Edmunds County Tribune -

Some have called today (Nov. 3) a historical day. But in South Dakota, November 2 is an important day. That day is the anniversary of the day when the two Dakotas became states — Nov. 2, 1889.

They would become the 39th and 40th states for sure, but in which order? That’s a good question.

Alphabetically you’d think that N comes before S, so that’s how it was ultimately determined?

Not so. Actually what happened was that President Benjamin Harrison signed the statehood papers and what he did was to shuffle the papers, so no one (except him?) would know. We don’t know if he peeked.

Which was number 39 and which 40? Apparently, some people in the southern portion of the Dakota Territory had made some early inquiries for them to become a state and would have then actually preferred to be named Dakota. But the feds preferred a two-state solution, after there would be enough population in both halves of the Territory. And that indeed is what happened.

Perhaps East and West Dakota would have been a better idea. It seems the states have divided themselves that way in many intances, using the river as the dividing line — East River and West River?