Union County Centennial Books

Centennial books published for the towns
of Union County, South Dakota
and adjacent counties

Many towns of Union County and adjacent counties were originally formed in the late 1800's. These towns formed the nodes of exchange and commerce for the settlers who came to make good on land claims here. As these towns reached their one hundred year anniversaries, the occasions were usually celebrated with parades, carnivals and the publication of centennial books.

These centennial books were similar in many ways. Most contained old photos of and information on the towns' histories, businesses, and local families. Some of these books were organized very carefully and were well researched. Others were a hodge podge of articles of varying quality, depending on the authors of the particular articles. Often, neither the authors nor the sources were listed to allow researchers to check the information. But, all of these books served the purpose of documenting the first one hundred years of towns in South Dakota, Iowa, and Nebraska.

This web site will place emphasis on the genealogical information that was published in these centennial books.