Pay Dirt - A book review by Jerry L. Bryant

 The story of how Uncle Torwal and Whitey were chawed off their Ranch by Grasshoppers and went up in the Black Hills to Sluice Gold for a spell.

Pay Dirt by Glen Rounds - 1938    Holiday House, New York

For those who would like a short taste of what life was like during the Automobile Gold Rush, the children’s book “Pay Dirt” is an absolute delight. The story told is of the Great Depression as seen through the eyes of a ten year old named Whitey. The book describes searching for gold and sluicing in 1931 in and around Hill City, South Dakota. While it was written for children, it contains a wealth of ideas and terms associated with placer mining and also hosts a visit to the Golden Eagle mine, where the mine supervisor, his Uncle’s friend, explains hardrock mining to Whitey. The following is a brief sample of the book’s narrative:

This is a drawing from inside the book.
The author did all of his own drawings.

“Whitey admired Uncle Torwal’s droopy red mustache more than a little bit. Somewhere he had heard that he could grow one like it by putting cream on his lip and letting the cat lick it off. But although nothing had come of the treatment so far, he was far from discouraged……Uncle Torwal wore his drawers outside of his shirt, cutting slits in the top for his suspender straps to run through before they fastened to his overalls. This left about an inch of the drawers showing all the way around between the pants and the shirt, and Whitey thought it a very elegant style indeed. He could hardly wait until he wore drawers like that so he could do the same.”

Several Dakota place names are mentioned throughout the book, and even as an adult reader, I found it difficult not to imagine myself delightfully along the same stream panning gold with Uncle Torwal and Whitey.

Author Glen Rounds was a South Dakota Native. He was born in a sod house near the Badlands in 1906. He grew up in South Dakota and on a horse ranch in Montana. He studied art at the Art Institute of Kansas City with Jackson Pollock. Rounds wrote or illustrated 150 books over a 60-year period. He died in North Carolina in 2002. In a brief computer search, I could only find four copies of this book in South Dakota Libraries, and all of them were at the State Library in Pierre. Of the many books by Rounds, "Pay Dirt" was his third book

Revisiting Roubaix Cemetery

A recent inquiry about the cemetery near Roubaix, South Dakota prompted us to explore a bit.  We started with the narrative below, extracted from the 1994 booklet, Cemeteries and Graves in Lawrence County and Environs, published by the Lawrence County Historical Society and edited by Irma H. Clock.  The original information was provided by Ruth Kotti.  We then visited the cemetery, which is perched on a hilltop along Elk Creek Road just north of its intersection with Nemo Road.  We snapped a few photos, which are included below.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

It was not unusual that even in the most unsettled areas of the American West, burial sites, the ordinary method of disposing of the dead came into being. It has long been observed that a hill or a knoll near frontier settlements was the common selection. The Roubaix Cemetery is located in a wooded area at the top of a hill, a short distance from the non-existent town of Roubaix, which was also known as Perry.

Even though some interments are recorded prior to the 1900’s, it is rumored that the land, possibly a mining claim, was originally donated for a cemetery by the Sawyer family after the death of their infant daughter, Bertha Ellan Sawyer, who was buried on January 1, 1906, at the age of 6 days. However, researching the Lawrence County Record of Burials reveals possible earlier burials at the site. Among these were: Patrick Mahr of Brownsville, buried near Brownsville, on May 14, 1884; Henry Hilturen, 10 years old, buried at Perry, in August 1885; Oleans Johnson, age 38 years old, buried near the Sam Mine on September 7, 1885; and

Mrs. Sophie Amanda Pietila, born in 1850, and died October 5, 1888.

Although these people are recorded in the Record of Burials,  nothing substantiates these graves. The only confirmed burial is that of Mrs. Pietila, who has a large granite tombstone marking her grave, as well as the graves of two infant sons, Nels A., who died in October, 1887, at the age of 49 days, and Frank J., who died on October 26, 1888, at the age of 21 days.

Grave markers confirm that there were three infant burials in the1890’s. They were Hilda Balander, who was born in 1889, and died in 1890; Henry W. Pinske, born and died in 1895; and Mary A. Pinske, who was born and died in 1896.

Sometime in the 1970’s, in October, a visual survey was done by Mrs. Esther E. Salmon. She located at least 27 unidentified graves, several of the wooden markers were weathered and worn past reading. When another walking survey was done in 1990-1991, the results compared, the cemetery was found to have two hundred sixty-six marked graves that were identified and listed.

Besides the Sawyer infant, there were 12 other tombstones -- verified burials in the 1990’s. The burials include 7 infants/children and five adults, 3 males and 2 females. 

An early day resident recalled the funeral procession (of) one of these young mothers. A team of horses pulled the heavy lumber wagon carrying the homemade pine coffin. Neighbors sang a mournful dirge as the cortege (procession) wound its way up the steep hill to the cemetery for committal.

