Dakota Life heads to Wagner, South Dakota January 11th. Here is a preview of some of the stories you will find in the episode that premieres at 8 p.m. (7 mountain) on SDPB TV-1, Facebook and YouTube. Plus, a look back at some of the past stories we have brought you on Dakota Life.
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When you study of our history, you soon find that much of what you learn can be a mix of fact and legend. For example, legend tells that in 1804, the men of the Lewis and Clark expedition learned that a male child had been born near the expedition's encampment in what is today southeastern South Dakota, Captain Lewis sent for the child and wrapped the newborn boy in an American flag during the council at Calumet Bluff. Lewis declared the baby an American. This boy grew up to become chief of the Ihanktonwan Nakota, or Yankton Sioux, known as Struck By-the-Ree. The journals of the expedition make no mention of this incident, but it is part of the oral history passed down by the tribe.
Documented history tells us that by the late 1850s pressure to open up what is now southeastern South Dakota to European settlement had become very strong. Struck-by-the-Ree and several other chiefs journeyed to Washington, D.C., in late 1857 to negotiate a treaty with the federal government. Struck-by-the-Ree's name appears first on the Treaty of Washington, signed April 19, 1858. This treaty provided for the removal of the tribe to a 475,000-acre reservation on the north side of the Missouri River in what is now Charles Mix County.
The Yanktons, a Sioux tribe from the Mississippi Region, settled in South Dakota and Minnesota in the 18th century. They ceded 2.2 million acres to Iowa between 1830 and 1837 and in 1858, the Tribe ceded another 11 million acres. By 1860, it had turned over almost all its remaining land to the U.S. government, and most tribal members moved to the Yankton Reservation. When it was established, the Reservation had 435,000 acres, but homesteading by settlers starting in 1887 withdrew much of the Reservation from tribal control. Today, the Yankton Sioux Reservation covers around 40,000 acres.
The Yankton Sioux people have a deep connection to their land and their traditions, which are passed down from generation to generation. Their traditional way of life was based on hunting, fishing, and gathering. They used every part of the animals they hunted for food, clothing, and tools. They also gathered wild plants and berries for food.
The Yankton Sioux people have strong spiritual and artistic traditions centered around the belief that everything in the world is connected, and that all living things have a spirit. They also believe in the importance of community and family. They are known for their beadwork, quillwork, and painting and they have a strong tradition of storytelling, which is used to pass down their history and traditions from generation to generation.
Today, the Yankton Sioux reservation is the second-largest Indian reservation in the United States that is located entirely within one county. The Tribal headquarters is in Wagner. Situated along Highway 50 and 12 miles from Fort Randall Dam on the Missouri River, Wagner was founded in 1900 and incorporated in 1907. Named for Walt Wagner, the local postmaster at the time, Wagner and the surrounding area offers great fishing, boating and camping and other recreational opportunities. This is a hub city that draws shoppers and workers from surrounding communities. It’s also a progressive and growing town, known for excellent educational and health care systems. The fact is, it’s a town with big city amenities, but a small-town feel.
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Like so many prairie villages of the late 1800’s, Wagner was a railroad town, incorporated in April 1901 with a population comprised of immigrants from Holland, Norway, Sweden, and Czechoslovakia who poured in when the land was opened for homesteading in 1895. Before that, the Yankton Sioux Tribe had settled on the reservation which later became known as Charles Mix County. The original town was located three and one-half miles south of its present site. Walter W. Wagner was the first appointed postmaster of the “Tar Paper Town” or “TESPANA” as called by the Yankton Sioux Indians. Mr. Wagner erected a tar paper covered store and was granted a postal right by the US government. The city of Wagner, laid out by the Milwaukee Land Company in 1900, was named for Walter Wagner because he took a group of Milwaukee railroad officials on a fishing trip that was so successful, they decided to name the town for their host.
Wagner has enjoyed steady development over the last 100 plus years. Today the Yankton Sioux and the descendants of the immigrants continue living and working together to make life better for all the population.
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In a town of around 1,400 people, folks tend to get to know their neighbors. The people in the Wagner area have a unique population makeup with around half the people here of European decent, and half of Native American decent. While this mix has tended to cause some tensions in the past, today the people of Wagner are celebrating their diversity and the young people are leading the charge. For an example, look no further than the local school district. The school started doing a feather ceremony for native students where the Native students received a star quilt. They soon expanded the practice to include all students of all backgrounds. Today, all graduates receive a star quilt.
Over the years, the town of Wagner has produced some very successful athletic teams that have been cheered on at many of the South Dakota High School championship sporting events. In fact, one of South Dakota’s the most famous basketball players hails from Wagner.
South Dakota Sports Hall of famer Mandy Koupal was a 1999 Wagner High School graduate and 2004 University of South Dakota graduate. At Wagner, she led the Red Raiders to back-to-back state Class A titles in 1997 and 1998. She set national high school records for field-goal shooting in a season and in her career. She scored 2,065 career points and was the first three-time North Central Conference MVP in league history. She also won the Division II player of the year in 2004 and was selected a first-team All-American in 2003. Koupal was four-time All-NCC player. She set or tied 18 USD records and owned NCC records for points and rebounds. She ranked sixth in Division II history with 2,496 career points. She averaged 23 points and 11 rebounds during her USD career. She is a former assistant women’s coach at USD and at Colorado State. Today she teaches and coaches in her hometown.
And athletic skills run in the Koupal family. In the 2023 season, Mandy Koupal’s niece Ashlyn Koupal averaged 22 points and nearly 7 rebounds per game, leading the Red Raiders to a second-place finish in the Girls State A tournament. Her parents, Mike and Tera Koupal, are both teachers at Wagner and coach the girls basketball team, with Mike as the head coach, and her sister Macy was a regular starter for the Red Raiders in 2023.
In athletics and in education, the town of Wagner encourages their young people to be the best. All the Wagner athletes that have ever gone on to play at the college level have their name on a mural at the Boys & Girls Club. The Club features an after school and summer year round program designed to provide safe, educationally enriching, quality programs for children in 1st through 12th grade. Is a program conducted and planned by a staff trained to meet the needs of children and provide positive adult role models.
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In the last 100 plus years, Wagner has been home to some long time traditions. For example, the local rotary club has been doing service projects for over 4 generations. The club is one of the few in the world to own their own building, which also serves as the town’s movie theater.
Each September, over ten thousand visitors descend on the town of Wagner for the Wagner Labor Day Festival, a three-day event that includes a kids fishing derby, a large pageant with the crowning of the labor day Queen, an alumni sports tournament, a carnival and a large rodeo.
Patricia Frei’s family has been long rooted in the community. Patricia is a Rotarian and Chamber of Commerce president. The Freis own the community bank, and Patricia owns her own insurance agency that has been in her family since at least 1925.
Buche food company has been providing groceries for Wagner and the surrounding areas for over a century. The company has been owned by the same family since the time the town was first incorporated.
The Schoenfelder family run SIP Homestead Farms and are the fifth generation to live on this piece of land. The family has transformed an original way station from the 1800’s, which provides a unique lodging experience for visitors.
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Don't miss Greetings from Madison, Thursday, December 14th at 8 p.m. (7 mountain) on SDPB TV-1, Facebook and YouTube. You can catch up on past seasons of Dakota Life HERE.