Pennington County Biographies - Part III

	These biographies are from "Eastern Pennington County Memories", 
	published by The American Legion Auxilliary, Carrol McDonald Unit, 
	Wall, South Dakota and is uploaded with their kind permission. 
	Pages 85-105

	Scan, OCR and editing by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net, 1999. 

	This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit 
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Al Nystrom

by Winifred Roth

	In 1922 Nystrom married Wilma Viola Miller, daughter of Mr. and 
Mrs. William Miller who owned and operated the Miller Hotel and General 
Merchandise Store. After turning the management of the bank over to 
Leonel Jensen, who was cashier, he operated the Wall Motor and 
Implement Company for two years. Then in 1934 he moved to Rapid City 
and bought the Canyon Lake Tavern which he later sold to Eddie 
Kiessling. He then built the Canyon Lake Lodge and Motel, and owned and 
operated the Casino Bar and the Casino Night Club where name bands such 
as those under the direction of Lawrence Welk and Charlie Martin 
played. He also played a large part in making bowling a family sport in 
Rapid City as he was one of the original stockholders in the Casino 
Lanes. In October, 1945, Wilma passed away so his younger daughter, 
Audrey, moved from St. Paul to keep house. She married Delbert Mueller 
and later moved to Grand Junction, Colo. where they reside today. 
Winifred, the other daughter, married Harley Roth of Sturgis and she is 
living there now. Nystrom later married Ruth Marlyst and is now 
retired.



Recollections of Life in Wall

by Al Nystrom

	My introduction to the West or West River country began in the 
early spring of 1920 when, as a member of the Merchants National Bank 
(merged with the First National Bank) of St. Paul, Minn., I was sent to 
Chamberlain to begin the checking of cattle loans we had rediscounted 
from Snider, Sears, Long and Leedom (our own "Chet"-South Dakota's 
greatest politician) with headquarters at Kadoka, as we had rumors that 
the unusually hard winter of 1919-20 had caused large cattle losses. On 
arrival at Chamberlain, A. P. Long, a former U. S. Brands Inspector, 
informed me that the high-centered Fords could not get through the deep 
drifts, but volunteered, "You can always ride a horse," which to the 
writer was a new form of transportation, not knowing which side of the 
horse to mount the saddle from.

	The unusual large cattle losses were confirmed all the way to 
Interior. About the end of June, 1920, 1 received instructions to 
return to St. Paul. The next morning I was on a train bound for Wall 
and the following morning, 6 a.m., the Pullman car conductor who had 
already set my bag on the cinder platform, announced, "This is your 
destination." I could hardly believe my eyes as the only thing I could 
see was the little red station house and the then Gail Lewis home. When 
the train pulled out a young man rubbing the sleep from his eyes, 
picked up my bag, shook my hand introducing himself as Carl Bestha, 
cashier of the Stockmen's State Bank of Faith, who was taking care of 
the bank until my arrival.

	Having failed to help me off the train, he said that breakfast 
would be on him, where at the Miller Hotel I enjoyed the first of many 
good meals. After breakfast I was taken to the bank where I was 
introduced to Gail Lewis, assistant cashier, and his sister, Gladys, 
the bookkeeper--two exceptionally fine people. The back room referred 
to as the Director's Room, contained a dresser, washstand (complete) 
and davenport, which marvelously could be converted into abed which 
Carl said he found very comfortable.

	That afternoon an unusually fine looking young man came in and 
introduced himself with the remark that he had been informed I was a 
new arrival and had I found a place to sleep? This was no other than 
Chas. R. Clark, recently graduated from Leland Stanford University of 
California who might accept the position of principal of the local 
school. I suggested that until he found a better place that he was 
welcome to share the fine sleeping davenport with me which he did until 
he married Gladys Lewis. Clark was a man of high ideals and much 
education; I will never forget him and that I was the only man he ever 
took a drink with.

	My first lady borrowing customer was Rosa Bielmaier, wife of 
Mike, who explained she wished to earn some money of her own with which 
to purchase Christmas gifts. She said a loan to purchase twelve dozen 
turkey eggs would set her up in the raising and fattening of turkey 
business with very little or no overhead costs as she planned on using 
her husband's grain and with the usual grasshopper crop, should develop 
nice turkeys for the Thanksgiving market. Several times during the late 
summer and fall, Gail and I were invited out to dine on one of Rosa's 
famous Sunday chicken dinners and, incidentally, see the progress of 
her project. Outside of an occasional loss of a turkey to a maraurding 
coyote, she appeared to be exceptionally successful. I suggested that 
the gift of an occasional baked or fried chicken to Dad, father of 
Colonel C. C. Rinehart, who owned one of the finest strings of coyote 
hounds and was a neighbor, might bring him around once or twice a week 
to the Beilmaier farm-ranch to eliminate the coyote problem.

	The above brings back memories of my first and only coyote hunt. 
Albert Warden, our local barber, owned three or four fine coyote hounds 
and usually hunted with Dad Rinehart, and wishing to treat the "city" 
banker to something exciting, invited me to accompany them on the 
following Sunday's hunt which certainly sounded interesting. About 3:30 
a.m. I was awakened by unusual loud knocking at the back door of the 
bank, and on peeking out from the side of the green window curtain, saw 
the back part of the bank lot and alley jammed with dogs and horses, 
one without a rider which I presumed was to be my mount. Trying to 
dress for the occasion I was all thumbs, with the result that the boys 
came in to the room to help if necessary. Of course what they really 
thought was that I might offer a drink, which I was glad and happy to 
do. As I threw mine down I smart-cracked, "That's your breakfast, 
stomach." Warden remarked that he never ate so early in the morning, 
but I knew that he had downed several cups of coffee.

	Before starting I was informed that every third coyote was to be 
my personal share of the hunt and I immediately had visions of head 
mounted pelts hanging on the walls, and rugs on the bare floor, which 
probably turned to ice with the coming of zero weather. The coyote 
hunting area started immediately south of town extending approximately 
twelve miles south and about fifteen miles east and west. Almost 
immediately on leaving town the pride of the pack picked up the scent 
of a coyote and was released, followed by the rest of the pack. Warden 
and Dad Rinehart put spurs to their horses although this did not seem 
necessary as the horses seemed as anxious as the dogs to get into the 
action. Perhaps my horse under proper guidance might have kept up with 
the gang, but in a few minutes I was out of the picture, but arrived in 
time to see Warden and Dad on the ground in the middle of a snarling, 
biting group of hounds plus the coyote in the center.

	The next job was to save the pelt from the dogs who were really 
"het up". Dad strapped the dead coyote behind his saddle and we were 
off for the next victim. The second coyote was spotted almost 
immediately and took off straight southeast headed for the Badlands. 
After a short run we hit a drift fence, which in order to negotiate, 
you had to dismount, kick off the top wire where it was attached to the 
fence post, stand on the now loose top and bottom wires, lead your 
horse over, remount and catch up with the gang. However in the attempt 
to get back into the saddle forgot that the horse had two hind legs and 
when the two wires now released sprang up hitting the horse in the 
stomach, the resulting bucking and kicking dissolved me from my mount. 
When the boys located me about ten minutes later with the second coyote 
behind Warden's saddle, their first question was, "Where is your 
horse?" and you look like you messed with a buzz saw.

	What happened? I had fallen into the barbed wire and with a 
frantic horse in the immediate vicinity was lucky to wind up with some 
barb wire cuts across my face, hands and bare arms. Without a horse the 
hunt suddenly ended with Dad suggesting that the second instead of the 
third coyote pelt be awarded to my for my trophy of the hunt. The boys 
got me back to town by alternately riding behind Dad and then Warden. 
On my first visit back to St. Paul, I carried the rather smelly coyote 
pelt with me to be converted into a rug with a base of two thicknesses 
of rather expensive billiard cloth and for many years thereafter it was 
the most prized possession in my home.

	Now for the hunting: Coming from Minnesota where we had a bird 
limit of two or three partridge or ruffled grouse and a very small 
limit on birds, I was amazed at the limit of fifty grouse. My first 
hunt was with Dad and Gail Lewis near the small location of the 
Creighton post office, where John Clarin was postmaster. Dad was a 
crack wing shot and never pulled the trigger until the bird was out of 
sight. Gail and I were fair shots and we returned to Wall with what I 
termed a car load of grouse and being a cool day, none of the birds 
were in danger of spoiling. We were happy to distribute them in lots of 
four. I had purchased my double 12 gauge shotgun from John Schlotfelt 
who always said he never could have survived the dry years of 1911 and 
others without his good gun. I had discovered that John had sawed off 
three inches of both barrels eliminating the choke with the result that 
you released a double bushel of shot and could not miss. John would not 
set a price on his pet gun, but two-fifths of Black and White scotch 
and a $5 overcame him.

	My first fall in Wall (1920) was spent in listening to the deer 
hunting tales of Joe Herink, Ted Whaley, clerk at Kingsbury's, Charlie 
Nippel and Gail Lewis. I was considered too much of a novice to be 
invited. However, here comes the fall of 121 with Winnie Hinman, big 
game and bird hunter from Nebraska, Lem Ronaart, our town druggist, 
Gail Lewis and the writer leaving Wall two days before the opening of 
the deer season in a model T, which Winnie said or guaranteed he could 
keep running if barb wire fencing was available. I think Winnie made at 
least thirty repairs on that old car before reaching Bloody Gulch, 
about ten miles from Rochford, (always known as the heart of the deer 
country) our destination.

	It was about 9 p.m. of the second day, through heavy snow drifts, 
but our host, Fred Rugger, stood in the open doorway of his cabin 
beckoning us to hurry in. I don't remember that the old Model T had a 
heater, or if it did it wasn't working, but with a good supply of 
"North of Wall" White Mule, we had managed to keep from freezing to 
death. Fred was a Swiss remittance man exile who had at one time been a 
chef in one of the then famous Swiss resort inns or hotels. He and his 
pal, George, claimed they were doing a little driftmining and had 
bottles of nuggets and gold dust to show us, but somehow I always 
thought that Fred's monthly visit to Deadwood where he picked up his 
remittance check was their main source of income.

	Fred and George gathered large amounts of wild fruit and this was 
preserved in gallon jars for later use. I may not be an expert of what 
is good to eat, but Fred prepared some of the best and finest foods I 
have ever eaten. His pastry was not only good but artistically 
decorated which proved he had not picked it up in a mining or hunting 
camp.

