- Brookings
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/brook"ingz/, n.1. Robert Somers /sum"euhrz/, 1850-1932, U.S. merchant and philanthropist.2. a city in E South Dakota. 14,951.
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city, Curry county, Oregon, U.S., on the Pacific coast at the mouth of the Chetco River, 6 miles (10 km) north of the California state line. Across the river to the south lies the city of Harbor. The region's earliest known inhabitants were Athabascan-speaking Chetco (Cheti) Indians, the most numerous of some 12 West Coast bands. When the Chetco River valley was settled by whites in the mid-1800s, it was extensively farmed and logged. The city of Brookings officially came into being in 1913, when logging magnate Robert S. Brookings established a sawmill and lumberyard at the harbour. Brookings served as a company town for the Brookings Lumber and Box Company. Logging continues to dominate the economy. Known locally as the “Banana Belt of Oregon” for its mild climate, Brookings later developed into a small resort community. Harris Beach State Park fronts the ocean near the city centre. The Chetco Valley Historical Society, located in the Blacke House (1857), collects documents and artifacts relating to local history. Nearby Mount Emily was the site of one of only two Japanese attacks on the U.S. mainland during World War II, when in September 1942 an Imperial Navy seaplane dropped incendiary bombs with the intent of starting a forest fire. Inc. 1951. Pop. (1990) 4,400; (2000) 5,447.city, seat of Brookings county, eastern South Dakota, U.S. It lies in the Big Sioux River valley, about 55 miles (90 km) north of Sioux Falls and 15 miles (25 km) west of the Minnesota border. Sioux Indians were living in the area when fur traders arrived in the 18th and the early 19th century. The community was founded in 1879 on the route of the railroad and named for Judge Wilmot W. Brookings, an early pioneer and promoter of Dakota Territory settlement. It evolved as the centre of a diversified agricultural area noted especially for seeds. Agriculture remains important to the economy. Cattle, hogs, dairy products, corn (maize), soybeans, and oats are produced, and there are soybean- and dairy-processing facilities. Agricultural services include seed production and testing, feed production, and grain storage. Manufacturing is also a primary economic factor; products include plastics, playground equipment, doors, electronic displays and signs (Daktronics is one of the country's leading producers of scoreboards and video screens), industrial fans, and medical and laboratory materials. South Dakota State University was established in Brookings in 1881 and is the state's only land-grant school (land-grant college); the university is also a leading employer in Brookings. A collection of pioneer-life paintings by Harvey Dunn is exhibited at the South Dakota Art Museum. Other attractions include McCrory Gardens and the South Dakota State Agricultural Heritage Museum; nearby are Lake Campbell, Oakwood Lakes State Park, and Lake Poinsett Recreation Area. Inc. 1883. Pop. (1990) 16,270; (2000) 18,504.* * *
Universalium. 2010.
