Sylvester jones conklin
Preface
This a history of Sylvester J. Conklin an Icon of Clark county. Most of the material in this history is taken from any available local information, the United states census, Ancestry .com, Family Search, and S J. Conklin's own notes.
When I started this history, I knew that it was going, to be different. There were so many things that were accomplished, in such a short period of time .I would have to say that there success came from there faith, there mind, and there willingness to work and to try anything, and every one of these pioneers was very proficient in something. This is pioneer history, and the trials and tribulations that these pioneers went through are similar to; the others, but in this story they went through the whole process of getting Clark Center (as it was called) designated as a county and Clark as the county seat. The people in this story are real, and they have to be very exceptional, very intelligent, diligent, very hard working, and very remarkable to say the least. The story is a history of South Dakota Pioneers and the end of the story is the birth of Clark County, South Dakota, and this they passed on us.
There will be some errors (I hope not) and if anyone has any additional information, or corrections let me no. I know of one that I might be asked about and, this is on Mervin Wait, or Marvin Wait, in the Census it is spelled both ways, and I put it down the way it was spelled.
The primary character of this story is S. J. Conklin who was born in Greenwood Steuben New York in 1829. He lived in New York during his early years. This is where he studied to be a Lawyer, and this is where Mr. Conklin and was married to Maria Wait, circa 1848. There first child Alice was born in 1849, The second child was Emmet Frank born in 1851, and there third Child ,Francis Charles was Born in 1853. Mr. Conklin enlisted as a Quartermaster during the Civil War in 1865 on Feb. 08 and was Commissioned in Company S 48th Infantry Regiment, Wisconsin and was mustered out on December 30, 1865. Circa 1860 or 1865 the Conklins moved to Waterloo County, Jefferson, Wisconsin. Alice Conklin and Mervin Wait and were either married before they moved to Wisconsin or while they were in Wisconsin, because the census shows that there two children Claude and Maude were born in Wisconsin.
Sylvester Jones Conklin could be called the father of Clark County, Mr. Conklin was one of the first five pioneers to stake claims in Clark County. In 1879, he filed a preemption where the original town site is, and a tree claim to the southwest. The Land description is South west 1/4 Section 6 Day township, East 1/2 of section 12, Lincoln Township. Sylvester's original plan when he reached Watertown was to make his home in the Watertown area, but there wasn't any land available, he found the lands in the vicinity covered by soldiers decelerator's but he did start a newspaper, "The Dakota News", at Watertown and this he continued to publish for several years. This news paper, influenced many people into coming to Clark County.
He went to the land agents, some of these land agents arrived the year before, and he found that the land in this vicinity was covered by soldiers declarations; all or nearly all of which turned out, to be bogus entries It was later discovered that they were also fraudulent and and also some of the homestead filings and tree claim filings were fraudulent. This scheme was found to be controlled by a small group of land thieves, and a group of them had been sent to prison. The irony of this was that one of the individuals that was involved in this scheme hired Mr. Conklin for advice.
Because he couldn't get any land around Watertown without buying a relinquishment of one of the fraudulent filings, he studied the territorial map, and decided on Clark County to start a settlement.
On his first trip to Clark County, he hired S. W. Bowman of Ashton, who was a resident of Watertown, to guide him and Capt. M .V. B. Hutchinson to the center of Clark county and see what they could find. They took a four day supply food, a keg of water, and blankets. The three pioneers started this trip on the fifteenth day of September, 1879. Mr. Bowman, there guide selected a section line just west of Watertown and using a compass to guide them they headed for Clark county to look for land and a town site. After leaving Lake Kampeska they found just two homesteaders, Mr. Buell and Mr. Disbrow, who were located near where the village of Henry is now located. They reached the center of Clark county and the corner of four townships about 2: P. M. The land hunters then had lunch and spent about two hours looking over the land and were well pleased with what they saw.
There were only four settlers in the entire county, and Mr Bowman knew about where they were located. The Settlers where John Bailey and his wife and Joseph Woodland and his family, they were located 12 miles north of the future location of Clark on a small lake that they had named Bailey's Lake. Thomas Dean was located at Oak Gulch, this was North west of Bailey's lake, and then there was Michael Kelley, who was located about 12 miles west of Bailey's lake near the future home of the town of Raymond. The three land hunters stayed at Kelly's that night, and the next day they returned to the future location of Clark, and they commenced selecting claims for themselves, and a Claim for Mattie E. Greenslet, who had authorized Mr. Bowman to do this for her. Mr. Conklin is supposed to have made the statement, (when he drove the stake in his claim ) "here will be the future County county seat of Clark county, and the Northwestern Railway will build west from Watertown and pass through or with in a mile of this stake. " and he was right.
