Hans Phillipson: The Boomtown Era: Railroads, Rivalries, and Resilience in Early Brookings County

Generations at the Museum - Season 1 Episode 8

In Part II of our series, the arrival of the railroad in late 1879 ignites a fierce battle between Volga, Aurora, and Brookings for the county seat—complete with stolen election ballots, late-night pamphlet drops, and newspaper wars featuring a lawyer nicknamed "Frogpond James." Central guide Hans Phillipson gives us a front-row seat to the chaos as he digs the town's very first well and helps build its first storefront. Join us as we explore the wild political drama and community grit that forged early Brookings from the ground up

‌‌Episode Chapters:

00:00 - Introduction

02:46 - The "Frogpond James" & "Brookings Thi ...