Cities across the country. Next, a look at our recent visit to sioux falls, south dakota. You are watching American History tv, all weekend, every weekend, on cspan3. Man has lived on the site of what sioux falls is off and on for thousands of years. Most recently in the 1850s, two rival town companies, one from dubuque, iowa, and one from st. Paul, minnesota, both set their sights on the sioux river falls is a town site and interestingly, both companies arrived within a few weeks of each other. There was speculation. They claimed land. They plotted off into lots and stuff and waited for settlers headed west to come and buy lots in this new town that didnt quite exist yet. That started in 1857, and really in the 1850s, they got along well with the indians who happened by here on their way to other places. And by 1860, there were 42 People Living in sioux falls. In the summer of 1862, there was some conflict with the sioux indians. What was called the sioux uprising by some started in august of 1862. And the territorial governor ordered that the Big Sioux River valley be evacuated. And about the 27th of august, 1862, all the people who lived here were evacuated and abandoned the site of the falls. The site of sioux falls remained abandoned until may of 1865 when the u. S. Army located a fort here on the site of the falls. The fort at sioux falls was called fort dakota, was really one of many forts established throughout the region and it was really, i think, established by a sense of safety and security for those settlers in dakota and also provide a perception of protection for the state of minnesota, which is just a few miles east of us. In putting together this exhibit, we were really lucky in many regards. We have a number of original accounts of the fort, probably one of the best is an account by the post surgeon, an actual official report that was written by him about the Living Conditions at the fort. What the structures were, their sizes, how they were built. It talks about the different kinds of trees that are along the Big Sioux River and the kinds of animals and fish that are available and around. This is all important because it really impacted how these men lived here on the frontier. Another great account was ehrhardt flights. A man who had served three years at fort dakota in the company and his reminiscence as a longtime sioux falls resident about what life was like at the fort, really provided insight. He talks about being able to go down to the falls of the Big Sioux River and catch enough fish to feed the whole company in an hour. And talks about the Company Commander allowed them to go buffalo hunting or elk hunting. So you get the sense of the great bounty that the prairie in the area have. We use those accounts. There are a lot of photographs. The army actually sent photographers here to take pictures of the fort in 1866, again in 1868, and we know another photographer was here in 1869. You get a sense of how that fort evolved over time. When the army abandoned the fort in the summer of 1869, it left behind about 18 different structures of various sizes. As the army left, settlers started moving in, people like Richard Franklin pettigrew spent his first winter living in one of the rooms of the old barracks of fort dakota. But as the new town developed, some of those Old Buildings from the fort were torn down and materials reused. We have one sample left, a log that was secured in 1873 by one of the soldiers who had served at the fort, a gentleman named ehrhardt flight. He had been a german immigrant who worked in the brewing industry before serving in the army. When he was mustered out at fort dakota, he remained here in the area, first homesteading and later working as a brewer and malter for a Brewing Company in sioux falls. He is the one that saved this log from the barracks building and, in 1929, donated it to the Pettigrew Museum in sioux falls. The army actually abandoned the post in late june of 1869. The soldiers from the fort moved west of the Missouri River to fort randall immediately. What they left behind was what became the basis of the new community of sioux falls, and really the heart of the city was fort dakota. Welcome to sioux falls, south dakota. We are located on the eastern side of south dakota. We are right in the heart of some of the richest Agricultural Land in our nation. Ag, we have, to soybeans, the livestock, the cattle, the sheep. And so much more that america probably takes for granted. Basket rightread here in sioux falls, south dakota. We are a city that is just flourishing. Five straight years of construction. G help wanted signs everywhere. You are going to see cranes in the north, south, east, west, and especially the vibrant downtown. Think the secret is out there. Growth, continued continued optimism, continued strength. Our cities tour staff recently traveled to sioux falls, south dakota to learn about its rich history. Learn more about sioux falls another stops on our tour at cspan. Org cities tour. Up next on history bookshelf, stephen gallant talks about his book the kennedy assassination, 24 hours after. Gillon details the hours following the 1963 assassination and the transfer of the presidency from john f. Kennedy to lyndon b. Johnson. This was recorded at barnes and noble in 2009