Inscriptions on grave stones disclose that there were 22 burials between the years of 1910 to 1919, generally. According to the information etched on the gray granite monuments marking the graves of two WWI soldiers who died in 1918, one died in Fort Riley, Kansas, and the other died at Camp Johnston, Florida. During the flu epidemic of 1918-1919, indoor public gatherings were prohibited. An early-day former Lead mortician remembers one particular outdoor funeral ceremony, where the minister, bundled in a heavy coat complete with fur hat and mittens, stood in the box of a spring wagon as he preached. Mourners, shivering and shaking in the bitter winter cold, listened to the long sermon, which seemed longer because of the weather.

The Roubiax Cemetery is mainly the resting place of early day residents of the Roubaix, Elk Creek, Brownsville, Box Elder and Custer Peak vicinities.  Today, there are occasional additions to the family plots as well as other burials.

Elected to the governing board of the Roubaix Cemetery Association, which was organized in April 29, 1950, were: Esther E. Salmon, Mary Paananen, and John Hill. All board members were area residents. A fund had been started in May 1949 for a new fence. The board was chosen to supervise major improvements, cemetery maintenance, and the delegation of burial sites. In the ensuring years, board replacements have been: Ralph Rantapaa, Elma Quaschnick and Eva Haka. Currently, Mr. Rantapaa is the board president, Mrs. Quaschnick is the secretary, and Mrs. Haka is the present treasurer.

The dead who rest in this hallowed place -- who are they? They came from all walks of life and had various vocations to make their living. They were the parents who nurtured and, for some, buried their children. They are community leaders, the unsung heroes, those who served their country in all its conflicts, even a veteran of the Spanish American War. Then there are those who are buried there that are known only to God and to their loved ones they left behind, bone, but not forgotten.   ~~Information by Ruth Kotti.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NOTE:  We've heard this cemetery referred to as the "Andersen Cemetery," so we were alert to any Andersen tombstones.  This plot for the family of  James C. and Petrine Andersen was particularly interesting.  It is shown in the photo above at right.  You can click on the image to see a larger version.  Note that their daughter Gladys Violet Anderson died in 1904, just a few weeks shy of her second birthday.  Her surname was engraved as ANDERSON, while markers for both her parents were engraved as ANDERSEN.  

                                                              

West River History Conference summary

This summary of the 2010 West River History Conference was provided
 by Shebby Lee, President of the organization.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Participants in the Eighteenth Annual West River History Conference were very pleased with the new venue according to the evaluations and feedback for the conference which ended September 25. The fully-equipped and modern classrooms enhanced the experience and were complimented by the lounge area with its cozy fireplace, and spacious ballroom where booksellers offered biographies and historic books for sale.

Presenters at this year's conference hailed from as far away as AZ, Texas, and NY. As always, attendees also came from the neighboring states of North Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska and Minnesota as well as Kansas and all parts of South Dakota.

Attendance was also up over record-breaking 2009, and plans are already underway for next year's conference to be held Sept. 22, 23, and 24 at the Surbeck Center on the School of Mines campus in Rapid City, SD. Check our website often as plans are unveiled for another exciting conference in 2011.

2009 Award Winners

At the Friday awards luncheon, winners of the 2009 conference papers were announced. Winner of the best student paper was Emily Wicks of Faith High School, whose paper was entitled "Annie Oakley: Guns, Romance and Hardships". Second place went to Cassie Foster, Faith High School for her paper, "The Myths and Legends of Belle Starr, the ‘Bandit Queen'".

First place in the adult category went to Pat Moore of Chestnut Hill, MA, for her paper, "Answering the Call: Women Missionaires in the West, 1810-1900". Pat has donated her prize to the WRHC scholarship fund. Second place went to Jan Cerney of Philip, SD for her paper entitled, "Missionary Corabelle Fellows. Victim of the Yellow Press". Third place was awarded to Donna Fisher of Deadwood for her paper, "Pursuit of Art: Grace French, Pioneer Artist and Teacher". With so many excellent papers, the judges opted to award an additional Honorable Mention to Barb White of Herrick, SD, for "How Todd Lost His County (and Found it Again Out West)"

In addition to prizes for best papers, the conference presents awards to deserving promoters and preservers of history in our region. The Herb Blakely Award for outstanding contributions to local and regional history, a sense of American Patriotism, and efforts to further the concepts of good citizenship went to Mary Lewis of Wasta, SD. The Zoom Zoom award for outstanding support of local history went to Marcia Hill of Rapid City; and the Sandria Friske Helping Hand Award went to Grove Rathbun of Rapid City.

The conference was made possible with support by the South Dakota Humanities Council, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Deadwood Historic Preservation Commission, Black Hills Corral of Westerners, International, the Society of Black Hills Pioneers, the Reptile Gardens, Keystone Historical Museum, Big Thunder Gold Mine, the South Dakota State Railroad Museum, Lewis Publishing and Dode Lee.

Spring Tour: a few notes and photos

Weather put a damper on plans for the original LCHS Spring Tour in June, but it turned a new leaf in July and provided a very nice day for a tour through several sites in Lawrence and Butte County.

