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An English Accent
From Yankton’s first settlement, there had
been speculation about a profitable utilization of the extensive formations of chalk rock along the Missouri bluffs west of
the city limits. In pioneer days the native limestone had been used as a building material, and crude plaster had also been
made from it.
Then, in 1887, a geologist announced that the natural deposits could be turned into an excellent
cement, comparable to that being produced at Portland, England, the city which had lent its name to the important construction
product.
Two years later a representative of British interests arrived on the scene and declared that Yankton --
with its two railroad lines -- would be ideal for a manufacturing plant location. The Western Portland Cement Company -- headed
by William Plankinton, a wealthy Englishman living in Milwaukee -- was organized; more than 500 acres of chalkstone land were
immediately acquired (some by the city, some by the company); and the county joined in the venture by subsidizing part of
the roadbed for a railroad spur between the town and the mill. (More than five miles of rails were laid in four and a half
days.)
By 1891. the sprawling plant -- with eight huge smokestacks puffing the news of a productive industry into
a clear prairie sky -- was in full operation. A capacity of more than 60,000 barrels a year was announced, and the Press and
Dakotan forthwith began calling Yankton the Cement City. |
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