	With deep snows deer were not moving except occasional strays so 
all we saw was deer tracks. The third morning I ran onto a fresh track 
immediately after leaving camp and followed it until dark, and after 
returning to camp rather late, was so pooped I hardly enjoyed the 
ribbing that followed and followed down through later years, even the 
years I equalled Winnie's string of four. That year good shots like 
George Logan, who could hit a running rabbit in the eye, my son-inlaw, 
Harley Roth, a fine running shot, Bob Houck, ex-big game hunter from 
Minnesota, the last evening of the hunting season reluctantly attached 
their deer tags to my extra bucks. The only reason I tell the above is 
to prove that if you keep on trying, it's possible to improve. I always 
liked the thought, "Old hunters never die, they just keep shooting."

	About 1922 the two hunting cabins in Bloody Gulch burned down and 
Rugger moved into the town of Rochford where Winnie Hinman made his 
hunting headquarters, followed by a rather large two story house near 
what we called the chicken-ranch operated by Winnie and George King. 
After a year or two King and Winnie dissolved partnership and not being 
able to decide which hunter friend to stay with, almost quit deer 
hunting for elk hunting with Eddie Keissling and his group.

	In the early t40s while lifting the elbow in the Badlands Bar, I 
met Winnie Hinman who inquired if I knew that the Lanphere hunting camp 
with all equipment was for sale? This was located on a government lease 
on the road to Deerfield post office about eight miles southwest of 
Rochford in excellent deer country. Winnie replied that it took more. 
money than he had to put into a hunting camp. I ate and slept with 
Winnie until he consented to run Lanphere down and buy the camp which 
was something over four hundred dollars, a lot of money at that time, 
giving his check in payment. Winnie was not in the habit of writing 
checks unless he had the money in the bank but I promised that- when 
the check reached the bank we would have something figured out, which 
was that Bert Smoot, Bob Houck, Al Nystrom and Winnie would each put in 
one-fourth of the money and that day we named it Whitetail Lodge. It 
was to become and still is one of the famous deer hunting lodges of the 
west.

	One of the important items in this purchase was a fifty foot 
lodgepine flagpole that had been erected in the front yard and with a 
new moisture-proof rope and flag, were prepared to raise the flag every 
morning at sunrise. Jimmy Rano, our chef, cook and major domo, 
requested the responsibility, provided he could name one assistant, 
which happened to be the writer. Little did Jimmy know what a job it 
was going to be to arouse his assistant before sunrise. However, Jimmy 
was equal to the job of getting me out of that warm lower bunk by 
sitting on the wooden bench next to the bunk and letting me sniff the 
nose-tickling aroma of a mug of hot water to which had been added to a 
double shot of 100 proof, plus a chunk of butter and decorated with 
nutmeg! To reach this I was forced to roll out. This was what the 
hunters called "A Hot One" and very popular at that time. An occasional 
early riser who had gotten up to see if it would be a good hunting day 
was not surprised to see Old Glory flying at the top of the pole, but 
how Jimmy had got me out was an untold secret. However, I had a job to 
do, which consisted of pushing a thin wire through the upper part of 
the tail or flag of the deer shot the previous day and stringing this 
wire through the flag rope immediately under the last tail of the 
previous day's hunt. Nine times out of ten Winnie had shot the first 
buck the first day, so my thought of Old Glory and the deer flag flying 
in the breeze was a sight from the second day until the close of the 
camp (usually at that time the day after the official closing of the 
season).

	In the dining room on the side of the wall each night Winnie 
entered the name of the day's hunter, type of deer, number of antlers 
and approximate weight (Winnie could guess within a few pounds and no 
one ever questioned his figure.) Hunters passing on the road to go deer 
hunting or to Deerfield, almost always stopped and looked over the 
string of deer hung on a very thick horizontal pole between two large 
pine trees in the yard and in all the years I was active in the camp, 
not a deer was stolen. Several times outdoor sportswriters from outside 
of the state came to the lodge, asked for permission to take pictures 
of the hanging deer, the flag pole with the swaying deer flags and ask 
how long the camp had been in operation, etc., all of which they said 
would make an unusual story for their magazine.

	Baseball: Max Noye was captain of the 1920 baseball team and 
while the writer was invited to join, the season was about half over 
and he decided to wait until next year. In the meantime Winnie Hinman, 
Oliver LaCroix, Bryan and Winnie's brother had arrived from

	Nebraska to operate farms in the Wall territory and early in 1921 
baseball was the main topic of conversation and at the first meeting 
the writer was elected manager, disregarding the plea that I did not 
wish to be active except as possibly playing first base, if needed. At. 
sixteen I had played second base in the old Minnesota-Wisconsin Lumber 
Men's League and later was half owner of the South St. Paul team in the 
Interstate League, so did know a little about baseball.

	We ordered ten uniforms from the secretary of the St. Paul 
American Association team which had been used in 1920. They arrived 
promptly via prepaid express and after waiting for a week, wrote 
McMicking, secretary of the club, asking for the bill and he replied 
that he had checked on the post office population of Wall, which at 
that time was under 100, and did not think we could afford to buy them. 
Geo E. Lennon, owner of the club, had instructed the secretary to make 
them a gift with his best wishes for a successful 1921 season. With 
these uniforms and new baseball shoes purchased from the proceeds of 
several baseball benefit dances, we at least looked like baseball 
players.

	The boys showed up two or three times a week for practices and by 
the first of May we showed up fairly well as a team. We scheduled games 
with Quinn, Kadoka, New Underwood, Wasta, Philip and in July played 
several traveling teams, including Sioux Falls Canaries. Our big moment 
came when we were given a game with Rapid City at Rapid during the 
latter part of August. The Rapid team was practically the same as one 
that won the Denver Post tournament during September of the previous 
year. This tourney included the best of finest professional teams in 
the U. S. outside of the big leagues. Much to everyone's surprise we 
won the game 2 to 1 (both umpires were from Rapid City). Our lineup was 
Hinman (Sam), Donner, Kingsbury, Kellem (Herb), Hinman (Winnie), 
Nystrom, Walt Kellem, Ed Kellem, LaCroix, Mel Hinman. Oliver LaCroix 
was a southpaw and Winnie a right hander. They pitched most of our 
games and we had some good ones with Wasta for large cash purses. 
Fonnie Keyser was captain of the Wasta team and that night the game was 
replayed in a fine spirit of good sportsmanship between the members of 
both loser and winner, aided by the local white-mule that was always 
available at the dance which followed baseball games. Rodger Lee of 
Rapid City and a fine ball player pitched two or three games for our 
team and later on reached a position of full Colonel in the Air Force 
during World War Il. Carl Paschusta, town banker, and Herb Brockett 
were the New Underwood battery.

	Antelope Hunt: Al Trask, George Logan, Winnie Hinman and the 
writer, on the legal opening of the season traveled in a GMAC station 
to a point about 30 miles north of Belle Fourche about 10 p.m. the 
night before the opening and dragged Alls "tarp" from the rear of the 
truck and spread it out on a slightly sloped spot fairly close to the 
truck where our brealifast and snake bite remedy were kept. Alls tarp 
was made of three above the average weight canvasses sewed together in 
a spread about 14-foot by 16-foot, so that when you layed down on the 
tarp and pulled up the bottom, your feet were inside the tarp with 
plenty of cover to pull over your head to keep off any wind or rain. Al 
and George, being somewhat more rugged, picked the two outside sleeping 
positions, but then they had the advantage of being able to get out 
from under in quicker time, making it the most practical, warm and dry 
tent flat on the ground I had ever been able to use.

	About 2 a.m. Al nudged me inside and whispered, "Are you asleep?" 
The excitement of the possibility of my first antelope had kept me 
awake and I said not yet. He wondered if I had thought of bringing a 
jug (snake bite) to bed with me. This was an unnecessary question as 
when hunting I always placed the bottle under my pillow, so I was glad 
to pass the jug to him for what he called an antelope snort. After a 
snort or two our chuckles awoke George and Winnie, who inquired what 
was going on, and after having the jug pressed into their hands for a 
drink agreed that it was too nice a night to be sleeping. So we all 
decided to get up and enjoy the coming dawn.

	There were a lot of dark shadows out on the prairie and of course 
we were sure they must be antelope. Shooting could not start until 
sunrise or about 6 o'clock, so we had to hold our itching fingers, as 
we knew numerous game wardens were just waiting for someone to shoot 
before the legal time, which eventually arrived.

	We took off in four different directions. The writer had read in 
books that the antelope is the most curious of all four-legged animals 
and finding awashout or gully, started for higher ground with his red 
hunting cap held high on the muzzle of his Remington 30. Antelope 
prefer high ground where they can get a good view of the surrounding 
area and it was not long until a small group of three spotted my waving 
cap without seeing me and began what I would call a very cautious 
approach and by peeking over the edge of the washout, discovered that 
there were two does and one buck with a fine set of horns. As they were 
standing still and within easy shooting range the buck became my first 
antelope trophy, eliminating the story of how I brought him down while 
he was traveling by me at a speed of not less than 60 miles per hour 
(their reputed top speed).

	By the time I had finished field dressing my buck, George drove 
up in the station wagon together with Al and Winnie who had also shot 
their bucks and by the time we had loaded my buck, we were joined by 
Oscar Pruess, who operated a filling station at Wasta. He said he had 
shot several bucks, but they didn't stay down and had taken off as 
though never hit. Al volunteered our aid in staging a drive a few miles 
further north and we were off. On arrival in a new area we took off in 
different directions with the writer on the lookout for a natural 
drainage ditch which was discovered almost immediately. By employing 
the technics of red hunting cap on muzzel of rifle and held high above 
the head we soon enticed a small group of antelope within easy shooting 
distance and following the report of my gun was soon joined by the 
other boys who quickly field dressed the buck. Winnie and Al both said 
that my shot sounded like impact and had no doubt that I had scored. I 
never became expert in calling shots.

	During my first years at the bank, Gail Lewis was clerk of the 
local board and kept his records there. During the summer applications 
accompanied by photographs for teacher positions that fall were 
received in fairly large numbers and after banking hours Gail would 
bring them out for a second and third look. He always asked my opinion 
or preference with the result that the Wall School could boast of a 
staff of the best looking and attractive teachers in the West River 
country. My attractive wife, Ruth, held her first teaching position in 
the Wall school and was one of a number who qualified for the result of 
being twice as good looking personally as the picture, when she arrived 
that fall.

	Banking's first happening: Reorganization changing name from 
First State Bank to Farmers State Bank with twenty stockholders, 
including myself. Each one held five shares with R. H. Packman, 
president; the writer, executive vice president; and Gail Lewis, 
Cashier. During my time as an officer the bank experienced two bank 
runs or heavy cash withdrawals that prematurely put gray hair on my 
dome.

	Following the National Bank moratorium called by President 
Roosevelt, our bank received national publicity with the story of being 
the only bank open the day after in all of the United States. This is 
what happened: Fred Smith, State Superintendent of-Banks, had 
instructed his personal secretary to call each bank in the state and 
either he or she would instruct that when the bank closed that evening 
not to reopen but stay closed until notified by the government.