Two weeks later they made a second trip, this time with out Mr. Bowman, and they were accompanied by W. O. Frazer, Frank Hoskins, and Mrs. M. E. Greenslet, she came along to see the claim that Mr Bowman had selected for her. Hoskins selected the quarter of land west of Mrs. Greenslet and Mr. Conklin's claim. When they had finished with there project, they started north heading for Bailey's lake, and soon found themselves in a couple of feet of water, and very thick reeds and brush, they stopped and considered trying to go back but finally agreed to go on. Mr. Conklin was standing up looking over the tall reeds, and telling Frank where to drive, and they soon were up on higher ground, and they didn't have any difficulty in finding Bailey's Lake.
They found Mr. Bailey and his wife in a 12 by 16 rough board shanty , but they also had a sod shanty that they lived in the winter before, and probably would, the next winter also.
They also found Joseph Woodland who was also living in a sod house, and here they found the first prairie sod that had been plowed, and the first growing crop, in Clark County. This crop was purple Top strap leaved turnip, they were the largest that they had ever seen. The Potatoes that were planted were ready to be dug, and they were of a good size.
The next day they started there return trip to Watertown, they took a south easterly course to Disbrow's , which was still fourteen miles from Watertown but in fear of getting lost in the dark they decided to stay there overnight. The men stayed at Disbrow's and Mrs Greenslet stayed with a Mrs. Buell. Mrs Buell was very happy and delighted to have the company she hadn't seen another women for nearly five month's. The next day they returned to Watertown.
Two weeks later Mr. Bailey came into Watertown from Bailey's Lake with a load of his purple top turnips and gave one of the largest to Mr. Conklin, who promptly placed it on exhibition in his office. A few days later some Railway Magnates came in on a special car, and Mr. Conklin made it his special project to show them the huge turnip. Mr. Conklin and the railroads chief engineer measured and weighed it. The turnip weighed in at forty one pounds, and it was forty two inches around it. The railroad supervisors had it taken to Chicago where it was exhibited, on the board of trade, then it was sent to New York City where it was exhibited further.
Mr. Conklin had put up a shanty on his claim in Clark County, but In the fall of 1880 he gave this claim shanty to his son Frank. His intentions were to build a larger house on his own claim, but this was hindered by an early snowstorm in the winter of 1880-1881. This blizzard lasted for three days from October 15 - 17, leaving behind and average depth of snow of 17 inches. This was an early start to the infamous winter of 1880 and 1881.
Mr. Conklin Left for Chicago on the 9th of January 1881 on the last train out of Watertown on Business with promoting Clark County in mind. There wasn't any travel in or out of Watertown the rest of the winter up until the 6th of May. Mr. Conklin was in Chicago promoting Clark county, when the snow blockade was put in effect on train traffic to Watertown. The blockade was on from the 9th of January until the 6th of May. There were reports of people starving, and freezing to death in the Dakota's. Mr. Conklin didn't believe these reports but he was quite concerned, his family was living in Watertown. The town of Watertown had population of 300 people or less, and they were in area that was reported to be running out of food and fuel. Most of these reports were later proved to be untrue, but at this time Mr. Conklin was quite concerned abut his family's safety and welfare. His Wife was living with there Daughter, Alice, her husband Mervin Wait, and there two children Claude and Maude. Mr. Conklin had quite an experience in trying to get back to the Watertown, and I won't go into all of the details, but with changing trains, and collaborating with the Western Union Telegraph Company, he finally made it as far west as Sleepy Eye Minnesota, from here he kept in touch with Watertown, and checking on the conditions. He found out that the report that was printed in the paper of people starving, freezing to death, and dying, were all false. When he was satisfied that the people in Watertown and in South Dakota were well, even though they were running short of coal and some foodstuffs, but they were all well, and there spirits were high. Mr. Conklin still was not done. In Sleepy there was a village full of delayed people who had tickets to Watertown but could not go further. They had arrived there just after the blockade went into effect and become stranded their. The railroad company was paying their hotel bills until it could deliver them to Watertown, but there were 200 men that were being sent to Watertown , plus the salesmen and other travelers. Sleepy eye was just a little village at this time, so the conditions at best would have been quite crowded. There is a little trivia, that needs to be mentioned here, while in Sleepy Eye. A Watertown Furniture man (Peter Mauseth a Norwegian) brought mail in from Watertown on a pair of Norwegian "skis" and took mail back to Watertown. (only one trip is mentioned)
The blockade was raised when warm weather and rains arrived, the train arrived in Watertown on May the sixth. This train consisted of five coaches loaded with the 200 men who had been delayed at Sleepy Eye, as before stated , together with traveling salesmen and business men from Minneapolis and elsewhere, some of these people were there just to see for themselves what the situation was.
