Glass Vials, Golden Capsules, And A 19th-Century Secret: What We Found Beneath The Soil!
October 6, 2024
source: National Museum of American History
Do you remember playing outside in the summertime, digging holes in the dirt with your friends, hoping to stumble upon some long-lost treasure? Maybe you found an old coin or a rusty tool buried deep in the yard, and for a moment, you felt like Indiana Jones, uncovering a piece of history. It’s that feeling of wonder and curiosity that makes finding something buried beneath the earth so magical, no matter your age.
For many people, the draft lottery of World War I is a familiar piece of history. You might remember stories from parents or grandparents, or even have seen black-and-white footage of officials pulling numbered capsules from glass bowls. These numbers determined the order in which men were called up to serve their country. It was a system designed to be fair, with each capsule holding the fate of those selected to fight.
Now, these golden capsules from Yankton, found at the site of a hotel predating 1875, stir up memories of that same lottery system. But here’s the twist—these capsules are much older. They might not be from World War I at all, but rather an earlier form of a draft or civic lottery.
Yankton was a key hub in the Dakota Territory during the late 19th century, a bustling center of commerce and governance. In those days, lotteries weren’t just for games or fundraising—they were an important way to distribute land, assign civic duties, or even determine who would serve in local militias. And in a time before the widespread bureaucracies we know today, towns needed simple, trustworthy systems to make decisions—and that’s where these numbered capsules may have come in.
So, what could these mysterious capsules have been used for? Based on their design, they bear a striking resemblance to the capsules used in the WWI draft lottery. Each contained a number, protected inside a glass vial, likely to prevent tampering. This suggests that they were part of some official, fair, and randomized process.
It’s possible that these capsules were used for:
- A local draft system, calling men to serve in a militia or other civic duties.
- A land lottery, where settlers could be assigned plots as the town expanded.
- A civic selection process, perhaps to determine jurors, leaders, or even participants in local governance.
Yankton, being a key location in the Dakota Territory, likely needed systems like these to keep things fair and organized. Whether for military or civic duties, lotteries ensured that no one person had an unfair advantage or was overlooked. The small pieces of paper with numbers inside these vials suggest that each number corresponded to a person or plot, chosen at random to ensure impartiality.
Lotteries have long been a part of human history, and not just for fun. Throughout the 19th century, they were a crucial way to make big decisions in a fair, transparent manner. From distributing land to assigning civic responsibilities, lotteries were a way to involve the community in the process. And during this time, fairness was paramount—especially in expanding frontier towns like Yankton.
These capsules offer a glimpse into the past, reminding us of a time when communities relied on such systems to maintain order and fairness. They also connect to larger trends of governance and civic duty that shaped life in the growing United States.
While we might never know for sure what these capsules were used for without more documentation or expert insight, they serve as a fascinating reminder of how communities like Yankton made decisions in a fair and equitable way. These small, fragile glass vials contain not just a number on a piece of paper—but a connection to a time when the world was changing rapidly, and systems of fairness were being established in new, growing towns across the country.