	Smith's secretary placed a call to the Wall telephone exchange, 
but Mrs. Joe Herink, who was operating the switchboard, reported that 
the bank telephone line was busy and would she call again? The 
secretary placed a check mark after Wall Bank when she put in the call 
and did not erase the check. In the grand excitement that no doubt 
prevailed in the Pierre office of the superintendent the recall was 
overlooked and we were never notified of the order to close. Mrs. Joe 
Herink, not knowing how serious the call might have been, did not feel 
any responsibility to call it to our attention, with the result that we 
were certainly babes in the woods.

	The following day we opened as usual and when traveling men from 
Rapid City came into town and reported they were unable to get into 
their banks because they were closed. The men were short of cash and 
our merchants looked at them in amazement and said they ought to have a 
good bank like theirs. The men hurried to the bank to cash a check and 
knowing them all personally, we obliged (eventually being reimbursed) 
either personally or through a bank repayment.

	About this time we received a telphone call from Pierre from Fred 
Smith who was mad as a hornet and immediately inquired what we meant by 
disregarding his instructions. The writer was on the phone and was just 
as mad, and said we had never heard of such an order. Smith's secretary 
finally solved the mess by admitting that she had not erased the check 
mark after the Wall Bank and had failed to replace the call. However 
all this was enough to place us in a most unusual position with the 
United States press and for many years thereafter, we enjoyed the 
distinction of having disobeyed the President through South Dakota's 
Superintendent of Banks.



Karl Lurz Family

by Clara Bamsey

	Karl Lurz was born in Germany Oct. 29,1875 and came to the United 
States at the age 17. He lived in Buffalo, N. Y. for several years and 
then came with his parents to a homestead in Cherry County, Neb. On 
July 11, 1903, he and Ida Helen Welke were married. Her parents had 
also come from Germany and were homesteaders. In 1911, Mr. Lurz bought 
a hardware store from Frank Pratt at Wall, S.D. and in 1912 his wife 
and three children joined him. There was a hall over the store and on 
Saturday night dances were held there; on Sunday, Catholic Mass was 
said in the hall. Mr. Lurz would arise early and clear the place of 
empty beer and whiskey bottles before the priest arrived. I recall the 
Naescher, Rotter and Schroeder families coming to town on Saturday and 
staying all night at our house to attend church on Sunday. Bishop 
Lawler also took his meals with us when he was in Wall and no one was 
allowed to leave the table until the Bishop did. Since he liked to 
visit after meals, the children were often very late to school, to 
their great embarrassment. At that time the Indians were on the move 
and would camp at the edge of town for several days, and spend a great 
deal of time in the store, making their wants known by sign language. 
Mr. Lurz played the accordion in the town band and had one of the first 
cars in town - a 1913 Studebaker. After selling the hardware store, he 
went to work for Mr. and Mrs. "Dad" Miller in about 1920 and worked 
there 'til his retirement in 1944. Mrs. Lurz died on April 11, 1953 and 
Mr. Lurz, now 89 years old and in reasonably good health, makes his 
home with a son, Harold in Philip, S. Dak.

	Children of Mr. and Mrs. Karl Lurz, who they married; their 
present address, and their offspring: Betty (Elizabeth-Claude Doud - 
Rapid City, S. Dak., Beverly, Wanda; Ann - Ray Rotter - Deadwood, S. 
Dak., Rodger, Mary, Marilyn; Carl - Pearl Williams Owanka, S. Dak., 
Neal; Clara - Lynden Bamsey Chadron, Nebr., George, James; Harold - 
Mildred Trople - Philip, S. Dak., Rosalie, Richard, George, Herbert, 
Dennis, Larry, Jerry, Victor, Lexie, Candy, Muril, Deceased: Harold 
Jr., Gene; Helen (deceased 1945) - James Sanders -Jerry, (Carl Jerome); 
Paul Patricia Pierce - Creighton, S. Dak.; Therese - Robert Hinman - 
Quinn, S. Dak., Ladonna, Michael, Sheryl, Thomas, Judy, Carla, Charla; 
Donna - William Moler - Wall, S. Dak., Keith and Pamela. Two boys, 
George and Gene, died in infancy.


[Photo - Old Many Feathers]


Mr. and Mrs. Mack Graham

by Ruth Graham Ramey

	Mr. and Mrs. Mack Graham, came to Pedro with their family, in 
1906 via covered wagon. They staked a claim seventeen miles from Pedro. 
They came there, from Groton, crossing the Missouri by ferry. Mack 
worked for the Northwestern railroad, helping build bridges from Philip 
to Rapid City.

	They would go by wagon, to Pedro and purchase a two months supply 
of groceries and necessities which were freighted in from Rapid City.

	Pedro was quite a town. Frank and Jennie Hauk had a store that 
held groceries, hardware, machinery, etc. There was also a hotel, post 
office and newspaper.

	Ruby Dart was the school teacher. She married Munson, who ran the 
newspaper. Later, the Munsons moved to Ash Creek and ran a newspaper, 
called "The Pilot". After Jennie Hauk died the family moved to Sturgis.

	The Graham's neighbors were Hawkins, John Ramey, Toley, Price and 
Whites.

	July 4, 1906, there was a terrific storm and flash floods. The 
only celebration was a dance, in the evening. The dance floor had two 
inches of mud washed on it, but, they danced until daylight, anyway. 
Everyone was mud. They arrived home about noon.

	Johnny Green carried mail from Pierre to Hays, Grahams received 
mail on this route about twice a week. Emma Stephanie and Phil Carlie 
were neighbors who married and moved south of Kadoka. They are now 
living in Rapid City.

	In 1908 Dawling's had a store. One day the Grahams went to visit 
friends, vie team and wagon. On the way home a terrific rain came up. 
Mr. Graham got lost in the blinding rain and in going down the old 
Pedro hill, the wagon tipped over and they all fell out in the mud. The 
family convinced Mr. Graham, he should let the horses find the way 
home. Ruth Graham and John Ramey were married in 1909. They lived near 
Pedro until 1933, then moved to a ranch on Bear Creek fourteen miles 
South west of Wamblee.

	John was killed in a pasture by lightening, August 18, 1944. 
Since that time their only son has operated the ranch. Jim not only 
ranched but was a South Dakota state senator for eight years. He was an 
outstanding senator as well as a colorful one. Jim always dressed in 
western suit, hat and boots. This made him a colorful senator around 
the halls of our capitol building.

	Ruth and John Ramey had two daughters, Alice, living in 
California and Ollie in Gary, Indiana. Ruth has thirteen living 
grandchildren, and two great grandchildren. Three grand daughters are 
nurses, following in their aunt Alice's footsteps.

	Ruth recalls, one year, eggs were only five cents a dozen. She 
made "gobs" of homemade noodles and dried them. She sent Alice up town 
to Miller's Store with a half dozen eggs, Alice and Jim were batching 
in Wall going to high school. Huldah Street was working in the store at 
the time. She asked Alice to take them back home, as she didn't know 
how she could split a nickel.

	One other time the neighbors got together and made ice cream. 
There were some Indians camped by the creek so they gave them some. The 
Indians put the ice cream in cans and fastened them on the fence until 
it melted, then they drank it.

	Ruth Graham Ramey, had a severe stroke while in the locker plant 
one day last fall. She has done remarkable, but still can not write. I, 
Ruth Rock, called on her and wrote this for her. She is staying at the 
retirement home. Their claim, the Graham's, was on the county line. 
They made Wall their town and sent the Ramey children to high school in 
Wall. I'm sure the Dart boys, Jr. Gunn and others will remember going 
to school with them.



R. F. and Eleanor Lewis

	Any person that has attended school in and around Wall in the 
last forty odd years has had one or both of these good people as a 
teacher. The records show that they came to start their teaching 
careers about 1923. They have taught in Owanka, Wasta, Philip and also 
in country schools around the area.

	Along with their teaching jobs they have published Wall's only 
newspaper for many years. They have been active in all community 
affairs and church work. Eleanor has been greatly missed since her 
passing last winter, but Russell carries on along toward the betterment 
of all civic causes.

[Photo - R. F. Lewis]

[Photo - Eleanor Lewis]

[Photo - Wall So. Dak. Class picture, 1940]

[Photo - Wall, S. D. Speech class 1945-1946]


Alonzo and Margaret Mills

	In the early 1900's the Mill's family came to Mitchell, South 
Dakota from Indiana. After hearing glowing tales of homestead 
activities, they decided to come to the western part of the state. In 
1910 they homesteaded eight miles north of Wall on the land now owned 
by Cyril Naescher. 

	Besides Mr. and Mrs. Mills there were four sons and a daughter. 
Also a married daughter and her husband. The four boys had received 
enough education to teach in the local schools. George taught at the 
Cedar Butte school; Clarence at Cedar Canyon; Omar at Lake Flatt; and 
Oscar at the Huron School. Each lived at home and walked to and from 
school each day. Their combined salary for one month was $165.

	After teaching for a few years, the boys decided to further their 
education, George attended medical school at Chicago University, 
interned in San Diego, and graduated in 1918. Clarence attended medical 
school in Cincinnati. He later taught at the University of Cincinnati 
as a professor of Experimental Medicine. He has two sons and one 
daughter, all three graduates of medicine. The daughter is now married. 
The eldest son graduated from the University of Kansas medical school. 
The youngest son interned in California but later decided to become a 
lawyer. He specializes in medical-legal cases.

	Fern attended college at Brookings, South Dakota. She taught 
school in the towns of Wasta, Spencer, Wall and Huron District. She 
lived at home with her parents. She now resides in Lafayette, 
California.

	Oscar attended college at Brookings and later became the Haakon 
County Agent. Two years later he returned to his parents' farm where he 
resided until they sold out and moved to California in 1945.

	Omar also attended college at Brookings and served in the Armed 
forces in World War 1. He returned to South Dakota to become the County 
Agent in Walworth County. He later went to Washington where he taught 
in high school. He decided to further his education and so attended the 
University of California where he received a MA and a PhD in 
Agriculture of Economics. He also taught there later.

	Dottie and her husband, Floyd Morgan, were married when they came 
to establish a home in western South Dakota. Floyd taught Sunday School 
at Cedar Butte and was found to be very active in all community affairs 
of the area. They have two daughters and one son. Margaret Riggs is now 
living in Media, Pennsylvania, Betty Hill and Merlin live in 
California. Dottie and Floyd moved to California in 1943. Dottie passed 
away in 1955.

	After graduation from medical school, George returned to Wall in 
1919 and began to practice medicine. He was married in 1919 to 
Elizabeth Pinkham. They have two daughters, Mildred and Georgia. Pinkie 
was a nurse and helped "Doc" with his practice. She passed away in 
1924.