A freight train following the coaches was loaded with general supplies. One of the printers from the Dakota News was there to meet Mr. Conklin, and filled him in on on the news sordid and other. The people were blaming Mr. Conklin for not getting the railroad opened sooner, they believed that had it not been for Mr. Conklin and his work the road would have been opened; and an indignation meeting had been hel,d at which he had been denounced in a speech by a leading citizen. Mr. Conklin told his partner, (W. A. Fraser), that within 60 days there circulation would be double, and this turned out to be true.
In the spring of 1881 Mr. Conklin had to rush materials to Clark to build another claim shanty in order to comply with the Law. I should mention here, that all of the pioneers weren't the best of friends. One of the early Pioneers "Frank Hoskins" had contested Mr. Conklin's claim application, because he hadn't lived there for the required period of time. This was true, but the weather was the culprit, and being a lawyer he got this settled, but this was the reason for the rush to get lumber out to his claim, and build a new claim shack, this would put him in compliance with the law. I should also mention here that there were many confrontations between Mr. Conklin, and Frank Hoskins. By this time the Waits had returned from Iowa, to South Dakota and built a house
on their claim. This house was built so they could adequately take care of Mrs. Conklin.
Maria (Wait) Conklin. Was born in New York April 10, 1830, and died in Clark South Dakota on Nov. 18, 1883. Maria and were married circa 1848 in New york.
Circa 1860 the Conklin family moved to Waterloo Jefferson Wisconsin, Mr. Conklin was a commissioner
Mattie E. Greenslet Mattie came to Clark in 1880 From Ohio with an adopted son "Fred" She was listed in the census as a Widow and Cook. Mattie built a hotel called "the Clark house" in Section 6 in Township 116 North Range 57 west. (this location was located in the Northeast corner of the present Catholic cemetery). Mrs. Mattie Greenslet had Mr. Bowman of Ashton SD stake this claim for her. Mr. Bowman also staked a claim for Captain Hutchinson just north of Matties Claim. With what money she had and what credit she could get she had the Clark House built at this location, and it was called the "Clark house" . The Clark House was also designated as the official headquarters of the County government.
The Taft Brothers Had a stage line running between Watertown and Belcher's ford on the James river. The Taft Brothers built a one room house, and a sod barn for a stop on the stage line for a stop.. This stage stop and line were on the section line a mile north of the present Highway 212. There is a marker on Max Benson's land that marks the spot where the stage buildings were located. The first mail to come to Clark came to this location and the people would come and sort through it. Dell Taft was appointed Postmaster in May 1881, this post he held until 1888 when M. V. B. Hutchinson was appointed Postmaster. .
It was in the last days of December, 1881, Mrs. Greenslet went to visit her sister in Chicago, leaving Captain Hutchinson and Grandma Van Dusen, to manage her hotel while she was gone. Soon after Mattie left about four'0 clock in the afternoon while supper was being prepared, the house burned down the fire was supposedly started from a stove pipe.
The Clark house burned in the winter of 1882, and new quarters had to be arranged for, this was accomplished with an agreement with the Clark County Bank, to use the second floor of the bank and special access to a vault for the county papers. The bank was located on the corner of first and Iowa (Smith) Street. This building was later used as the title and abstract office until it also burned in 1962. The district attorney's office was then located in the Pilot Review offices.
Clark Center was without a shelter for a traveler or land seeker. The railroad cars were expected to reach Clark the next summer, and something had to be done. Mr. Conklin entered into a partnership with Mattie, she was to invest with him in building a hotel and was to run it; and so a 36X56 foot building was built to be the new "Clark House" . It was a year later that Mr. Conklin and Mrs Greesfeldt were married in the parlor of this new hotel. A few years later they rented out the the hotel, and they moved to Watertown, and in April, of 1889 Mrs. Greenslet became seriously ill, and died. This was a very trying time for Mr. Conklin His wife (Mrs Greenslet), had died, the wife of his Son Frank died, and the mother of Roscoe Conklin died, and a three months old baby, died, and four days after Matties death, the wife of his son Charles passed away, after an illness of only four days. and at this same time Mr. Conklin was lying helpless and for seven days of this time he was unconscious, from malignant erysipelas and the doctors two from Watertown, and two from Clark gave him just a few days to live, but he did live and with several surgical operations he fooled the doctors, and came home July 3.
