...about Crook City

It’s hard to believe that the sleepy little Lawrence County by-way known as Crook City was once a teeming community that overshadowed other towns in the Black Hills region of Dakota Territory.

Some accounts reported as many as 10,000 inhabitants in and around Crook City.

Understandably, the history of this community is woven with fascinating stories that help add to the mystique of the gold rush era in Lawrence County.

The Lawrence County Historical Society publication Some History of Lawrence County contains considerable, if not cohesive, information that helps tell the story of Crook City. Society member Jim Weaver penned an article entitled Crook City - Dakota Territory for the LCHS Historical Marker newsletter some time back. He also assembled a nice collection of photographs of Crook City and its cemetery. We've aggregated just a few of them for display in this Crook City Gallery.

Our thanks to LCHS president Jerry Bryant for alerting us to the Crook City materials, and to Jim Weaver for pulling much of it together for the Historical Marker.

Davis cops history award

Tireless cemetery guru Vernon Davis of Beulah, Wyoming, a Lawrence County Historical Society member, has been duly recognized for his hard work in cemetery preservation and restoration.

First, Davis was one of several Black Hills region folks featured in stories published last summer by the Rapid City Journal and the Lawrence County Journal. Staff writer Tim Velder noted that Davis and others are working with youth organizations like 4-H and Boy Scouts in an effort to get their assistance in taking care of neglected cemeteries.

“All of our history is in those cemeteries,” Davis was quoted as saying. “All of those people are our history. If we’re not going to take care of the cemeteries, then we aren’t going to take care of anything else.” Read the entire “Cemeteries” story.

Davis, who is a lifetime member of the society, was also honored in late September at the West River History Conference in Rapid City for his work related to cemeteries. He was presented with 2009 Herbert W. Blakely Award.

In the photo above, society member Jeannine Guern of Deadwood helps Davis admire the award during the LCHS meeting October 18th in Lead.

LCHS gets museum update

The old “Days of ’76” museum building in Deadwood will soon come tumbling down, giving way to a modern two-story structure with climate control and room to expand the museum’s venerable collection of Old West and Native American artifacts.

Museum Board President Jon Mattson told some 40 members of the Lawrence County Historical Society Sunday (10/18) that the museum has raised about $4.5 million in cash and pledges. That’ll allow workers to proceed with demolition of the old museum beginning in November, and bids on a new structure will likely be opened in February 2010.

Mattson, along with Deborah Gangloff from the Days of ’76 Museum, spoke with society members during the LCHS fall meeting at Lewies’ Eatery in Lead. Deb and Jon (at right) paused for this photo after their presentation.

Mattson is hopeful that construction on the new building can begin as early as next March and be complete by March of 2011. The history of the Days of ’76, which dates back to 1923, is one of three major components for the new museum, along with the more than 50 old horse-drawn wagons and the historic Don Clowser collection of Old West artifacts.

The wagons, many of which have been featured in Days of ’76 parades over the years, date back to 1876 and include stage coaches, buckboards, and a variety of other horse-drawn carriages. While the old museum – which started as a storage shed – has provided a roof over the historic wagons, Gangloff says there is very little in the way of interpretive material because of limited space. That will be remedied with the new 32,000 square foot structure.

The Days of ’76 parade and rodeo are the oldest continuing historic attraction in Deadwood. The Deadwood Days of ’76 and the Days of ’76 Museum are incorporated separately, and each has its own board of directors.

After providing a narrative to an excellent Power Point presentation, Deborah Gangloff led a group of LCHS members on a special tour of the old museum. For many, this proved to be the highlight of the day! Take a glimpse in our Old Days of ’76 Museum gallery.

For many of the tour group, it was the first time in the facility – and likely the last – before the structure is demolished.

It was a rare opportunity to take one last peek at the building which has been home to these historic collections – soon to be replaced by a more spacious facility that can better accommodate the preservation and restoration of some of the best Old West artifacts in the country.

A look back at hydro-electric power

With much emphasis upon wind energy across the country these days -- and other ways of furthering a "green environment" -- we thought it might be interesting to reach back a few decades to see what was going on with power generation in Lawrence County.

Of course, Homestake Mine was still going strong, and they were producing their own electricity at two hydro-electric plants along Spearfish Creek.

The first one built was #1, located adjacent to the City Campground on the edge of Spearfish, and it still is generating electricity for the City of Spearfish.

The other plant, #2, was farther up Spearfish Canyon. This is a recent picture of the dormant facility, which still attracts curious travelers as they sojourn up and down the canyon.

Here is a link to "Hydro-Electric Plants #1 and #2" written by Bob Parker and Tom Mayer. It was included in the 1981 tome Some History of Lawrence County, which was produced by the Lawrence County Historical Society and is now out of print. Copies of the book are available in area public libraries.

Wild Wyoming!

About 20 people joined us last weekend (9/20/09) for the Fall Tour of the Lawrence County Historical Society – providing a close-up view of coal mining and other early history of our neighbors in Crook County Wyoming.

Bus driver Billy Vaughn of Dakota Bus Service helped members load up for the day-long trek from the parking lot at Black Hills State University in Spearfish to multiple sites in and around Aladdin and Sundance, Wyoming.

We heard comments like “wonderful,” “terrific,” and “let’s do it again!”

Between LCHS President Jerry Bryant and members Jim Weaver and Vernon Davis, there was lots of information relayed en route to our various destinations.