	Mildred, a graduate nurse, is married to Dr. W. A. Gamon and is 
living near Spokane, Washington. They have four children. Georgia 
graduated from the University of South Dakota and did social work in 
Sioux City, Iowa. She later taught school in New Castle, Wyoming. There 
she met her husband, John Ratigan, and still resides. They have five 
children.

	Alonzo Mills died in 1932 and Margaret Mills in 1954. Oscar and 
Omar are also deceased.

	In 1924, Alice Harris came to Wall and taught high school for 
four years. She and Dr. Mills were married in 1928. Alice worked in the 
bank and off-and-on taught in the Wall High School. She served as 
treasurer of the school board for 30 years. She passed away in 1964.

	For many years, Dr. Mills had a small hospital in his home. In 
1938, a building was purchased and moved from Cottonwood to Wall to be 
used as a hospital. The remodeling of this building was completed in 
1939.

	Dr. Mills entered into politics in 1938 and served in the State 
Legislature. He has served nine terms since but stayed out in 1949, 
1951, and 1959.

	When Dr. Mills was asked to relate some of his experiences, he 
told of being called twenty miles south of Interior to deliver a baby. 
It was 23º below zero, a snowy blizzardy night. He hit a drift in the 
road and his battery cable tore loose. The car stalled and he found he 
was without tools. He broke a piece of wire from a barbed wire fence, 
wired the battery to the frame of the car, and continued on his 
journey. He bumped and humped over the drifted roads and finally 
arrived at his destination. He had arrived too late. Since the stork 
had beat him there, the patient's husband told him that he would 
receive no pay for his sixty-five mile trip. It was many years later 
that he finally received payment.

	Though Doc is now in retirement, he feels that he has done his 
duty as he has delivered two sets of triplets, 12 pair of twins and 
several hundred single births. He has delivered several second 
generation babies and for two families he has brought eight children 
into this world. He no longer practices medicine but he keeps busy with 
his tourist motel business.

[Photo - Alonzo Mills]

[Photo - Margaret Mills]

[Photo - Dr. and Mrs. Mills]

[Photo Georgia, Alice and Doc Mills]




RBS and Wall

	If you had been walking down Main Street in Wall, South Dakota, 
on August 15, 1960, you would have noted 34 strange faces -- and no 
doubt every countenance would have been wearing an expression of 
confusion, bewilderment, worry or curiosity, These faces would soon 
change for they were the faces of the nucleus of a new group arriving 
in Wall -- arriving to do a vital job in the Nation's Defense -arriving 
to become a part of the community.

	These 34 strangers, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel (then 
Major) James O. McHan, had just arrived in Wall to establish a Radar 
Bomb Scoring site on Hurley Butte, some 10 miles west of Interior, 
South Dakota, on State Highway 40.

	These men were faced with a tremendous task. From a concrete pad 
and one utility building they were to complete a radar site complex and 
have it in operation by October 1, 1960, only 45 days after their 
arrival.

	The first meeting of Detachment 2, 11th Radar Bomb Scoring 
Squadron was held in the Wall Drug Store's coffee shop -- this was to 
serve as the unit's main gathering point for some months.

	South Dakota was quite a change from the detachment's former 
location, Los Angeles, California, and quite an adjustment had to be 
made by everyone. The detachment had been located in California for 
nine years.

	Hurley Butte became the point of furious activity. Trailer and 
equipment vans were brought in, located and leveled. Inter -connecting 
hallways and extra rooms were constructed. Each day noted a change on 
the horizon as the construction continued -- each day was one day less 
to be ready.

	On October 1, 1960, the shrill whine of Strategic Air Command's 
jet bombers broke the quiet over the Badlands Bombing Range and have 
been doing so for five years. For five years, seven days per week, 24 
hours per day, the site's enlisted men and officers have been "at the 
scopes" providing an accurate measurement of SAC's bombing accuracy and 
tactical capabilities.

	There is no "live" bomb activity anymore. The last explosives 
dropped on the range was in the summer of 1962. All activity is now 
electronically achieved
and scored. As new detection and evasion equipment is evolved, tactics 
must change and in the end result, scoring and analysis factors must 
change. The activity now conducted at the site could not be compared 
with our old days. Pin point bombing and navigational accuracy is 
required, certain actions in evasion and penetration procedures must be 
made in the micro-second of time to be effective. So our jobs are 
always changing though our purpose and reason for being, which is best 
summed up in SAC's motto "Peace is Our Profession", has never changed.

	For the most part, our five years have been marked by 
achievement. Many of our young men have married local girls, tying the 
community knot even tighter. Wall welcomed us into its life stream and 
in turn has been rewarded by the talents of our people. Every social, 
religious, civic and fraternal organization in town has members in it 
from our group. We have one enlisted man serving as a city mayor 
(Interior). Lt. Col. McHan served as American Legion Commander and 
President of the Parent-Teachers Association. Our younger airmen are 
quite active in the local Jaycees.

	The first two years saw a great increase in the site's assigned 
strength and our average strength has remained at 75 military personnel 
and about 120 dependents. About 95% of our people live in Wall and so 
Wall's population has averaged 175 more people because of the site. The 
presence of the military in the town has also qualified the town for 
Federal assistance with its school and improvements in the town's 
sewage disposal system.

	In October 1962 the site received 21 mobile homes to ease the 
scarce housing problem and Wall has had its own Air Force Annex ever 
since.

	Lt. Col. McHan was reassigned to command the 11th Radar Bomb 
Scoring Squadron at March Air Force Base, California, in April 1965. 
His successor, Major Cecil M. Thomson, Jr., a veteran of eight years in 
RBS, came to us from Oronogo, Missouri, where he had a similar site.

	Major Thomson's previous assignments in RBS include a six year 
tour on the Operations Staff of the 10th Radar Bomb Scoring Squadron at 
Carswell Air Force Base, Texas, and two years as Commander of 
Detachment 2, 10th Radar Bomb Scoring Squadron at Oronogo, Missouri. 
His other assignments in his more than 15 years of service have all 
been as a combat crew member. He is a Master Navigator with thousands 
of hours of flying experience.

	Business goes on but the last five years have left their mark on 
our men and our site. The hellos and goodbyes still ring in our ears. 
The friendships and memories still linger. Five years and over 50,000 
bomber missions later we are still here, still ready and still planning 
for the future.

	The immediate plans include refinishing the inside of our vans, 
their rearrangement to accommodate new more exotic gear and the 
procurement of a building in Wall to serve as our "second station".

	For all practical purposes the site's future won't change. As 
long as our Nation's Defense inventory includes the manned bomber, we 
are still needed.

[Photo - RBS Site]


The Ranch Life of Perry-Emma Roberts

by Emma Roberts

	We were married at Wausa, Nebraska, November 1, 1909 and in 
January of 1910 we started for Wall, South Dakota in hopes of taking a 
homestead. We arrived in Wall and were met by my brother Harry Poppe 
who had driven in with a team and wagon to get us.

	It was bitter cold and after resting the team over night we 
started out. There were about six to eight inches of snow on the ground 
and it was a clear day. We stopped at Mooneys to feed and rest the 
horses, and it was well after dark when we left the Wall to Pedro road. 
From there we had to go about two miles across open prairie where we 
became lost. After wandering around for some time I saw a small light 
and asked my brother if it were a star or someone's light. Harry said, 
"It's not- in the right direction but we will go to it and if it's not 
our place maybe we can find out where we are."

	We were delighted to find it was my father, John Poppe's place. 
He was afraid after it became dark that we might have trouble so he had 
hung a lantern out on a high cedar gate post.

	We found most all land had been taken but Walter Fergusen on 
Squaw Creek had a relinquishment that he was willing to sell. So we 
bought that and proceeded to build a claim shack and sod barn and in 
April moved to the claim. Perry went to breaking sod, which he planted 
to flax. I planted a garden. But due to the dry weather neither did 
much, but did have some flax to sell.

	To us a son was born here who only stayed with us four weeks when 
he passed away.

	The second week in September 1910 Mr. Philip Rathgaber came to 
see if I would teach the Squaw Creek school as the teacher they had 
hired never showed up. So I took the stage to Wall and train to Rapid 
City to take the teacher examination and taught the Squaw Creek School 
that winter.

	This gave us money to buy wheat seed and feed to put in another 
crop. But it was so dry that year that the wheat did not come up until 
September. It did get growth enough to pasture our milk cow. In October 
of 1911 Perry hauled baled hay from Wall to feed our horses and two 
cows through the winter.

	The twenty-second of October 1911 our daughter Charlotte was 
born. We then moved to the Walter Murry place as it had a good well of 
water. Then in the fall of 1914 we moved on the Harry Beckman place and 
continued to farm our homestead, Murry's and Beckman's and renting the 
two Ellison girl's places.

	We continued to farm this until the spring of 1919, when we 
bought the old Long place and some surrounding land eight miles north 
of Wasta bridge.

	Our second son Everette was born May 1913. We continued to live 
on this place. Charlotte and Everette attended high school two years in 
Wasta and two years in Wall, where they graduated in the first class of 
the new high school in 1930. Charlotte taught school one year after 
taking two summers and one full year at Spearfish. Everette went to the 
School of Mines one year then returned to work with his dad on the 
ranch and also ran a small herd of his own. He sold his stock in the 
summer of 1938 and went back to the School of Mines to finish his 
education and graduated May 30, 1941. After graduation he went to work 
at Pierre, South Dakota in the State Bridge Department. Then in 1942 he 
took a job with headquarters in Chattanooga, Tennessee with the Rural 
Electrification Company where he worked until he enlisted in the Sea 
Bee's a branch of Navy.

	While still in the States, he was married to Olga Clements of 
Washington D. C. Upon leaving the States he was sent to Bermuda where 
he was in charge of water purification. Olga also took a government job 
and was able to join Everette there. They remained in Bermuda until the 
war ended in the East. Then Olga returned by plane August 1 and on 
August 10, 1945 Robert, their first son was born. Everette returned by 
ship and went into training for duty in Japan. In October he was sent 
to Seattle and Olga and baby went with him. But the war ended in Japan, 
too, so he never left Seattle.

	Don, their second son, was born November 6, 1946 in Seattle and 
about the same time Everette received his discharge. Right after 
Thanksgiving they left Seattle and came to Detroit, where Everette had 
taken a job with the Wayne Company Bridge Department. He worked here 
eight years. Then took a job in Chicago where he worked two years, then 
two years in Cleveland, then a little over three years in Harrisburg, 
Pennsylvania. From there he was promoted to head man in the Bridge 
Department with offices in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They have a family 
of two boys and two girls and one boy. The two oldest boys are in 
college, the girls in high school, and the youngest son in Junior high.

