Brookings County was organized in 1871 in the Dakota Territory. The city of Brookings was established eight years after that.

Brookings is named after Judge Wilmot Wood Brookings. He is actually from the state of Maine.

"He was an early land developer," Carrie Van Buren said, who is the South Dakota Agricultural Heritage Museum collections coordinator.

She said the judge claimed land in Sioux Falls and Yankton. He never lived in Brookings or did anything specific in the city. But the Dakota Territorial legislature still wanted to honor him because he was well-known in the region.

"He was a businessman, an entrepreneur. He owned newspapers," Van Buren said. "On top of that, he was also a politician. He was appointed as one of the Dakota Territorial Supreme Court judges. He also served as a District Attorney in the Yankton area."

He has a nickname to some.

"People around Brookings will call him 'ol' wooden legs,'" Van Buren said.

The Wooden Legs Brewing Company in Downtown is named after him.

"We thought of things like maybe Brookings Brewing Company. It seemed a little too on the nose, so we decided with let's go with something else. Let's do a little research," Seth Koch said, who is one of the owners of Wooden Legs Brewing Company.

Judge Brookings was out horseback riding with some friends in the middle of winter looking for some land when he fell off his horse into Split Rock Creek. His legs froze and had to be amputated, leaving just wooden legs.

"Once you dig into it a little farther, it's a name you'll never forget. It's a very tongue in cheek nod." Koch said. "It's a fun legacy, so we wanted to at least pay some respect to that history."

Most of the beer at Wooden Legs Brewing Company is even named after local history. Their Split Rock Creek Pale Ale is one of their top-selling beers. Koch said the owners intentionally wanted to start a conversation with customers with the name.

If you have a question you'd like Vanessa to look into in the next segment of Have You Ever Wondered, email her at vgomez@ksfy.com.