Railroads.—The total length of rail roads within the State on Jan. 1, 1920, was 4,300 miles.
Finances.—There was a balance in the treasury on July 1, 1918, of $3,144,924. The receipts for the fiscal year 1919 amounted to $7,937,044, and the disburse ments to $7,441,146. The State has no bonded debt. The assessed value of real and personal property in 1919 was $1,846,456,090.
Charities and Corrections.--The chari table and correctional institutions under the control of the State include the Blind Asylum at Gary, School for Deaf Mutes at Sioux Falls, Penitentiary at Sioux Falls, Training School at Plankinton, Hospital for the Insane at Yankton, Sol diers' Home at Hot Springs, School for Feeble Minded at Redfield, and Sanita rium for Tuberculosis at Custer. These institutions are under the control of the State Board of Charities and Corrections.
State Government.—The governor is elected for a term of two years. Legis lative sessions are held biennially in odd years, beginning on the Tuesday after the first Monday in January, and are limited in time to 60 days each. The Legislature has 45 members in the Sen ate and 135 in the House. There are 3 Representatives in Congress.
History.—The country now known as the Dakotas was acquired by the United States as a part of the Louisiana Pur chase. It was partly explored by Lewis and Clark in 1804 and 1806, by Fre mont in 1839, and by Warner in 1855. The Territory of Dakota was created in 1861, and in 1868 Wyoming Territory was formed from part of its area. A scientific expedition, escorted by troops under General Custer, entered the Black Hills in 1874, and gave the first authen tic information about the mineral wealth of that region. In 1883 a convention to frame a State constitution for Dakota met at Sioux Falls. Dissensions between the people of the two sections of the Ter ritory followed, and in 1838 it was de cided to divide the territorial area into two States, under the names of North and South Dakota. The bill for their admis sion passed Congress and was signed by the President, Feb. 22, 1889. In 1890 1891 the "Indian Messiah" excitement led to troubles with the Sioux Indians, and in 1892 the Yankton Sioux ceded to the government a large part of their reserva tion between the Missouri and Choteau rivers.