Michael Seelig was born in Nassau, Germany. He lost his wife when he was 34 years of age and soon after packed up his young son and moved to America. he located in Leavenworth, Kansas, where he took up the work of a miller. He lived at Leavenworth for a short time when the gold excitement of the Black Hills attracted his attention and he moved hither, coming to the Hills with the earliest pioneers in 1876. In around 1879 he and John Lang partnered to form the Western Star Brewery in Lead, Dakota Territory. He was associated with the firm for nearly 20 years when it closed down in 1897. Michael Seelig died on November 26th, 1904 at age 66 years. The wood-frame building in which he brewed all those years ago still stands at 211 Main Street, Lead, South Dakota.

Prohibition in South Dakota Begins.  On October 4, 1889 The new state of South Dakota's Constitution appeared on the same ballot as statewide Prohibition.  Both items were passed by citizen vote. 39,608 were in favor of Prohibition and 33,456 against. Because the law was unclear as to what was an intoxicating liquor, breweries were allowed to exist.