	Charlotte was married November 1, 1939 to Glen Murnahan of 
Chicago, Illinois where they still live. After teaching one year on 
Lake Flat, Charlotte went to Chicago to help her Aunt care for my 
Mother who was ill and spent several of her last years as a bed 
patient. Then she took a job at Johnsons and Johnson and worked there 
eleven years.

	Glen joined the Coast Guards and was on the Great Lakes for some 
time. He was then sent South and Charlotte quit work to join him. After 
the war they returned to Chicago where they still live.

	In the fall of 1945 we sold our ranch to Ted Rabe of Rapid City. 
On February 11, 1946 we sold at public sale and stayed in Rapid City 
until September 1, 1946 when we went to Seattle, where we lived for a 
year. On September 13, 1946 we returned by way of Rapid City and then 
Chicago where we were for a year. On July 16, 1948 we bought our 
present home in Detroit, Michigan where we live at the present time.

	I was back to visit once since and miss Dakota at times but due 
to Perry's poor health the last 15 years we have not been able to make 
the long trip back. Perry and I had our fifty-fifth wedding anniversary 
November 1, 1964 and Perry, his eightieth birthday in December and my 
seventy-fifth in February 1965. 1 still enjoy working in many church 
organizations and serving.

	Perry worked at carpentry while in Washington, Rapid City, 
Chicago and in Detroit until his illness.

	Fred Kneebone worked for us several years on the ranch taking 
care of the cattle on summer range. During the dry years he dug fossils 
on our ranch and sold them in Wall and Wasta during the depression.

[Photo - Fred Kneebone]


Mr. and Mrs. W. J. Naescher

by Cathy Geigle

	William Naescher, son of Mr. and Mrs. John Naescher, was born in 
Bridgewater, Dakota Territory in 1885. Among my happiest memories was a 
Christmas when my mother was still living, when I received a pair of 
boots. At that time we wore ruffled blouses, short pants and tall 
boots.

	I married Anne Harnish in 1908. She was born in Freeman, South 
Dakota in 1886 to Mr. and Mrs. Fred Harnish.

	We had both filed on our homestead near Wall in 1907.

	To us were born six healthy children--Ray in 1909, Leo in 1911, 
Cyril in 1914, Billy in 1916, Larry in 1920, and Mary in 1926.

	Our hardest times were in the thirties. Our neighbors were kind 
and thoughtful. We had a lot of fun playing cards and just sitting and 
talking.

[Photo - William Naescher]

[Photo - Present W. J. Naescher Home]

[Photo - Back row: Leo, Larry, William, Anne, Cyril, Ray, and Billy. 
Mary in front.]



Mr. and Mrs. Knute Petersen

	Knute Petersen, Frank Anderson, Andrew Miller and Lawrence 
Petersen all from Viborg, So. Dak. came out to file on land in Western 
S.D. They came out in the spring of 1906, found the land and each got 
his quarter a few miles north west of where the town of Wall now 
stands.

	They built their claim shanties, they put in wood floors then put 
hay in one corner of the room and that was their bed. The hay was taken 
from a stack not far from their location that had been put up for the 
purpose of feeding the many horses that were working on railroad 
construction.

	Mrs. Knute Petersen was also out here and Mrs. Marne Jensen, the 
elderly lady that had come out to file with Louis Jensen and his 
brother and sister. She came over to stay that winter with Mrs. 
Petersen and helped her cook for the men, Minnie Jensen also came over 
spending a few days at a time with them. The men from the Jensen Flat 
came over frequently to get a good meal, as their wives did not come 
out until the next spring so they were "batching".

	The Petersens stayed but the one year, returning to Sioux Falls 
where they obtained work. Mrs. Petersen was a nurse. Later they moved 
out to Rapid City where Mrs. Petersen took care of patients in her home 
until she retired and they moved back to their homestead near Wall. 
That was in 1946.

	Mrs. Petersen died in this home in 1953 at the age of 92. Mr. 
Petersen stayed on the homestead for another year and then went to live 
with his daughter Mrs. Helen Hoar near Deerfield, S. Dak. He died in 
1956. Their daughter Phoebe and her husband Walter Nelsen lived on the 
Petersen homestead for a number of years while the parents were living 
in Rapid City. Phoebe's husband is dead and she lives in the Black 
Hills near Nemo.



Mr. and Mrs. George H. Anderson

	George Anderson was born May 11, 1883, in Brule County, South 
Dakota. He was the fourth child of a family of six born to Mr. and Mrs. 
Frank Anderson, who had immigrated to this country from Sweden. When 
George was five years old, his father died. His mother remarried and 
another brother was added to the family.

	Nellie Lanam, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Lanam, was born in 
Richland Center, Wisconsin, February 27, 1883. She was the youngest of 
a family of three children. The Lanam family moved to Charles Mix 
County, South Dakota, when Nellie was about six year old.

	In 1905, Nellie Lanam, age twenty-one, and her brother, Branson 
Lanam, made the two hundred mile trip from Charles Mix County to Rapid 
City by buckboard to file on a homestead claim north of Wall. Nellie 
filed on NW1/4 Sec. 31 2N 16E and her brother's claim was just across 
the section line, SW1/4 Sec. 31 2N 16E. They then returned to Charles 
Mix County where they remained for six months, returning to Wall in 
1906 to live on their homesteads.

	When Nellie Lanam and her brother returned to live on their 
homesteads in 1906, George Anderson and his sister, Rose, came with 
them to file their homestead claims. On their trip to Wall, the four of 
them came in two open wagons, camping out in tents. George filed a 
claim northwest of Wall on the SW1/4 Sec. 34 2N 15E. His sister's claim 
was just across the section line, NW1/4 Sec. 3 1N 15E.

	Nellie's older brother, Milton, and a friend, Bert Ellis, had 
come ahead of the four and had dug a dugout on Branson Lanam's claim, 
so that when they arrived, they had a place to stay. They lived in this 
dugout and the tents while the men worked together to dig the dugouts 
on Rose and George's homesteads. When these were finished, the men 
drove to Smithville, fording the river, to get lumber for Nellie's 
shack. This shack was seven by fourteen feet. The contents consisted of 
a homemade table, homemade chairs, a cupboard, a small iron stove with 
an oven, and a homemade bed, which Nellie sometimes abandoned for the 
table when the mice took over her small shack and not being able to 
find any food would chew on her toes. The table wasn't as sturdy as the 
bed, so she had to lie very quietly. George's sister, Rose, remembers 
the night of a bad snowstorm when the snow piled on top of the door of 
her dugout and a thoughtful neighboring homesteader came by the next 
morning to dig her out. Rose Anderson lived her fourteen months on her 
homestead, then married Bert Ellis and moved to his homestead north of 
Quinn.

	In 1907, Nellie's parents, Mr. and Mrs. William Lanam, also came 
to Wall and opened a general store. When Nellie had completed her 
fourteen months on her homestead claim, she opened a small millinery 
shop in a corner of her parent's store.

	On November 18, 1908, George Anderson and Nellie Lanam drove to 
Rapid City in a buggy and were united in marriage. They lived on 
George's homestead and added a small shack to the front of the dugout, 
which was used as the kitchen. They covered the walls of their dugout 
with white oilcloth and the ceiling was made of split cedar. Instead of 
walls, the rooms of the dugout were separated by curtains. George had 
made all of the furniture out of cedar, including a rocking chair, and 
Nellie added her organ and a dresser. They hauled their water in a 
barrel from the lake bed, strained it and boiled it, because cattle 
also drank from this lake bed. George made many of his tools by hand. 
Two of the first crops they raised were beans and potatoes. They 
shelled the beans by spreading them out on one of their tents laid on 
top of a wagon bed and stamping them with their feet.

	When George and Nellie began their life together, there was 
little around them but prairie, a few homestead shacks, a few dugouts, 
very few fences, and a tree scattered here and there. In their 
imagination, they visioned fields of grain, roads and fences, orchards 
and school houses. They realized this would require many years of hard 
work, but they had learned the satisfaction gained from a day's hard 
work and a job well done.

	Many other people came to the area to homestead and soon there 
was a homesteader on every quarter section. The years that followed 
weeded out those who were never meant for a rugged life; and those who 
had filed a claim only to stay long enough to prove up and sell out had 
moved on to greener pastures. The year 1911 showed only the staunch 
remaining, George and Nellie Anderson among them. When the going was 
rough because of drought and depression and when their crops were 
destroyed by hail, grasshoppers, beetles or rust, they continued to 
work. George's children remember a phrase he often used, "Oh well, 
we'll raise a good crop next year". During those years, woman's work 
was never done, and while Nellie's household chores continued into the 
hours after dark, George spent this time reading to improve his mind 
and gain knowledge that would help him to produce better crops, save 
the land, and improve his methods of farming.

	For fifty years they worked and helped develop the community and 
as the desolate prairie they had homesteaded on turned into a community 
of homes, orchards, fenced-in fields of grain, roads and telephone 
lines, they watched their dreams come true.

	Their hard work and love of the land paid off eventually and they 
purchased more land. The dugout in which four of their children had 
been born became too small, and they built a frame house near the dug-
out. Seven children were born to George and Nellie, three boys, Howard, 
Frank and Donald; and four girls, Fern (Mrs. Melvin Ingram), Myrtle 
(Mrs. Dale Gregson), Shirley (Mrs. Anton Zieglmeier), and Fay (Mrs. 
Robert Hamm). In 1947, although their children were grown and had left 
home and they no longer needed a larger house, they still dreamed of a 
home on the bluffs overlooking the Cheyenne River. The first home on 
this site was built by their oldest son, Howard. It was later moved to 
other land and is occupied by Frank and Bernice and their family. In 
1951, they built another home overlooking the Cheyenne River, which is 
now occupied by Don and Betty and their family. The Anderson land is 
farmed by these two sons. The other members of the family live in South 
Dakota except for Howard and Ruby, who moved to Sparks, Nevada, in 
1963.

	George Anderson passed away June 21, 1956, and in 1961, Nellie 
Anderson moved to Rapid City where she now resides with her daughter, 
Shirley, and her family.

[Photo - Mr. And Mrs. George Anderson Wedding Picture]

[Photo - Rose Anderson's homestead and dugout. Left to right: Rose 
Anderson, George Anderson, Mary Anderson.]

[Photo - First home of Mr. And Mrs. George Anderson. Left to right: 
Howard, Branson Lanam, George and Nellie Anderson.]

[Photo - Homestead shack of Nellie Lanam Anderson. Back row, left to 
right: Rose Anderson, Bert Ellis, George Anderson, Branson Lanam, Mary 
Anderson. Front row, left to right: William Lanam, Nellie Lanam, Mrs. 
William Lanam.]

[Photo - George Anderson's homestead. Dugout in background. George and 
sister, Rose, in buggy. Bert Ellis.]



Wayne Garrison's

by Arlene Garrison

	There have been many changes in the country since we came back 
here 30 years ago.