Emmet Frank Conklin (b 1851) (d 1932 Spirit Lake Idaho) the oldest Son of Mr. Conklin arrived in Clark in the spring of 1881. He was the seventh to establish a claim by 1880.His wife and four children stayed in Watertown over the winter and Joined Frank in Spring of 1881. He chose land on the east edge of Clark, and started a small newspaper in the Autumn of 1881, call the the "Review" . Frank had a Washington hand press with small pica type that he set up in a tar paper shanty on his property. As subscribers increased he would take this paper to Watertown where his Father S. J. Conklin had his newspaper, and have it printed, and then he would send them out with whatever mail service was available. This is how the Clark County Courier was started. " Frank Conklin came to Clark in 1880 and started the first newspaper The Clark Pilot, In 1882 Farrington and Johnson start the Clark Review, In 1884 Cal Simmons was printing the Golden sheaf at Clark. In 1887 the two combined to form the Clark Publishing Co. and Fs. Pruyn became editor in 1889. In 1901 E.S. Ashley started the Clark republic, Seven years later the name was changed to The Clark Republic Courier. R. A. Dunham, a Clark Attorney traded a Minnesota farm for the courier, and hired C. E. Barnes as Editor. Barnes was followed by F. J. Brown, and J. k. Cole as editors. The Clark Republic Courier became the Clark County Courier in 1911". Frank took the first census in Clark County in 1880, He was the first clerk of the district court for several years, and postmaster for several years. Franks wife Louesa died in 1885 There youngest Daughter "Ruth" was two years old when her mother died and she was being raised by her grandparents the Conklin's and the A.F. Mattice.") Stayed in Clark, Ruth stayed in Clark. Frank Left the area in 1895 first going to Minneapolis and finally to Spirit Lake Idaho, where he died in 1932 he was 78 years old
Alice Conklin the oldest of the Conklin Children, Married Marvin Wait and they had two children, Claude and Maude. The Waits homesteaded in Clark county. Before they came to Clark, they were at Cerro Gordo Iowa, and farmed there, according to the census. The census also shows them taking care of Alice's Mother Maria Conklin. When they homesteaded in Clark County they also took care of Mrs Conklin until she passed away in May 18, 1883 at this time. Mervin was also a druggist, Mervin Wait started his drug store on the North side of first street, this building burned down in 1890, He moved to commercial street, but then in 1890 this building perished in a fire, then he moved back to New York. (according to the census).
Charles F. Conklin born in 1853 and is thought have died in Idaho, and was buried there. Martha, Charles's wife died at Clark in 1889, and is buried in the family plot at Rose Hill Cemetery. One child a Girl, Fearna Died in Clark in 1889, and she is also buried in the Rose Hill. . He filed on a Claim in Clark County Day township section 30 S 1/2. Nothing else is known about him as of now, he is thought to be buried in Idaho.
Thomas Dean, and his wife Jane (Woodland) Dean went through one of the most remarkable pioneer experiences that I have ever heard of. The Deans came to South Dakota in December 1879. They stopped at the Joseph Woodlands home, and then proceeded to there homestead which was a small part of Oak Gulch. Oak Gulch is located 28 miles North west of Clark. This was in late December, and they new that winter was near, but with true Pioneer spirit they set out with 8 X 8 foot tent that they had made themselves, and went to there claim and excavating in the bank of the gulch for a chimney, they then set up there tent against it, then they started their fire, and cooked there first meal in there own home, on there own claim and were ready for there first South Dakota Winter.
The next two years are the most remarkable experience that any pioneer has ever experienced. This an account written by Mrs. Dean and printed by S. J. Conklin in his notes.
"We were sixty miles from Watertown and twenty one miles from our nearest neighbors, Father and John Bailey at Bailey's Lake; my husband could obtain no employment of any kind by which to obtain supplies for our use, and something had to be done to keep the wolf of famine away from our little home in our tent; and as my father was in the same condition the two joined in trapping wild animals for there fur and meat. At one time my husband and father had twenty five miles of traps set. On one occasion they caught a lynx; it was a frightful animal of the cat family, nearly as large as a young calf. The pelts of the animals they caught were sold at Gary, Dakota.
