“Who’s That Knocking on the Door? Uncle Sam’s New Year’s Callers” graced the front cover of "Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper," Dec. 29, 1888. The women in the picture represent the territories of the Dakotas, Montana, Washington, New Mexico and Utah, all seeking admission the Union. Four states were admitted into the Union the next year, 1889. North and South Dakota and were admitted Nov. 2, Montana on Nov. 8 and Washington on Nov. 11. Utah Territory became a state Jan. 4, 1896, and New Mexico Territory became a state Jan. 6, 1912.
The wall behind them names other states reflects the information found on Dakota’s scroll. The scroll that Dakota is presenting to Uncle Sam contains statistics about the territory listing:
- Area 150,932 square miles.
- Population 600,000.
- Miles of Railroad 4,246.*
- Number of Post Offices 1,038.*
- Newspapers Published in the Territory 352.
- Expended for Support of Public Schools in 1886 $1,917,258.*
- Wheat Crop 30,704,000 bushels.
The statistics on the scroll raise My raise eyebrows, but remember, the Territory was trying to persuade the president and Congress they would be an asset to the Union. Upon further investigation, the numbers appear to have come from the "Resources of Dakota: An Official Publication Compiled by the Commissioner of Immigration," Territory of Dakota Department of Immigration and Statistics, P. E. McClure, Commissioner, Pierre, D.T., 1887. The items marked * are slightly different than the scroll. The miles of railroad are listed as 4,207, the number of post offices is 1039, and the expended school support is $1,633,561.