm product prices, agricultural areas such as northeast South Dakota suffered an economic decline. In 1929 the boom period ended in earnest nationally with the dramatic end to high stock market prices. Aberdeen was still the largest town on the Milwaukee Road between Minneapolis and Butte, Montana. With its large trading area extending from Roberts County west to the Missouri River and from the North Dakota border south to Redfield, it still could count on retail and wholesale sales, but at a diminished rate.  

Design Sources for many of the Main Street buildings are likely the product of presently anonymous practices--contractors, pattern books, local architects. During the rebuilding years of the early twentieth century, it is known that architects flocked to booming Aberdeen. Little has been identified about Aberdeen architects, but the 1910 city directory listed no less than seven architects.

Un Viaggio nel Sud Dakota

laghi glaciali praterie pionieri nativi americani e architettura nel centro del Vecchio West

Il Sud Dakota e’ composto da quattro regioni: I laghi glaciali e le praterie nel Nordest, il Sudest, i grandi laghi e le Badlands ad Ovest del fiume Missouri.  

Aberdeen e’ la principale cittadina del Nordest. Abitata dai Sioux prima dell’arrivo degli Europei verso il 1820. Come tanti altri centri del Midwest, Aberdeen e’ stata sviluppata intorno alle ferrovie costruite dopo la Guerra Civile; le abitazioni e gli edifici pubblici presentano una combinazione di architettura moderna e classica.

Fort Sisseton Historic State Park Rievoca le Tradizioni dei Nativi Americani Pionieri e la Cavalleria USA

Nicollet Tower, una struttura alta 75 piedi che porta il nome dell’ esploratore francese Joseph Nicollet che visito’ questo territorio nel 1839, offer un panorama mozzafiato che copre tre stati.

Watertown, la citta’ dei laghi, e’ anche rinomata per lo Zoo Bramble Park ed il centro per le arti Terry Redin, ritenuto tra gli artisti piu’ popolari degli Stati Uniti. 

Brookings e’ un piccolo centro universitario con diversi musei tra cui un Museo d’Arte, il Museo dei Bambini ed il Museo delle Tradizioni Agricole I Giardini McCrory sono considerati tra I 10 migliori giardini botanici del paese 10 small botanical gardens in the United States. South Dakota State University e’ un centro per la ricerca dell’ agricoltura e la produzione sul campus di ottimi gelati e formaggi. both made at the university.

De Smet e’ famosa per Little House on the Prairie, il libro di avventura dei pionieri di Laura Ingalls Wilder. Potrai visitare Ingalls Homestead e diversi altri luoghi resi famosi da questa rinomata autrice.

Visita il Sud Dakota con Knowledge Tourism

Sioux Falls e’ la Principale Citta’ del Sud Dakota

Il Museo Nazionale della Musica, con sede nella cittadina di Vermillion, contiene oltre 13.500 strumenti musicali rari mentre il Museo W.H. Over Museum specializza nella storia naturale e culturale di questo stato.

Yankton e’ stata la prima capitale del Territorio del Dakota. Gli esploratori Lewis e Clark furono trai I primi a visitare il territorio. Oggi, l’omonimo lago offre molteplici attivita’ recreative all’aperto. Da visitare: il Museo Territoriale del Dakota e diverse abitazioni private con notevoli pregi architettonici.

Il Centro Culturale e Museo Akta Lakota Chamberlain-Oacoma

Il Buffalo Interpretive Center una esperienza formativa sulla storia del buffalo e l’effetto sulla cultura delle tribu’ native americane mentre Badlands National Park copre 97,600 ettari.

Nel 1743 a Fort Pierre il Territorio del Sud Dakota fu dichiarato parte della Francia

Rapid City e’ centralmente ubicata per visitare le Black Hills, Mount Rushmore, il Memoriale a Crazy Horse, il Museo Indiano del Nord America, Custer State Park e le Badlands. La citta’ contiene due distretti storici; al centro, potrai visitare palazzi come la First National Bank, risalente al 1914, mentre il distretto residenziale nella parte Ovest di Rapid City presenta esempi di architettura del XIX ed I primi del XX secolo nell’arco di 18 isolati. Da non perdere, diversi piccolo comuni ricchi di storia, tra cui:

Keystone, un borgo di montagna con delle miniere d’oro dismesse;

Hill City e' raggiungibile con un treno storico che risale al 1880 per ammirare le opera di artisti del luogo e degustare i vini particolari della Cantina Prairie Berry;

Deadwood e’ la piu’ rinomata delle cittadine del Vecchio West. Al cimitero di Mount Moriah riposano Wild Bill Hickok e Calamity Jane. Deadwood continua la sua fama di spregiudicatezza con i suoi ben 80 casino’ ma offre anche importanti attivita’ recreative all’aperto come la Mikelson Trail, un percorso per bici e passeggio lungo oltre 109 miglia, che attraversa le mitiche Black Hills.

