Creator
Sheridan House
Title
Christmas Table d’hôte
Coverage
Bismarck, Dakota Territory
Date
December 25, 1880
Description
Homesteaders began to pour into the Dakota Territory to lay claim to 160 acres of government land under the Homestead Act after the last Sioux War ended in 1877. During that year, the Sheridan House opened in Bismarck. Built on land owned by the Northern Pacific Railway, the hotel also operated as a railroad passenger station. Its bountiful Christmas dinner in 1880 offered more than eighty dishes. In addition to local game dishes like buffalo and elk, there were many foods brought in by rail, such as oysters, fresh cod, and Florida oranges.