	After we were married in Nebraska in middle March 1935 we drove 
to Wall, with a load of furniture, to make our home.

	Dust storms had filled the air, clothing, even the food we ate on 
the trip, with dirt. Farms were deserted and fields neglected on the 
way.

	We had one advantage over the Pioneers; We had a well and a roof 
over our heads when we arrived. Though the well was 130 feet from the 
house; it did furnish water when the wind blew. Otherwise one pumped by 
hand.

	Fields were bumpy with dirt blown into the thistles that had 
grown a year earlier. These fields made excellent hiding places for 
mice and snakes.

	Times were hard and many fields were idle for the lack of funds 
to buy gasoline. Farmers found work anywhere a little cash could be 
found to buy essentials.

	The first crop of wheat showed a profit of $189.72 that had to be 
divided in half. This was from 90 acres of wheat. Low prices and poor 
crop, caused by very hot winds blowing from the south before the wheat 
was mature enough, caused this.

	1936 was a hot year and the wheat had nothing in the heads of the 
unharvested fields, so it was cut for a feed crop.

	We boarded a school teacher that fall. Bob Marsden was the 
teacher. He walked a mile each way to teach at Cedar Canyon school.

	Our son Dennis was born in Rapid City in October and our boarder 
was helpful, carrying water and chopping wood. It was a cold snowy 
winter.

	The wooden push pull wash machine was quite a boon after learning 
to wash on the board; that is until I forgot to fill it with water 
between washes and it began to leak like a sieve.

	I never seemed to learn the art of trimming a kerosene lamp wick 
to burn with the most light, without smoking, so Wayne bought a gas 
lamp with mantles and an air pump. This was a definite improvement.

	Although none of us were bitten, there were many close encounters 
with rattlesnakes, those years. One struck at Wayne from a shelf in the 
outdoor cellar. Two rattlesnakes were fighting on our screened in porch 
floor; while we were sleeping there. This was witnessed by Wayne's 
mother, watching helplessly from the house, unable to do anything. A 
faithful dog name Ring snatched a rattler from close to Dennie's feet. 
Ring recovered from the bit. Ring also saved Ann, a toddler, from 
another rattler laying near the house in a small clump of weeds.

	More moisture and better farming methods have changed the outlook 
of the country. Electricity has lightened farm work. Dangers of fires 
from lanterns and lamps is also eliminated. Water comes from a tap; hot 
and cold. Chopping wood for heat has been replaced with gas and 
kerosene with electricity.

	Trees and shrubs have changed the drab farmyards to beautiful 
places. In the winter snows stop in the groves making a haven for 
wildlife. Ponds, wells and dams have eased the water problems and added 
recreation of fishing and swimming for all.

	A year after returning from the navy Dennis married Linda 
Schreiber. 
They have 4 children and live in Rapid City.

	Ann Marie married Wally Swartz, a barber in Spearfish. She has a 
girl named Jo Ellen. Ann is finishing nurses training.

	I'm working at the Quinn hospital part time.

	Wayne has worked a lot on the new wing of the hospital the past 
year.

	Yes, 30 years ago things were not this easy on the farm. Many 
changes would be seen by former neighbors moved away or dead.

	Some of these old neighbors are: Ben Albin, Glen Albin, their 
father, Al Carstensen, Gene Miller, Herb Kellem, Le Croix, Fred 
Batterman, John Hayes, Mr. Simpson, John Reed, and Mrs. Lanning and 
children who lived 1/2 mile south. All of these people lived a mile or 
two from here.

	Families are fewer and farms are larger. Schools are larger and 
education is available for any that wish to take the opportunity. 
Progress had made our area a good place in which to live.




Walter James Collins Family

	Walter Collins came to Western South Dakota in April of 1906, he 
walked from Rapid City to his homestead north of Wall, although at that 
time the town wasn't there.

	As he walked across the prairie, wild range cattle surrounded 
him, and he was forced to swing his coat around his head to keep them 
away.

	His family stayed in Madison, South Dakota, until he had 
established a homestead, then he went back and got them. They arrived 
on July 20, 1906, Caroline, his wife, four children, Lela (Mrs. Harry 
Babcock) Verne, Lorene (Mrs. Perry Marshall) and Carrie (Mrs. Robert 
Rotter). The children, as well as their mother were just recovering 
from whooping cough and measles. The doctor in Madison told Walter that 
he would never get to Wall with them all still alive, but the family 
was anxious to get settled in their new home. They came in a covered 
wagon and it rained constantly. Mrs. Collins knelt on her knees over 
the baby (Carrie) who was 3 months old, to protect her from the rain 
that was leaking in the wagon.

	It took 11 days to come from Madison. They took temporary shelter 
in an old bunkhouse, until they could build a dugout. Martin was born 
there.

	That fall an old cattleman rode into the yard with a group of 
riders. He was unpleasant, and spoke in threatening tones. He said to 
one of his riders, "Well, I guess we are going to have to get out our 
ropes and guns again." They had driven earlier homesteaders off the 
land once. Grandad said, "Go ahead and crack your whip, there are more 
of us this time." Nothing ever came of the threats.

	Once Walter Collins, John Foster, and Cliff Foster went to 
Smithville for groceries, while they were across the river, the water 
came up, and they had to hold the sacks of flour on their shoulders, 
because the water came high up in the wagon. Grandad Collins couldn't 
swim, nor could John Foster.

	The Collins' had 12 children, all still living. Grandma Collins 
also is still living, Grandad (Walter) died in July of 1956. Besides 
the above mentioned children, there are Charles, Clifford, Aida, (Mrs. 
Gerald Doud) Ona (Mrs. John Hamling), James, Bill, and Margaret (Mrs. 
Joseph Brownlee).

	In the summer of 1920 Asa Kellem went down in the Badlands one 
day to search for coyote pups. Cliff Collins was 8 years old, he went 
with grandpa Kellem, they were gone all day. Finally just a while 
before sundown, Cliff got tired and wanted to go home, so he told 
Grandpa Kellem he was going home, soon he was out of sight and 
everything began to look the same to him. An ominous looking cloud was 
coming up in the west. Finally he came upon an old building, and with 
the flashing of lightening and growl of distant thunder, he decided to 
spend the night there; it was very dark by this time. Meanwhile, 
Grandad Kellem had come up the trail out of the Badlands, and 
discovered that Cliff hadn't made it home. Lorene ran out into the 
pasture to catch a saddle horse, in the utter blackness, she felt her 
way, and when the lightening flashed she tried to see 'Old Pride', but 
when she found her, she couldn't catch her. Finally she managed to 
catch 'Gip' a white mare who seldom allowed anyone to catch her. She 
rode to Wall to get help to search for Cliff. Meanwhile the storm was 
getting closer.

	Lorene went to the theater, and when she told them, all the men 
in the theater left, and immediately began the search.

	Lorene, then rode to the Emil Carstensen place, and Perry 
Marshall was there. So she, Perry and Emil Carstensen rode and called 
Cliff's name all night. Lee Dixon, Gale Lewis, Doe Bloom, Verne 
Collins, and dozens more were searching in the stormy night, down in 
the treacherous slopes. Belted with hail, drenched with rain, they 
still looked for the boy. Al Nystrom walked and called to him, waded in 
water to his shoulders, slipped and slid on slippery slopes all night. 
The Millers from Wall brought food to feed the men who were combing the 
Badlands.

	When the frightful storm died away and it began to get light in 
the east, Cliff set out once more, shivering with cold (he was barefoot 
and didn't have a jacket). Finally he came upon a trail, and followed 
it. It led him to the old Hart ranch where James Saines lived at that 
time. The Saines' gave Cliff some breakfast, and were getting ready to 
take him home, as he was so far from home that he didn't know the way. 
Just then Verne Collins and Doc Bloom rode into the yard, and took him 
home. Grandma Collins says when Cliff got home he slid off the horse, 
took a frightened look around at all the people who were there, went 
into the privy and stayed most of the afternoon. Finally after everyone 
went home, he came out.

	Grandma Collins has 50 grandchildren and 51 great grandchildren.




History of Cedar Butte School

by Ed Dartt

	This school was built in 1906, by homesteaders who donated their 
work with Guy Polly as overseer. Della Bedford Campbell was the first 
teacher. Some other early teachers were: Mr. Geer, Miss Arnison , Flora 
Kotch, Elva Aylsworth, Mrs. Poage. Some of the families whose children 
attended school here were: John Kitterman, Bill Naescher, George 
Anderson, Paulsen, Poage, Dartt, Lanning, Albin, Campbell. The school 
house was used as a community meeting place, general elections were 
held there, a literary society met here for a number of years, 
community Sunday School and church services were also held in this 
building.

	The original building was remodeled during WPA Days. All the 
windows were moved to the east side and an entry was added. The 
complete structure was stuccoed and painted. There are now two school 
houses on this site to accommodate pupils who are transported here 
because other districts were closed. This school now boasts of 
electricity and a telephone.

[Photo - Cedar Butte School]

[Photo - First school at Cedar Butte. Della Bedford Campbell, teacher.]




Otto, Agnes and Hugo Alfs

by Ed Dartt

	This family was born and spent their early years near Atkinson, 
Nebraska. Otto came to the Wall area in the spring of 1906, with Will 
and Ed Dartt, Jess Benson, Emil Anderson, Leon Sargent and several 
others. He had planned to come only to look, as he didn't intend to 
stay in this wild new country. But the excitement of starting a new 
community claimed Otto and he filed on a piece of land and began to 
establish a home here in S. D. along with his Nebraska friends.

	After filing Otto returned to Nebraska loaded his personal 
belongings into a covered wagon drawn by a team of mules and headed 
west for his new home.

	Otto, Benson and Ed Dartt spent the first summer in a dugout in a 
hillside. Here they took turns being cook and housekeeper along with 
building their claim shacks and breaking prairie.

	Late in the summer Otto's brother and sister, Hugo and Agnes, and 
her future husband, Mike O'Donnell, joined him and they too filed on 
land and built homes. Hugo didn't stay long but sold out and returned 
to his old home. The other three enjoyed their new way of life and went 
ahead with great plans for the new community they hoped to build.

	Otto was a great foot racer and won many times when neighbors and 
friends gathered together to visit and have fun. Otto and Agnes were 
good dancers and were the life of many a party. Agnes was a wonderful 
cook and enjoyed company so she always had extra mouths to feed. She 
raised chickens and geese and a big garden of vegetables and flowers. 
She was in great demand as a nurse in those early days when doctors 
were few and far between. It is safe to say that almost every family on 
Lake Flatt and Cedar Butte at sometime knew the help of her strong, 
gentle hand.

