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Huron On the "Jim" -- Prospective Capital For the State of South Dakota

The First Printed Map of Huron, South Dakota

Rare separately published promotional map of Huron, Dakota Territory, published for the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad Land Department.

The map would seem to be the earliest surviving map of the town of Huron. 

The map is annotated from and back by an early owner.

This 1883 map of Huron in the Dakota Territory provides a meticulously structured view of the city, with its gridded streets surrounding the Chicago & North-Western Railway, which bisects the map diagonally from the northeast to the southwest. The map, rooted in the city’s foundational period during the 1880s railroad and land booms, reveals Huron's early urban design and infrastructure.

e early history of the town is closely linked with the Chicago and Northwestern Railway. At the direction of Marvin Hughitt, general manager of the railroad, the west bank of the James River was selected as the railway's division headquarters.  

Notable areas such as the capitol grounds are marked, reflecting Huron's ambitions to become the state capital, a contest it maintained against Pierre until 1904. The insert from the map includes a "Note" section detailing various railway additions, which are sections of the city designated for development by the railway company, and indicating the blocks that comprise each addition. It specifies that lots marked "O" have been sold, indicating ongoing property transactions and the expansion of the city in response to the influx of settlers and commercial activities at the time.

On the verso, detailed promotional texts aim to attract settlers and investors, extolling the virtues of Huron and its prospects, along with a map showing the routes of the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad, with an extension via stage route to Deadwood. A number of towns are stamped in red on the map, likely new company towns, founded by the railroad.

Rarity

The map is very rare. 

OCLC locates 1 example (Denver Public Library).

We were unable to locate any other examples for sale or at auction.