Vernon talked about a few landmarks near Belle Fourche, including old Minnesela, the route used by the Lakota Sioux when they returned from the 1876 battle at the Little Big Horn, the brick factory, the old railroad track bed, and the site of the old Black Hills Power & Light plant. He also shared stories about his great uncle, “Buckskin” Johnny Spalding, one of the many colorful characters whose lives helped create the fabric of western lore.

Jim Weaver pointed out some of the trail used by Custer’s troops during the 1874 expedition into the Black Hills. It followed Wyoming Highway 111 for several miles, including land now ranched by one of Jim’s cousins.

Many folks who’ve raced westward across Wyoming Highway 24 on their way to Hulett and Devil’s Tower have stopped to visit the Aladdin General Store, but few of them have taken the time to explore the Aladdin Coal Tipple, lurking behind the trees on the north side of the road just before arriving in Aladdin.

The tipple is a delight! Built in about 1898 as part of coal mining operations in the Aladdin area, it is believed to be one of the last historic wooden coal tipples remaining in the west. From here, coal was loaded on to rail cars of the old Wyoming and Missouri River Railroad short line for the 18-mile transport to the Chicago and Northwestern Railway line in Belle Fourche.

One of the signs at the site notes that “The tipple consists of two distinct parts: the coal bin, which is the large gable-roofed structure (uphill portion) and the chutes (downhill portion). The gable-roofed structure would receive and store the coal for the sorting and loading process. When the door at the bottom of the bin was opened, the tapered, funnel shape of the bin floor would gravity feed the coal to the chute system…remains of a catwalk are visible on the east side of the tipple. From the catwalk, the tipple operator would coax the coal down the chute, pulling and poking the coal with a handled tool.”

Many of our LCHS tour group navigated to the top of the hill, which overlooks the tipple and allows closer examination of the coal bin, mine entrance, hoist house and air ventilation shaft. In 1899, as many as 80 workers were employed by the mine, and it produced some 7,402 tons of coal.

From the tipple, the tour went to the Aladdin General Store, a place where you’ll find a little bit of everything. Folks who’ve not spent time poring through the merchandise and historical artifacts are missing a great opportunity. Built in 1892, the two-story structure remains a highlight for visitors to this Crook County community of 15 persons!

We retreated across the road from the store to the City Park for a picnic lunch and a briefing by local historian Pam Thompson, who recounted the rich history of Aladdin and the surrounding area, including the tipple.

We’ve included more information and photographs about Pam’s talk–and the entire tour–in our LCHS Photo Gallery.

Then it was off to the Crook County Museum in Sundance, via the route used by Custer in 1874 while he was exploring the Black Hills region. Jim Weaver provided great information about the Custer route along the way.

The museum staff in Sundance went above and beyond the call of duty, coming out on a Sunday to share their hospitality and knowledge of area history. Situated on the lower level of the Crook County Courthouse, the museum claims over 7,000 artifacts, including dioramas of Devil’s Tower, Vore Buffalo Jump, the Custer Expedition, and the first experimental nuclear power plant. Of course, there’s loads of information about Harry Longabaugh, who gained notoriety as the “Sundance Kid,” well-know partner of the infamous Butch Cassidy. The museum is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday in the months of June, July and August. And it’s free! You can find more information on the web at Crook County Museum.

Leaving the museum, our group was met with dark clouds, rain, and a bit of wind. Nonetheless, temptation called and several of the group hiked up the street to partake of generously-portioned ice cream cones. “A bit of wind” may be an understatement for the weather we experienced in the vicinity of Warren Peak. By the time we arrived at the historic fire watchtower, only a part of the group was bold enough to scale the steps up several flights for a more rare view of the region. Alas, the nasty weather cut short our panoramic view of Bear Lodge and surrounding area.

Weather and time necessitated that we bypass the Vore Buffalo Jump near Beulah. So much to see, so much to do. So little time.

Such is the plight of history buffs! But chalk up the Fall Tour as another great experience for many LCHS members.

Ft. Meade Tour

By Jim Weaver

Society members and guests gathered at Ft. Meade on Sunday, June 21, 2009, for lectures, a video presentation, a tour of its history museum, and a guided tour of the grounds of this historic military reservation.

Among the subjects covered were base layout and architecture; life as a Calvary post, CCC camp, and German POW camp; location of the Ute Indian camp, and the Historic Cemetery. The post currently serves as a Veterans Hospital and a National Guard training facility. Many of the residential buildings house personnel that are associated with these activities.

The Black Hills National Cemetery is currently raising and realigning the headstones in the Historic Cemetery. When the project is completed, the stones will stand tall and as straight as soldiers on the Fort’s drill field.

Welcome!

Welcome to the on-line Newsletter of the Lawrence County (SD) Historical Society: Historical Marker.

This site is intended to complement the printed newsletters that are sent to all members of the society. The print version of Historical Marker remains the official communication with members, and it will continue to be distributed semi-annually, in the spring and fall.

For existing members, prospective members, and others interested in Lawrence County history, we invite you to visit this site often. As features, notices, and other information becomes available, we'll be posting it on this site.

At the top, you'll find Tabs taking you to information about the Lawrence County Historical Society, its Board of Directors, activities, and how you can become a member. We also provide links to related websites that you may find of interest.

Your suggestions and comments are encouraged! E-mail the Historical Marker editor at galeymedia@gmail.com. Thanks!