With Meade County finally being organized in March of 1889, the fight for the county seat was now on. Throughout the journey of becoming a county, many who looked at the situation assumed it would be Sturgis who would take the title.
Others had different plans though. A few contenders would briefly seem to appear, such as Big Springs or Black Hawk, but quickly they would vanish. Only one would eventually stand against Sturgis, and that was the town of Tilford.
The Tilford Scheme
In late 1887, a new town was forming in the Black Hills. The city site was largely empty, but there were large plans. The first of which was bringing in a newspaper. After all, any town that was worth anything would have a newspaper. And establishing one would seem to guarantee a town’s future.
The fact that Tilford aspired to have a newspaper was a big point for the little town. As other newspapers pointed out, you couldn’t be a town without your own paper, and it was clear that Tilford had very lofty goals.
It wasn’t just a newspaper that was planned though. A saloon, livery barn, hotel; every business that a good town was to have were being slated for the new town of Tilford. By the time Tilford was incorporated in early January of 1888, plans for it to be a major center were already well underway.
So it was of little surprise that the town with such lofty goals would make a play for the county seat of Meade County. Even before the county became officially recognized, that Tilford would be one of the big competitors for the honor was exceptionally clear. And those in Tilford would recruit some powerful allies in their bid.
The driving force behind the Tilford push was the mayor of the new town: Jack Hale. Ready to pay whatever was needed in order to secure the county seat, Hale set out to align himself with the Homestake Mine and the railroad.
Hale would make promises that if Tilford were to become the county seat, then the railroad would follow. And with the railroad, a new wealth would flow into the area.
Hale wouldn’t be the only one looking to secure the county seat at Tilford. A group out of Sioux Falls also placed interest in Tilford gaining that honor. Their reasoning revolved around agriculture, and the political interest surrounding that economy.
Rising Tensions
As the election date approached, tensions would continue to rise. A few schemes would briefly materialize, seeking to have the county seat in numerous places for the financial impact it certainly would have, but they would disappear just as quickly.
In the background, another force was also at work. Citizens of Deadwood had been busy collecting money in order to mount a legal fight against Meade County being recognized. As the fight for the county seat heated up, some citizens of Deadwood were hoping to make such hopes of gaining that honor moot.
Still bitter from having had their county split, there was an attempt to have it brought back together. However, the legal battle would end up amounting to virtually nothing.
Any worries about the attempt of being forced to rejoin Lawrence County would quickly be lost in the background of another growing tension. While Hale would extoll the virtues of Tilford being the county seat, and the jobs he would create, emissaries for Sturgis were busy all over the county.
Those working for Sturgis were often followed closely behind by those working for Tilford. While Sturgis would try to place wedges between Tilford and some of its nearest neighbors, including Black Hawk, those from Tilford were busy trying to quench those fires.
Quite possibly the biggest hurdle that Sturgis faced though was working on their relationship with Big Bottom. Those in Big Bottom had grown angry with what they perceived as Sturgis having stolen them from Lawrence County, which was seen as the king county of the territory.
But it wouldn’t take long for those from Sturgis to break through with Big Bottom. It quickly was becoming clear that those working on the behalf of Sturgis were willing to do whatever they had to in order to secure the county seat. And as election day neared, a tide was seen to be growing for Sturgis to sweep the election.
While Sturgis was looking to be the favorite in the election, days before the election was to be held, rumors began to circulate. It was known that Hale had been throwing a lot of money at the prospect of getting Tilford the county seat, but now it was being reported that the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad Company, which he had teamed up with, were planning on transporting 600 men to vote in the upcoming election.
Being made known of the possible scheme, those in Sturgis were preparing to put together an armed force to prevent the election from being stolen. As the last few days before the election were approaching, the prospect of a physical altercation occurring was seeming ever more plausible. And people throughout the county were getting ready just in case.
Election Day
Elections through the Black Hills during the early years had been fraught with fraud, as well as rumors of fraud. Powerful forces, being backed by all sorts of men, had large financial stakes that were at play. There was a lot of money to be made in the hills, and those with the means to do such were prepared to do what they needed in order to boost their profits as much as possible.
That something less than fair would occur during the election for the county seat wasn’t a far-fetched idea, and those in Meade County were well aware of that.
So, when the election came and went without much ado, it was a surprise for many. All the tension that had been building up was simply released without any climax. The election simply came and went.
Sturgis would be the easy winner in the fight. With 480 votes from just the citizens of Sturgis, it would be enough to secure the seat. In total, Tilford would only get 275 votes, to Sturgis’s 801 votes. For those looking back, the outcome should have been obvious, with Sturgis having been so much larger than any other town in the area.
However, what was also impressive was how quickly Tilford was growing. In a little over a year, Tilford had over 100 citizens, and a good number of businesses. While it wouldn’t be the county seat, it still appeared to have great promise. But the years wouldn’t be kind, and eventually, Tilford would nearly vanish. But as often is the case, that’s a story for another time.