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CENTERVILLE
IN THE BEGINNING...
(AS TAKEN FROM THE CENTENNIAL BOOK)
Just who he was…from whence he came…where he was going…will
always remain a hidden mystery… At what point in time the
first man gazed upon the area that is now Centerville and
Turner County is not known for it was never officially
recorded. In all the probability, however, he was a lone
hunter or trapper moving northward while exploring the
course of the Vermillion river, a tributary of the Missouri,
when his gaze fell upon the vast stretches of raw verdant
gray-green undulating prairie with all its beckoning mystery
and challenge that characterized what was to become in years
ahead a rich, productive agricultural area.
On June 6, 1871, Dr. Frederick Smith filed claim to the
southeast quarter of section 20-96-52, now Centerville
Township, and there he had a store. He always hung a lantern
at night so that his place could always be found in the dark
and he never turned anyone away. Post office records show
that Dr. Smith was appointed postmaster on May 28, 1873,
when the name was changed from Martin to Centerville because
of its location halfway between Yankton and Sioux Falls on
the stage route which used to store as a topping point, and
midway between Parker and Vermillion on the United States
Mail Route running between Viborg and Swan Lake.
In May of 1887, a new postmaster, Nicholas Easly, was
appointed upon the resignation of Dr. Smith. Easly moved the
store and its products to its new location, the Douglas Mill
site. This site of “Old Centerville” was laid out on the
Vermillion River, two miles southwest of its present
location.
A few residents of “Old Centerville” made plans in the fall
of 1882 to leave and find a new location upon hearing that
the Chicago & Northwestern railroad was to build about a
mile north of the village. This was due to land options. As
a result, late in the winter of 1883 and through the spring,
buildings were either moved from “Old Centerville” or new
structures were built at the new site and the new town
sprang forth on the virgin prairie.
On June 19, 1883, the rail line reached Centerville from
Hawarden, Iowa. Centerville soon became a leading grain and
livestock shipping center for the Chicago market, and it was
the transportation system for 20 trains to pass through
daily. Modern trucks and highways soon led to the railroad’s
extinction and the track were torn up in April 1980.
Centerville’s over-all economy has been primarily influenced
by the agricultural and livestock industries. Blessed with
rich, productive soil, much of which lends itself to
irrigation from an aquifer forming and underground lake
extending in a north-south direction.
Businesses and the businessmen of Centerville have grown and
diminished at various times through the years but have had
the fortitude to survive the long hours, the depression
years, the limitations and restrictions of war, the threat
of the larger cities and the emigration of the young people.
Although the present businessmen see larger cities crowding
in to threaten their existence, they still realize the folk
at home deserve the personal service and consideration that
only concerned friend and neighbor can give.
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pictures taken from the Centennial Book
 History
of Centerville Photo Gallery |
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