The question is a basic one: What's the oldest town in the state of South Dakota?

Well, I've lived in South Dakota for well over 40 years...and I love history. So this should be an easy one for me.

Let's see, seems I've read that Yankton was once the capitol of the Dakota territory and it has the oldest newspaper in the state so...Yankton?

Nope.

OK, well there was gold in 'them thar hills' back in the 1870's, so I'm thinkin' it's probably Deadwood or maybe Lead?

Nope.

Aargh!! Sioux Falls? Rapid City? Aberdeen? Watertown?

Nope, nope, nope and nope.

First off, get away from the borders, it's not east-west-north-south in the state. You need to take that horse and buggy and head to the middle of the Sunshine State.

Oh! The capitol, Pierre!

No, but close, take the bridge across the river.

That's right, Fort Pierre is considered the oldest town in the state of South Dakota. It was back in 1743 that a couple guys from Quebec happened onto the land that is now Ft. Pierre. They left a metal plate there and claimed the spot for France (don't worry, that didn't last). The Lewis and Clark Expedition met up with the Teton Sioux in 1804 and by 1832 a trading post was established. Now over 2,000 folks strong, when you visit take in the beauty of the land, and the Bad and Missouri rivers.

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