History & Museums

An immersive journey through the days of Yankton’s past

The history of Yankton extends back to 1804 when Lewis and Clark stops near the confluence of jamesan Missouri rivers a short distance from Yankton while exploring the new territory. The site of the Yankton Sioux camp was rolling treeless Prairie in the summer of 1858 when the first enthusia stick pioneers selected the location for a new settlement. The decision was influenced primarily by the favorable possibility of a Steamboat landing on the Missouri River. By 1861 Dakota territory was created by the act of Congress which included the vast area of what is now South Dakota North Dakota and parts of Montana Ohio Wyoming in Nebraska. Yankton was named the first territorial capital the mother city of the dakotas. Immigration was encouraged by availability of cheap land. Settlers of varied nationalities came by boat covered wagon and horseback. The tidy settlement began to expand. Yankton became an independent important transportation center making major contributed contributed nation to the growth of western territories. As an important call many of early steamboats stopped in to Yankton to pick up or unload car grow in route to other River ports. Many historic homes built by Steamboat captains or with River transportation money stillstand. The coming of the railroad in 1870 three was the beginning of the decline of riverboat traffic. The city has continued to grow from that small settlement of 1850 eight. Through the years population growth has been steady. Today still proud of his rich heritage the Grady re inked an area has more than 20,000 people within its urban and suburban limits. This tour reflects the fearlessness of those early settlers who faced and overcome untold hardships to create this rivertown.

Take a walking tour of some of the historic homes in Yankton using this interactive page as your guide.

Yankton Fire Department Museum

History & Museums

This one-of-a-kind artifact museum is located on the south end of the public parking lot at Yankton Fire Station #2. It houses a 1937 Luverne […]

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Yankton College Office

Activities & Attractions History & Museums

Yankton College was the first institution of higher learning in the Dakota Territory, providing a quality liberal arts education to thousands before closing in 1985. […]

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House of Mary Shrine

Activities & Attractions History & Museums

Approaching the House of Mary Shrine from Hwy. 52 you will find the Chapel of St. Joseph, a Rosary Pond, the Little House of Mary, […]

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Historic Homes

History & Museums

Yankton has tons of historic homes around our city. With plenty of interesting buildings to look at you can walk or drive around and check […]

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Dakota Territorial Capitol Replica

Activities & Attractions Group Tour Planning History & Museums Indoor Meeting Places Wedding Reception Venues

This capitol replica symbolizes Yankton as being the first capitol of the Dakota Territory from 1861- 1883. The replica is patterned after the original Dakota […]

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Cramer-Kenyon Heritage Home and Dorothy Jencks Memorial Garden

Activities & Attractions History & Museums Indoor Meeting Places

Completed in 1886 by the former Secretary of the Dakota Territory, this stately home was built as the tallest Queen Anne home in the Dakota […]

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Bishop Marty Memorial Chapel

Activities & Attractions History & Museums

A distinctive Yankton landmark since 1950; Bishop Marty Memorial Chapel is considered one of the country’s best examples of Gothic architecture. Saints depicted over the […]

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Christ Episcopal Church

Activities & Attractions History & Museums

You will be captivated and inspired by the memorial stained-glass windows, the powerful rich sound of the organ and the warm, mellow woodwork in this […]

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Lewis & Clark Pulley Museum and Haymarket

Activities & Attractions History & Museums

Thousands of restored hay pulleys — the largest collection in the United States — line the walls of Crofton’s Haymarket & Pulley Museum. But that’s […]

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