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Contribution #258 of 365
Ellen McGruder
Entrepreneur, Rancher and South Dakota Homesteader
1908–1920
The contribution
How this work helped shape America
Born enslaved in Missouri, Ellen McGruder became an entrepreneur and landowner after emancipation before migrating with her family to South Dakota in 1908. The McGruders acquired 1,200 acres and operated a large livestock enterprise with hundreds of cattle, thousands of sheep, and dozens of horses. After losing the property following her husband's death, Ellen rebuilt her landholding independently, filing a 160-acre homestead claim and receiving her federal patent in 1920.