In 1882, Norvel Blair of Morris, Illinois, sent two sons, Benjamin P. and Patrick Henry, to scout the Dakota Territory for land to establish a homestead.

[2][3] The Homestead Act of 1862 had allowed African-Americans and citizens of limited means to file for claims without needing to make a large investment upfront.

[1] Norvel Blair was a successful farmer and horse breeder, but decided to leave Illinois after being cheated out of his land by a white lawyer.

Sully County was platted for homesteading and began accepting applications in 1883, and the Blair brothers filed claims in Fairbank Township, sections 13 and 14.

[13] The Blairs personally encouraged African-Americans to move from the American South and East, themselves proposing to use 1,700 acres (2.7 sq mi) of their land for an agricultural college.

[5] Betty Blair in particular drove recruitment efforts,[12] selling land from her realty business and traveling to Missouri to advertise the colony, reportedly convincing some settlers there were no flies in South Dakota.

[1] Although some families used the Homestead and Timber Culture Acts to finance their claims, many—including the McGruders—were wealthy enough to afford to buy the land outright.

[21] During the Great Depression and Dust Bowl, difficulties in farming the land caused most families to move away, looking for work in urban centers like Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Des Moines, Huron, and Pierre.