Peter Becker Biography

	This biography appears on pages 442-443, 447 in "History of 
Minnehaha 
	County, South Dakota" by Dana R. Bailey and was scanned, OCRed 
	and edited by Joy Fisher, http://www.rootsweb.com/~archreg/vols/00001.html#0000031
.

	This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit 
	organizations for their private use. 

	Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval 
	system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other 
	means requires the written approval of the file's author.

	This file is part of the SDGENWEB Archives. If you arrived here 
inside
	a frame or from a link from somewhere else, our front door is at

	http://www.usgwarchives.net/sd/sdfiles.htm


BECKER, PETER, who conducted the first train into Sioux Falls, is a 
native of Germany, and was born August 15, 1845.  He emigrated with his 
parents to Milwaukee, Wis., in 1852.  They soon after moved on to a 
farm a few miles out of the city, where the subject of this sketch 
attended school and worked on the farm until 1871.  On the 17th day of 
August of that year he commenced work as a brakeman on a work train at 
St. James, Minnesota, and in 1873, was made conductor of the train.  
October 2, 1876, he ran the first train from Worthington to Luverne as 
its conductor.  As this railroad was built west his run was lengthened, 
and he had charge of the first train into Valley Springs, Brandon and 
Sioux Falls.  After having had charge of this train for two years and 
three months, he became conductor of a train running from Sioux City to 
St. James until May 14, 1883, when he was transferred, and made 
conductor the daily train running from Sioux Falls to Worthington and 
back, which train he was in charge of from that time until the spring 
1896. Everybody in Minnehaha county knows Peter Becker and he was 
deservedly popular with the traveling public.  Mr. Becker has been 
importuned by his many friends to become a candidate for local official 
positions, but has always declined.  Upon the decease of Dr. Livingston 
a few years ago, which created a vacancy upon the school board in the 
4th ward, he was appointed to serve out the term, which he did, but 
refused to permit his name to be used for the position at the next 
election.  He is an active member of several secret societies and in 
social as well as business circles has a host of friends.