	Agnes and Mike were married about two years after they came to 
this area and began housekeeping on her claim (this land is now owned 
by Matt and Patsy Bryan). Mike was a great baseball player. He helped 
to organize and manage the Cedar Butte ball team for many years. Agnes 
passed away many years ago and Mike continued to farm for a few years, 
then sold the land and while visiting in Nebraska passed away suddenly.

	Otto was a great story teller and always had a group of ready 
listeners gathered around him. He recalls the dry year of 1911 when 
nothing came up until the fall rains came. The wet years when moisture 
brought mosquitoes (he says) as big as blackbirds, and they almost 
drove horses, cattle and humans wild. But no moisture, no mosquitoes 
and no crops either, so they had to take the bad with the good. Otto 
believes that he shipped the first carload of wheat out of Wall.

	Once their mother sent Agnes a firkin of butter (a 40 pound 
wooden tub). It was summer and very warm weather, so Otto and Mike dug 
a hole in the creek and hung the tub down in to keep the butter cool. A 
sudden summer storm brought water rushing down the creek and away went 
the butter, tub and all. After the storm Otto went to check and found 
chunks of butter all along the creek banks. Far down stream he found 
the empty tub caught in a tree.

	Anyone having a sale always welcomed Otto's arrival for he always 
bid on  all the odds and ends that were for sale. No doubt he bought 
more pails, cans, jars and boxes of rusty nails, burrs and bolts than 
any other man in the country.

	Due to failing health Otto sold his land to Jesse and Ruth Bryan 
and moved to Wall. Here he lived in the hotel and was night clerk for 
several years. He now resides in the Lutheran Home in Sioux Falls, S. 
D. He is crippled with arthritis and his eye sight has failed him; 
however, he is always cheerful and enjoys visiting with, and hearing 
from, old friends.




The Asa Kellem Family

by Walter Kellem

	My parents, Asa and Margaret Kellem, along with my brothers, 
Herb, Edgar, my sisters, Ada, Mollie and Lotus left Junius, South 
Dakota and headed west in two covered wagons on October 16, 1906. My 
father had been to the west to file on a claim in April of this same 
year. In our wagons we brought our household goods and tied to the side 
was a crate of chickens and following behind were several dogs of non-
descript breeding. It was the chore of the younger boys to drive the 
cattle. This we took turns doing and of course we were barefoot, as in 
those days no self -respecting boy wore shoes in the summertime. We got 
along fine until we crossed the Missouri river and stepped on our first 
cactus, then we headed for the wagon and our shoes.

	There were five other families in our party and we kids enjoyed 
the evenings best. After camp was made, for the night, we would all get 
together to visit, tell stories or sing. This was a great adventure for 
eight and ten year old youngsters and to us there seemed no hardships 
at all.

	Our first encounter with a rattle snake was early one chilly 
morning as we drove the cows west across the prairie. We came upon a 
coiled snake, not realizing the danger, my cousin, Ward Albin, ran at 
it and gave it a kick. He got away with it because the rattler was too 
cold and stiff to strike.

	We arrived at our new home in late October. It was chilly and the 
feel of fall was in the air. We moved into the house, a one room shack, 
16 by 24, that my dad had built when he was here in the spring. It was 
made of rough boards and tar paper with only a dirt floor. Until we 
could set up our stove we dug a hole in the middle of the floor and 
built a fire for warmth and to cook over. Everyone busied themselves 
making ready for that first winter. We built a sod barn with a pole 
roof covered with hay. Dad helped put up hay and helped others build 
houses before winter set in. We had many adventures and good times that 
winter for we had neighbors on almost every quarter of land around us. 
In the spring a school was established on Lake Flatt and we went to 
school for two or three months. Some of the families who had children 
in school were, Smiths, Will Kittermans, Meutchlers, Kellems and 
several others.

	That first summer, 1907, we were very busy. We dug wells, broke 
sod, planted crops and gardens and built fences. We walked to visit our 
new friends and neighbors. What mail we got came to Furnas post office, 
a mile or so north of Quinn, and for supplies we went to Dakota City or 
Smithville. 

	In 1919 I married Ruth Furnas and we lived around Wall. I was in 
the navy during W.W. I and worked in the defense plants in W.W.II in 
California. After the war we came to Minnesota and bought a farm. We 
had three sons; Darrell in California, Vernon in Idaho and Dean, who 
lost his life in W.W.II. Our daughter Velma (Mrs. Joyce Lines) lives on 
our farm at Verndale, Minnesota. Ruth passed away in 1963 and since 
then I have traveled around quite a bit. I have nine grandchildren that 
I enjoy visiting with and I like to fish and hunt and I've become quite 
a rock hound. I call Vernedale home.

	My parents left the farm and moved to Wall in 1937 where they 
lived until they passed away in 1944.

	Brother Herb married Bertha Smith and spent most of their lives 
around Wall; they both have been gone for several years. Their 
children: Verle and Donald, deceased; Wanda Rich, Dallas and Dick of 
Rapid City; Marvel Sebade and Lois Bourne of Wall.

	Brother Edgar married Irene Harnden. They had three children: 
Alice Stettler, Rapid City; two sons Alton and Billy. Ed was killed in 
the Homestake mine in the 30's and Irene is now Mrs. Cecil Nelson. 
Sister Mollie married Arthur Renner and lived in this area for. many 
years before going to the west coast to make their home. Art passed on 
as have four of their sons, Rich, Marion, Ray and Wayne. Lloyd, Jack, 
Shirley and Margaret (Mrs. Don Mendenhall) all live in Oregon.

	Sister Ada married James Renner and lived on their original 
homestead until their passing. They have three children deceased, 
Vivian, Howard and Kenneth. Earl of Carterville, Illinois and Leslie of 
Wall.

	Sister Lotus married Sam Hinman; they have three children, Neva, 
Ellis and Sammy. They all live near San Francisco, California.

	I have a half sister, Carolyn Collins living in Rapid City and a 
half brother, John Foster of Wall. I always enjoy visiting in my old 
community but most of the oldtimers are gone and new faces take their 
place. But such is progress and we wouldn't wish for time to stand 
still.

[Photo - 1929 Kellem family on way to Indiana.]

[Photo - Back, Edgar, Walt, Herb. Front, Asa Kellwm, Dean, Margaret 
Kellem, Adie, Lotus, Mollie.]

[Photo - Asa and Margaret Kellem, Charlie Albin, Mollie Kitterman, 
Sally Fultz]



Thomas William Parkin Family

by Bertha Parkin

	I, Bertha Luella Downing and William Parkin were united in 
marriage Apr. 4, 1905 at my folks, Mr. and Mrs. Dennis Downing, near 
Plankinton, So. Dak., on their homestead.

	Tom was born near Appleriver, Illinois on Apr. 7, 1876 and moved 
near Plankinton, with his folks in 1885. Tom had five sisters and four 
brothers. I was born near Shellrock, Iowa, Nov. 18, 1879. In 1883, 1 
moved with my parents near Plankinton. I had three sisters and two 
brothers. During our childhood days we became acquainted through church 
activities, after the new church was built north of my folks place. 
Before that, I attended church in a schoolhouse two miles south of the 
folks place.

	Tom and I lived on a place nine miles north of my folks place for 
a year and a half. Then Tom decided he wanted to go west and homestead. 
So Tom and three other guys drove out and Tom filed claim the first 
week in July 1906. He filed on the SE quarter of Section 80 twp. 3N 16E 
north of Wall. In order to hold their claim they had to be living on it 
within six months after claim was filed. In November, Tom headed for 
our claim, loaded with feed, furniture, and to start building so I 
could come out later on. The railroad track was built as far as Murdo, 
so he shipped what he needed that far and then proceeded on with the 
team and wagon. There were already settlers here so Tom stayed with 
Albert Kloke while building his house. The Kloke place is where Mr. and 
Mrs. Percy lived.

	Tom had to haul his lumber from Rapid City. On his trip, he had 
to lay over because of bad weather. He met up with some other guys from 
around Grindstone who were hauling lumber for their homesteads. So he 
trailed behind because the snow was deep and the others ahead had a 
pretty good trail broken for his load. When they got to the Cheyenne 
River crossing south of Smithville, the ice was frozen on both sides of 
the river, they had to break the ice before they could cross with their 
loads. Tom built a one-room house and a shed for livestock. In the 
meantime, I had gone to Kimball to visit my sister. Tom had a buggy 
shipped to Murdo, so when he came to get me we bought supplies there 
and headed for home. The buggy had runners on it so he tied it behind 
the wagon and I rode in the buggy. It was easy going from Murdo to 
Kadoka as it was solid ice. A storm came up and we drove in it all day 
before reaching Belvidere. The next day was slow going and about five 
miles out of

	Kadoka a guy caught up with us in a coach pulled by horses, so I 
rode in to Kadoka with him (a total stranger). A few miles out Tom' 
steam played out so he unhitched and rode one of the horses into town. 
There he hired a guy with a team of mules to pull his load in for him. 
The snow was getting deeper and deeper. One horse called "Pet", would 
just stop and set down until rested or shoveled out. From Kadoka, there 
were no towns but homesteaders along the way. We stayed all night at 
Bulky Johnson's place, a stopping off place. Another was Mr. and Mrs. 
Raymonds' place west of Quinn where we stopped and ate dinner with 
them. We stayed two days at David Sims because of a bad storm. Dave 
loaned us a fresh team to go on to our destination. There was so much 
snow the country looked quite level until the snow thawed in the 
spring. We arrived January 25, 1907.

	In April Tom went back to get more of his belongings such as a 
team of horses, cows, machinery, pigs, chickens and more furniture. He 
shipped it to Interior and old man Halley helped haul it home. Tom was 
gone for three weeks and I stayed alone except for three or four nights 
a neighbor, Mrs. Harry Hall, who lived west of us stayed with me.

	In the spring, Tom broke up five acres of sod in order to keep 
his homestead. Tom broke sod for some of the neighbors. A neighbor, Mr. 
Heab planted the corn with a hand planter.

	The nearest store and post office was at Smithville, which was 
across the Cheyenne river from the OSO ranch. Frank Cottle was the 
owner of the store. Different times we would go for groceries and 
couldn't cross the river because it was too high. The mail route ran 
from Smithville to Pierre which was about one fourth mile south of the 
house. The next summer we had a telephone.

	On March 23, 1912, a son Vinton was born and followed by Ivan on 
March 27, 1915. In 1916, we decided to build a barn and in 1917 the 
house. On Aug. 4, 1917, twins were born and they were named Clyde and 
Cly. Annie Parkin helped deliver the babies as thedoctor didn't make it 
in time. That fall, we moved into our new house. Then on Dec. 24, 1918, 
a son Gail was born.