Aberdeen South Dakota

Aberdeen South Dakota Before the arrival of European settlers, the area was inhabited by the Sioux Indians. The first group of Euro-American settlers to reach the area in the 1820s was a party of four people, three horses, two mules, fifteen cattle, and two wagons. This group of settlers was later joined by another group the following spring, and eventually more settlers migrated toward this general area. Like many towns of the Midwest, Aberdeen was built around the newly developing railroads. Officially plotted as a town site on January 3, 1881 by the Milwaukee Road which was presided over by Alexander Mitchell, who was born in Scotland, hence the name Aberdeen. The town was was officially founded on July 6, 1881, the date of the first arrival of a Milwaukee Railroad train.

The Dacotah Prairie Museum The idea for a community museum in Aberdeen dates back almost 70 years. In 1938, John Murphy, a Northern State College professor, and Marc Cleworth, a salesman, created the Northern South Dakota History Museum which was housed in the Central building on Northern's campus. The collection of this first museum grew rapidly through loans and donations until by 1941, it had amassed a collection of over 500 items.
 

The Pheasant Canteen Exhibit, located in the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul railroad depot on north Main Street, opened on August 19, 1943 as a project of the American Red Cross and the USO. Its purpose was to bring food and encouragement to servicemen and women who were traveling through Aberdeen toward training facilities or deployment. An average of 500 military persons a day passed through Aberdeen on 4-6 trains. The Pheasant Canteen was known for its pheasant sandwiches. Farmers first donated the pheasants for the sandwiches and later pheasant hunts were organized to aid the canteen. The last meal was served on March 31, 1946.
The Historic Alonzo Ward Hotel has been restored to its full grandeur as demonstrated by the elegance, architectural detail and fine appointments of the lobby. Dining at the Ward Plaza is an experience in itself; a unique combination featuring American and International cuisine artfully presented and creatively prepared.

Aberdeen Trails Since 1989, over 20 miles of trails have been developed for use by the citizens of Aberdeen. The trails are meant for a multiplicity of users including bicyclists, walkers, and joggers. Trails are either constructed on public rights of way along greenways, through park areas, or along city streets.
The Aberdeen Community Theater on historic Main Street opened in January of 1927. This French art deco theater is also home to the Capitol Theatre which has been providing quality, award-winning live theater productions for northeastern South Dakota. Along with ACT’s live theater season between April and November, the Capitol Cinema programming features special film events throughout the year and Hollywood films seven nights a week from December to March.

The Highlands Historical District Featuring homes built from 1907 to 1969, it is comprised of 17 houses. The area was first given the lofty title of highlands because it rose three feet higher than the commercial district which was located in a slough. Over the years, houses of varying styles have been blended together to form a pleasing combination of both modern and classical architecture. Many of the homes are among the most outstanding examples of period architecture in the state.
The Grassland Hutterite Colony Discover a people whose ingenuity allows them to fashion their own clothing, handcraft their own furniture, and live in a self-sustaining community. A truly unique culture that has changed little in over four centuries and has thrived more than a century in South Dakota. Tour the wood working shop where some of the finest wood furniture in South Dakota is made, the granite shop and turkey barns. Then experience German food and fresh vegetables from the 15 acre garden.
The Ethanol Corn Industry learn how corn gets made into the ethanol. Also experience hunting, fishing and numerous other outdoors sports activities.

Bieber Red Angus Ranch is approximately 9000 acres. Bieber’s run 700 Red Angus cows and handle all the development bulls and heifers. Great pride is taken in managing the grasslands that the Red Angus herd grazes. Grassland is one of the largest recyclers of CO2 and good management of that grassland is essential to the sustainability of the operation. The operation take prides on working cattle on horses. Branding happen in early April, Late April and early June. Visiting this operation will give participants a great insight into the use of agricultural land to rough for grain production and how efficient beef cattle are in using this landscape.

Wylie Park Step back in time and experience all the childhood fables you grew to know and love. L. Frank Baum, noted author and resident of Aberdeen from 1888 to 1891, wrote his story and timeless children's classic, "The Wizard of Oz." The theme, setting and characters from "The Wizard of Oz" provided the inspiration for Aberdeen's newest theme park. The Land of Oz features several attractions including Dorothy's House, complete with tornado special effects. See cows and chickens fly through the air! Your group will have a chance to visit Munchkin Land, Scarecrow's and Tin Man's houses. Travel the Yellow Brick Road through the Haunted Forest, where the Talking Trees shout out as you make you way to the Lion's Den and the Wicked Witch's Castle.

Aberdeen's magical theme park, Storybook Land Follow the Yellow Brick Road to a land of enchantment which includes more than 65 larger than life nursery rhyme-themed exhibits. Visit a medieval castle, complete with moat and guarded by knights in armor. See Rapunzel with her hair let down over the castle wall waiting for her prince to arrive. Climb aboard Captain Hook's boat, see Humpty Dumpty's Wall, or crawl through the tunnel to the middle of "Dog Town," a prairie dog exhibit at the zoo.