J. W. Parmley facts for kids

Joseph William Lincoln Parmley (born January 12, 1861 – died December 12, 1940) was an important person who helped build up the north-central part of South Dakota when it was a new state. He is known as the "Father of the Yellowstone Trail," which was a very important road. Today, you can visit the J. W. Parmley Historical Home and Parmley Western Land Office museums in Ipswich, South Dakota to learn about him.

Life and Family History

Joseph William Lincoln Parmley was born on January 12, 1861, in Mifflin, Wisconsin. His parents were from England. His mother, Jane Ashton Parmley, passed away when he was seventeen. He had a brother named John and a sister named Sarah. Joseph went to college in Wisconsin at Platteville and Appleton.

On October 13, 1887, he married Melissa Baker. She was also from England and grew up in Wisconsin. They had three children: Loren, Irene, and Bernice. Sadly, Bernice died when she was very young from scarlet fever. J. W. Parmley passed away on December 12, 1940.

Pioneer in Edmunds County

In the spring of 1883, J. W. Parmley was 22 years old and had just finished college. He arrived in Aberdeen, which was as far as the railroad went in what was then Dakota Territory. He walked 40 miles further west with two other pioneers. They claimed land in the middle of what would become Edmunds County, South Dakota.

They named their new settlement "Roscoe." They built a large tent and called it the Cottonade Hotel. J. W. Parmley was the cook there! This tent helped attract other pioneers traveling west. The county officially started in the summer of 1883. Many settlers moved into the eastern part of the county. The land was often bare because of fires. Settlers had to travel three days to Aberdeen to buy their supplies.

Serving the County and State

J. W. Parmley quickly started helping his community. When Edmunds County was first set up, the head of schools for the area, General William Henry Harrison Beadle, made him the superintendent of schools. Parmley visited every school in the county. He met many settlers and people noticed his friendly nature and good education.

His growing connections helped him get involved in politics. He held several important jobs for Edmunds County. He was the Register of Deeds, County Clerk, and County Judge.

In 1887, J. W. Parmley became a lawyer in South Dakota. He was elected to the South Dakota House of Representatives twice, in 1905 and 1907. He also ran for a national government job in U.S. Congress as a Republican. However, he lost to the popular person who was already in office, Royal Johnson. Seven different governors chose him for important state jobs and boards. This included being the South Dakota Highway Commissioner in 1925.

Helping the Economy Grow

J. W. Parmley's biggest passion was building roads. This is why he is still known as the "Father of the Yellowstone Trail."

In 1905, Parmley bought his first car. His grandson later said that he always had at least two cars when he was doing well. In 1907, he tried to pass a law in the state government. This law would have made county officials responsible for road work. But other lawmakers laughed at the idea, and it did not pass.

Still, J. W. Parmley and other local business people felt that a good road was needed. They wanted a road between Ipswich and Aberdeen to help businesses grow. In 1910, Parmley organized a group to travel from Aberdeen to Mobridge. This was a difficult trip through rough country with hills and wet areas called sloughs.

From that first path, Parmley had a bigger idea. He wanted a road that would go all the way from Minneapolis to Yellowstone Park. Eventually, he dreamed of "a good road from Plymouth Rock on the East Coast to Puget Sound on the West Coast."

The first meeting to plan the Yellowstone Trail happened in 1912. Parmley was chosen as the president of the Yellowstone Trail Association. Members of this group were leaders from towns across Minnesota and South Dakota, and later other states. They worked to get tax money for roads. They also encouraged car drivers, who were new at that time, to travel through their towns on the way to Yellowstone Park.

By 1916, the trail had its slogan. J. W. Parmley and others physically painted its markers. These were yellow circles with black arrows pointing the way. They painted them on rocks and utility poles along the route. This was America's first highway to go from coast to coast through the northern states. Many roads that were part of the Yellowstone Trail are now major highways. These include parts of U.S. Highway 10 and 12, and Interstate 90 and Interstate 94. The last part of this highway was paved in 1950.

Parmley also tried to create a "Canada to Coast" highway. This road would have gone from The Pas, Manitoba in Canada to the Panama Canal. He became president of the C to C Highway Association for this effort. While that highway was never built, his work in the Turtle Mountains of North Dakota later helped create the International Peace Garden.

Other Activities

J. W. Parmley always tried to help the new towns in Edmunds County grow. He published newspapers with Henry Huck. These included the Edmunds County Weekly News, the Roscoe Herald, and the South Dakota Tribune. He combined these papers to create the Ipswich Tribune. He sold it in 1911, and it is still published today. As a newspaper editor, he could travel for free on railroads. He used this to tell people about Edmunds County. He also went to newspaper meetings and became known as a strong speaker.

He also owned a business called the Edmunds County Abstract Co. He worked there until a year before he died. This business was in the Parmley Western Land Office. He built this unique building in 1900 at 115 Main Street, Ipswich, South Dakota. It was made from rough prairie granite. Inside, its fireplace has many special items Parmley collected during his travels. These include shells, petrified wood, and Native American items.

J. W. Parmley also owned farmland on the north side of Ipswich. He had a large barnyard behind his house in town. When he brought his new wife to see it in 1887, she said, "I guess it's a good farm if anything is good in South Dakota." At the farm, Parmley kept many Shetland ponies. These ponies were unusual to other people and were remembered by children who grew up in Ipswich, South Dakota between 1903 and 1940. The ponies were bought because a doctor thought they would help his son Loren with his breathing problems. But they were also used for Melissa to ride in a cart. They were also very useful for politics! As the number of ponies grew, J. W. would lend one to any country child who promised to ride it to school and take good care of it.

From 1920 on, the couple lived in an all-concrete home J. W. built in Ipswich. He built it to protect his family from fire, which was a common danger in early settlements. That special home also has fireplaces with unique items. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. Melissa "Lissie" Parmley eventually grew to love and defend South Dakota, where she raised her children.

Museums to Visit

The home J. W. Parmley built is still standing today along Highway 45 in Ipswich, South Dakota. A group of volunteers, the J. W. Parmley Historical Home Society, takes care of it. Since 1983, they have kept a collection of Parmley's things, pioneer items, and things from the Edmunds County Museum in the home. Since 2005, the Society has also used the Parmley Western Land Office. They show exhibits there about early business in Edmunds County.

These museums are free to visit. They are open three days a week between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

What He Spoke About

J. W. Parmley was a famous public speaker. He often talked about the need for good roads. But he also spoke about many other topics:

• Peace and creating the International Peace Garden
• Developing power from water
• Soil conservation (protecting the soil)
• Different ways of farming
• Looking for oil
• Building bridges
• Water conservation (saving water)
• Developing Mount Rushmore
• Preventing forest fires
• Using prairie stone for building

He also talked about making towns beautiful by planting flowers in empty lots and public places. This was a good idea, as the Edmunds County Memorial Park is now next to the Parmley Western Land Office in what used to be an empty lot. Another topic he spoke about was building dams to create artificial lakes. His efforts paid off when Snake Creek in eastern Edmunds County was dammed in 1932. The lake that formed was named Lake Parmley, which is now part of Mina Lake State Recreation Area.

His Legacy

Parmley was honored by being named to the South Dakota Highway Hall of Fame in 1972. He was also added to the South Dakota Cowboy and Western Heritage Hall of Fame in 1981.