	As years went by many worries, good events happened and lots of 
hard work. In those days the neighbors, neighbored back and forth and 
exchanged work. In the winter Tom would hitch up the team on the bob-
sled. We would all bed down in the hay with lots of blankets and off we 
would go to Klokes for the evening, a distance of three miles. One 
time, I recall going to Fred Sawvells place to a dance. He was a 
bachelor and we danced in his little claim shack. One year I had the 
neighbors over for Christmas and then New Years, Mr. and Mrs. John 
Schmitten had them over to their place. A storm came up and everybody 
had to stay overnight. Later we had dances in our barn. Folks from near 
and far would come and have a wonderful time. I would heat water in 
wash boiler to make coffee and pack it out to the barn when it was time 
to eat. One incident happened when a neighbor, Mr. and Mrs. Claude 
Goodsell came to the dance in their wagon with their family. Returning 
home they took count and they were short one child. Claude had to come 
back (a distance of four or five miles) and he found him curled up in 
the corner of the barn fast asleep.

	Around 1924, a Baptist church was built one mile east of 
Creighton. Reverend Wind was the promoter and minister. Frank (Tom's 
brother) had a Ford car and when going home from church they would have 
to back up the Mooney Hill because the car would have more power in 
reverse. Baptism for the Pedro services were at the Cheyenne river and 
at Creighton, a dam west of the church where they immersed the ones who 
were baptized.

	In the neighborhood, the neighbors went together and bought a 
"header", harvester. They would cut and stack the small grain and let 
it go through what they called a sweat before threshing. There were 
weeks and weeks of threshing in the early fall. It depended upon the 
weather.

	The school was called Pleasant Ridge School which was one mile 
east and one half mile north. It was a large school, some of the pupils 
were Rotters, Sutfins, Goodsells, Parkins, Claims, Hoffmans. There is 
not school there now, a new one was built by the Creighton Hall.

	Tom served on the school board and the township for years. He 
held an office for the Creighton Community Hall.

	Some of the old settlers that lived near were, Rotters, 
Goodsells, Donners, Sawvells, Percys, Winters, Couch, Kalkbrenners, 
Williams, Schulty, and Toms' brother Frank who lived across the road 
from us.

	In 1934, Vinton and two cousins, Art and Kenneth, went to 
California looking for work. In 1937, he was married to Ann DeWitt and 
they had a stepson and one daughter. In 1946, he lost his wife. In the 
fall of 1947 he married Muriel Williams Renner and she had two boys. 
Ivan never married and is still living on the home place and operates 
it. In 1938, Gail graduated from Wall school and joined the CCC Camp at 
Wind Cave, So. Dak. In July 1940, he joined the Army. He was stationed 
in Chanute Field, Rontaul, Illinois. He became sick and passed away in 
June 1941. In July 1940, Clyde went to California to work and in Feb. 
1942 he joined the Army. He served overseas in England and was gunner 
in an airplane. He was married to Ella Mae Peck from Stockton, 
California, they have a stepson, one daughter and two sons. In 1937, 
Cly was married to George Knapp and they live south of Wall. They have 
two daughters and one son.

	We had a house and garage built in Wall in 1948 and moved in, in 
November. April 1955, we had openhouse for our 50th wedding 
anniversary. Clyde and Vinton and my sister were coming from California 
and they were caught in a blizzard in Wyoming and had to stay in the 
car from Sunday afternoon until Tuesday morning, so didn't get here in 
time.

	Tom passed away in December 1959. Since that time I have been 
staying here and there, mostly with my children. I have had two 
airplane trips from California. It is a good way to go if you want to 
get there in a hurry. I enjoy TV because it helps to pass the time and 
the favorite programs are "Love of Life", "Bowling", and "Lawrence 
Welk".

[Photo - Summer of 1907 - Tom and Bertha Parkin - Homestead north of 
Wall, So. Dak.]

[Photo - At Frank Heab place. Ivan and Vinton Parkin on roof. Ann 
Parkin with Cly.]

[Photo - Bertha Parkin and twins Cly and Clyde.]

[Photo - First Car]

[Photo - Heading grain]

[Photo Tom stacking hay with overhead stacker]



Frank Parkin

by Cly Knapp

	I (Annie May Field) and Frank Edwin Parkin were married September 
4th, 1907 at Stickney, South Dakota. Both of us came there from 
Illinois with our families when we were small and this is where we 
spent our childhood days, where we became acquainted through school and 
church activities. We left immediately after our wedding on what was 
called a "gravel train" for Wall, South Dakota where Frank had filed 
for a 160 acre claim. We spent the first night at Kadoka and the next 
morning left for Wall. Franks brother Tom, who had been there a year on 
a claim, met us at the train and took us to their home. Our claim was 
just across the road from Toms, so we stayed with them until we could 
build our home, which was one room, 14 by 16. Later we added a sod 
kitchen onto it. Also we had a sod chicken coop. Leaving me at Toms, 
Frank returned to Stickney and brought back what few possessions we 
owned and our horse Dan. Frank plowed a furrow around our home, for a 
fire break, on October 1st.

	On August 17th, 1908 our first son Howard was born to us, 
followed by Floyd on April 23rd, 1910. Because of the drought in 1911 
we returned to Stickney so Frank could get work. In the spring of 1912 
our 3rd son Robert was born on April 24th but only lived 4 days. Frank 
returned to Wall to put in the crops and the boys and I followed the 
last of May. We added another 14 by 16 room to our home where on 
September 15th, 1913 our daughter, Marian Evelyn was born. On February 
19th, 1915 Kenneth George was born to us.

	By this time there were many neighbors around us and a Grade 
School had opened called Pleasant Ridge School. This was a mile east 
and a half mile north of us. All our children attended school here. Two 
teachers that I especially remember were Margaret Kyes and Signe 
Lyngen, better known as Mugs and Sig. Mugs taught at Sunnyside and Sig 
at Pleasant Ridge, or the Rotter school as it was probably better 
known. They roomed at Tom and Berthas and ate their meals at our home.

	During the war years the neighbor ladies spent many hours sewing 
for the Red Cross, making quilts and outing flannel garments. This was 
a happy occasion for the children to get together too and enjoyable 
times were had by all, even tho' it was war times.

	In recalling some of the memories of our "homesteading" that we 
had to tolerate were: the dangers of "Prairie fires", cyclone and 
tornadoes in the summer, and blizzards in the winter (one very vivid 
cyclone took our chicken coop over a fence and landed it down in a 
gully or creek. The next day the men hauled a double-wagon full of dead 
chickens away) the drought duststorms, grasshopper infestations, 
coyotes howling at night, and the ever feared rattlesnakes. This of 
course, was a first hand experience of ours, because of Floyd being 
bitten by one, and the miracle of living to tell about it.

	The happy times that we remember are the neighborhood gatherings, 
box and pie socials, the Farmers Union Meetings, the Christmas programs 
at the school, and the Literary Society meetings at Morgans and the 
Huron school district, where debates were held, and of course, how can 
we forget the barn dances at Tom Parkins barn. This barn was also a 
happy meeting place for all neighborhood kids especially when the 
weather was bad. Then the Saturdays when we went to Wall (after cars 
were invented and we got our Model T to do our shopping and visit with 
friends while there.

	We attended Sunday School and some Church services when a 
minister was available at Pleasant Ridge School. Then in the twenties 
when Rev. John Wynn, who was called the Circuit preacher, established a 
Baptist Church at Creighton which we helped build and see it dedicated 
as well as the log church at Pedro. Rev. Wynn rode his horse which he 
called Roger Williams, and no one knew how many miles he rode in his 
dedicated work in establishing churches. During the years we also 
attended Sunday School and church at Cedar Butte and the Methodist 
church at Wall.

	In 1922 my health was not too good so after a conference with Dr. 
Meisrow, Frank took me to the Mayo Clinic and Hospital at Rochester, 
Minn. I was there for 6 months. During that time a boy, Lester Frank, 
was born but only lived 3 days. Following an operation I returned home 
to a very happy family and needless to say I was glad to be back with 
them. The love and concern of wonderful neighbors was never forgotten 
by any of us. One of the sotries that Frank loved to tell about when I 
was in the hospital was when there was no bread left in the house to 
eat, he called up a neighbor to get a recipe to make Baking powder 
biscuits. Somehow he got the recipe mixed and got the amount of liquid 
and flour reversed, and he kept getting a larger bowl to mix them in 
and finally had to get out the wash tub.

	In the spring of 1931 we moved from our homeplace to the Cedar 
Butte community and rented a farm from Rufus Campbell. We lived there 
until 1935 when we sold all our possessions, excepting what we could 
put in our old Ford and headed for California in May. Our many friends 
in and around Wall had a farewell party for us at the OddFellows Hall. 
We were unable to attend because of an unexpected rain storm the night 
before and we were at Hazel and Howards just north of the Gumbo Grade. 
Need I say more. Our son Floyd and wife, the former Margaret MacGregor, 
had moved to California in 1933, our son Kenneth in 1934, who later 
married Eula Pascoe, and then Howard and Hazel followed us in 1937. 
Frank and I purchased a small home in Lodi in 1936 where we lived until 
Frank passed away in 1947. 1 now make my home with my daughter Marian, 
her husband Allen and their 2 sons Gail and Larry Pool. I will be 84 
years old on May 26th and cherish the many, many memories of our life 
near Wall and of the many happy hours that we have had in recalling 
them. I have 9 Grandchildren and 11 Great-grandchildren, who live in 
California and most of them right near me. Also many, many wonderful 
friends to whom I can talk on the telephone to, right from my own room 
that I call home. The latest addition is a Portable TV, where I may 
watch a man take a trip to the moon yet.

[Photo - Annie and Frank Parkin with Floyd and Howard.]

[Photo - Sod House: Earl, Kate, Estel, and Charlie Dowding.]

[Photo - Pleasant Ridge School in 1924.]

[Photo - Group of women who sewed for the Red Cross during WW I.]

[Photo Dr. John Barton, Roger Williams (horse), Rev. John Wynn]

[Photo - Birthday party for Vinton and Andy Parkin.]

[Photo - Pleasant Ridge School Bus]

[Photo - Howard, Floyd, Kenneth, Marian Parkin.]

[Photo Children who played while their mothers sewed for the Red 
Cross.]

[Photo - Baptist Church at Pedro established by Rev. Wynn.]

[Photo - Rev. Wynn, the Cowboy Preacher.]

[Photo - Howard, Annie, Marian, Kenneth, Floyd Parkin; Ready for Sunday 
School.]

[Photo - Harvest time, children and all.]

[Photo - "In our yard"]

[Photo - Taken Fall of 1926, home of Annie-Frank Parkin. The left side 
was once a sod kitchen. The right was 2 - 14x16 rooms. We only had the 
one room until 1912 or 1913. Where corn is hanging is entry room.]

[Photo - Tom-Bertha Parkin. Picture taken from Frank-Anne Parkin home.]