Snow fell that first winter and drifted into the Gulch back of our tent to so great a depth about the the first of April that one night about two 0'clock, during a great blow and blizzard a snow slide came down the hill and buried us up, tent and all. While we were closed in completely and our tent smashed down upon us, the snow was not so deep and dense above us as to, to exclude the air smother us, for which were thankful. What we were to do was the question. It would not be practical to dig out with the snow storm and blizzard continuing. My father was expected in the morning with some food supplies but his arrival could not be expected through that raging blizzard, but through that blizzard father came twenty one miles on foot with a sack of supplies on his shoulder, and never was a father needed more. Arriving where he thought our tent ought to be, he discovered a corner of the tent above the snow and called to us and we answered him and soon we were relieved by his presence and the supplies he brought us. When the storm subsided the snow was shoveled away and our tent repaired and set up as before and we occupied it until summer, when we obtained a few boards from Watertown and excavated further back into the bank and boarded up in front and hung a rough board door with leather hinges. In the fall of that year I went with my husband to Bailey's Lake to visit with my mother while he went on to Watertown to procure family supplies for ourselves and father's family; father was working in Watertown, but with no cars moving because of the blockade, there wasn't any employment to be had.
The next winter turned out to be even worse than the first, it was known as the 1880-1881 blockade winter, which all have heard of, and the Deans and Clark County will never forget. This winter found the Deans in there little "Shack in the Gulch", and as Mrs. Dean writes, "the snow held them as firmly as prison walls" from the 15th day of January, 1881, until the 14th day of April. There weren't any trains in or out of Watertown until the 6th day of May. Thomas made one trip to Watertown during this period and brought back what supplies he could carry on a sled, but could get but little as they were out of nearly all family supplies. There wasn't any flour to be had so they had to grind wheat in a coffee mill for bread and mush, and her husband had to go to John Bailey's on foot and back to get this done. Mrs Dean writes "It was a terrible time, we had no oil or anything for light except as we built a big wood fire and opened the front stove door, all that winter." The Dean's had one terrible misfortune during this terrible winter, There 11 month old son contacted diphtheria. The closest doctor was 60 miles away, even if they had a way of contacting him. They done what they could but to no avail, he died in his mothers arm. A neighbor Mr. Miller a neighbor helped dig a grave, and they made a coffin out of the door to the house. He was later moved to Rose hill Cemetery at Clark. In the Fall of 1886 the Dean Family moved to Clark.
There are two other pioneer families that settled in Clark County, that need to be mentioned. and they are John Bailey and his wife, and Joseph Woodland and his family.
John Bailey was born in Lincolnshire England on March 18, 1836, he was the second in a family of eleven children. When John left home he worked on a farm in England and then in the mines in Yorkshire, and in the tunnels in Scotland, near the foot of Ben Lomond. The family came to the United States in 1859, and they joined up with his uncles in Green Lake County in Wisconsin, and here they were engaged in farming and digging wells. He was married to Julia Hubbard in 1860, Julia was a native of Indiana. Two children were born to this family but they both died in infancy. In 1861 they went to Iowa and purchased a farm at Cerro Gordo county. They farmed and lived at Cerro Gordo until the month of May 1878 when he and Julia accompanied by Joseph Woodland and family started for a settlement in Otter tail county, Minnesota . When they arrived in New Ulm they heard some discouraging reports of Minnesota, and favorable reports about South Dakota, and this and the promised cheap land in South Dakota they changed there plans and went to South Dakota.
Mr. Bailey held several county offices as the Clark Center proceeded on it's way to becoming a county in the Dakota's. When Clark became a county Mr. Bailey and his wife got the urge to go to other places, I guess this is what made them exceptional as pioneers. He had several acres of land broke up, and 40 acres of trees, built a good farm house and a large barn, before the turn of the century. Mr. and Mrs. Bailey moved from Clark and according to Mr. Conklin they went to Washington, and invested in a fruit farm, but according to his genealogy, and the the census they they died in Jackson Oregon, John on Nov 11, 1904,and Julia died May 18, 1908.
Joseph Woodland was born Oct. 11, 1835 in Dorsetshire (parish) (county) England. At the age of fourteen years he came with his aunt to the United States, and then lived with an uncle in Wisconsin for three years and then moved to Cerro Gordo Iowa, and here he worked on a farm. He was married to Amanda Billings Sept. 15, 1861 and two children were born to this union (Jane and James) He continued to work on a farm until the spring of 1862, when he enlisted in Company "B" 32nd Iowa Infantry. Joseph was in several battles, and promoted to Sergeant and was mustered out of the service on August 25th 1865. Joseph continued farming after his discharge from the army. Amanda died January 7, 1870, in Iowa. On the 25th day of October he married Mary J. Wright, of Mower county Iowa, from this union 13 children were born 11 girls and two boys, with the two children from Joseph's first wife they had 15 children. Joseph Woodland and his wife left Clark in the early 1900's and went to the Bismarck North Dakota. They are both buried in North Dakota Mary Jane died Apr. 29, 1920, and Joseph died November 2, 1922.
When Joseph Woodland, and John Bailey arrived at Bailey's Lake, around July 1 1878. These men were typical Pioneers. Joseph had little beside his hands and his health, and his family. John on the other hand had himself, and his wife, "Julia" and over a dozen horses, and breaking plows. The two men planned on breaking up some land and planting crops the first year, with this and the deer and antelope, they hoped to keep the wolf away from there door. They had a good plan, and started breaking the sod, but then twelve of Mr. Baileys horses ran off, and it took several weeks to catch them all, and by this time it was to late in the year to start a crop. The best plans even failed sometimes with the pioneers. This meant that the first crop that was raised in Dakota was 1879.
When the the plan failed, Mr. Woodland needed some means of support, to take care of his family. With no opportunity for employment, he had to improvise, and it occurred to that he would try trapping of fur animals, such as muskrat, mink, and fox. He was quite successful in trapping quite a large number of muskrats, and mink, and some foxes. He would take these pelts to Gary Dakota where he bought more traps, and returned to the trap line. Joseph was quite successful at this and did this in the winter and worked on his land during the summer.
There is another part to this story that should be mentioned as we get to the end. Mr. Conklin mentions several times in his notes how he was affiliated with the Rose Hill Cemetery, and I am sure it is true, but the history of Rosehill Cemetery is pretty vague and very hard to trace. The country was new and sparsely settled, so when someone died they were usually buried someplace on there property, and this is how Rosehill was presumably started. The land was owned by by Samual Sloan, and in 1884 while at school, Jasper Sloan drowned and was returned to be buried on the family farm. On July 28, 1886, the Sloan family gave a deed to the village of Clark for land of 40 rods square for the purpose of establishing a cemetery. A number of men gave there services to plot the cemetery into lots 25 X 15 feet. The first lot sold was probably sold to V. Anderson who had a daughter moved from a temporary grave to Rosehill. After this several others were moved into the new cemetery. Mr. Conklin's two wives, his Son Emett Frank's wife, Charles wife, and two of there children are buried in Rosehill.
The census show that Sylvester married again in 1910 to a lady by the Anna, and then I believe that I found where she married again in 1916, to a Mr. Young at Watertown She isn't buried in Rosehill Cemetery.
I will end this story on reminiscing, Sylvester J. Conklin's life. . Settlers began to find their way into the county, so in the year 1880 Frank Conklin the United States census taker, showed that there were the necessary number of settlers in the in the county to Organize it, but widely separated, some were in and around Clark Center as it was then called, and some from Raymond, as it is now called some around Bailey's Lake, and some settled south and east of Clark, and some south west of Clark. There was a controversy started about legitimacy of this census, and it is assumed this was brought up by Frank Hoskins, Mr.. ConkIin's. infamous friend.
In 1881 Mr. Conklin was busy trying to organize the county, and running the newspaper. The organization was completed by May 23,-1881.. Mr. Conklins dreams of starting a settlement and making a county of Clark Center was completed.. Governor Charles N. Herreid appointed Mr. Conklin State Adjutant General, this post he held for three years. He spent many hours in a backroom of the hotel writing an account of the county and it's early settlers.
Sylvester Jones Conklin went to the old soldiers home at Hot Springs South Dakota. to live out his life and from what I can find, he was taking a bath and was scalded with hot water and he died at Pierre South Dakota in a hospital. S. J. Conklin died May 20, 1914, and is Buried in Rose Hill Cemetery, along side of his wives Maria and Mattie, and other members of his family.
Conklin Grave Site at Rose Hill Cemetery.
Copyrighted 2005 for Clark county South Dakota and Gordon Meyer