Veteran member Vernon Davis provided the background as a group of morning folks gathered at the Spearfish City Park to begin the tour. Within the park area, there's an old stone grain storage building, artifacts from an old flour mill, a Pioneer Memorial that used to grace downtown Spearfish, and more. Not far from the entry to the park is the site of an old stockade that was built to protect local folks just after the Custer massacre.
                     

Next on the itinerary was St. Onge and the burial site of Jimmy Irion (Iron), the gent hired by the Boughton and Beary Ranch to serve as a lookout against indians while men worked in the nearby hay fields. Irion and several other men were killed by indians on September 10, 1876, and buried atop the bluff where he had died.

A stop at the location of old Minnesela was next, and tour members were able to take a first-hand look at the structure believed to be the only surviving building from the once-thriving community that rivaled Belle Fource as a center of commerce in the area. That building is shown in the photo above at right, as tour members inspected it.

Although we don't have tour day photos from the planned stop at the Center of the Nation Museum and the adjacent log cabin that belong to "Buckskin" Johnny Spaulding, we did click some on a preview trip taken a few months ago. Those preview photos, along with a few others taken by Jerry Bryant during the July 10 tour, can be found in our Historical Marker Gallery.  One of the most delightful spots on the tour route was Cox's Lake. We extracted the photo shown here from a neat panorama shot that Jerry Bryant took on the day of the tour. It's in the gallery, too. The lake is along the route taken by the Colonel Nelson Cole Expedition of 1865. You can see Crow Peak in the background at right, as Vernon Davis shares information about this site.

As others provide more information -- and any photos -- we'll add them to this location.

Custer expedition on the plains

Veteran photographer and writer Paul Horsted never fails to entertain – and enlighten. Those traits keep him in demand on the speaking circuit.

His latest venue was today (5/23/10) at the Bay Leaf Café in Spearfish, where he led members of the Lawrence County Historical Society through the chronology and geography of General George Custer’s massive 1874 expedition to the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Horsted, who lives north of Custer, South Dakota, noted that the Custer trek was “better documented than any other military expedition of the Old West.” Much of that 19th century documentation was revisited, then reversioned, by Horsted and his co-author Ernest Grafe for their 2002 publication Exploring with Custer – The 1874 Black Hills Expedition. Many maps, documents, and Illingworth photographs are included.

Today, Horsted employed a lively multi-media presentation to tell “the rest of the story” about the expedition. Exploring with Custer dealt with the Black Hills area. His latest endeavor – Crossing the Plains with Custer – is a companion book that traces the Custer expedition from Fort Lincoln in north Dakota Territory to the Black Hills, including their journey back to the fort.

In his books, Horsted also uses his “then and now” display of historic photographs juxtapositioned with his contemporary photography from the same vantage point. It’s a powerful technique that has served him well – especially his book The Black Hills, Yesterday & Today. You can find more about Horsted at his on-line site, Paul Horsted - Dakota Photographic, LLC.

Following his presentation, Horsted took time to answer questions and visit with folks who attended the gathering. Above, he chats with historian David Wolff (center) and Lawrence County Historical Society president Jerry Bryant (right).

During the business meeting of the society, Bryant updated members on the status of trying to save the Trojan School, which he conceded may be difficult to do. In any event, he suggested that the society play an active role in doing what it can to preserve the structure.

Bryant then asked David Wolff to provide an update on the Fassbender photo collection. Wolff noted that there is some lack of agreement over the value of the old collection, providing something of a stumbling block. For the moment, the project seems to be on hold.

There was also a brief discussion about the prospect of acquiring dedicated space for the Lawrence County Historical Society in the new Homestake Adams Research and Cultural Center in Deadwood. Considerable enthusiasm was voiced for such an arrangement, and LCHS president Bryant said the board would meet in the near future to discuss the matter.

Finally, members were reminded of the forthcoming LCHS spring tour planned for Sunday, June 13th at 8:00 a.m. More information can be found in an earlier posting about the spring tour.

Paying tribute to the cowboy

Hollywood doesn’t have a great track record when it comes to telling the real story of the American cowboy.

We’d put greater trust in a more unusual form of documenting the American west: poetry.

Cowboy Poetry Week is slated for April 18-24 across the country, and there are a variety of activities slated in the northern Black Hills region to help commemorate the cowboy tradition.

Ranging from a “Brown Bag Poetry Reading” at the Matthews Opera House at noon on Wednesday, April 14th to an evening of “Cowboy Culture” at the High Plains Western Heritage Center on Thursday, April 22nd as part of the Heritage of the American West series, there’s a variety of events that are bound to tickle your fancy. Poetry reading events are scheduled at the public libraries in Rapid City, Whitewood, Spearfish, Sturgis and Belle Fourche. Click on the poster shown here for an overview of the many events that are planned.

You'll find details about the Heritage of the American West April 22nd performance in this news release about “Cowboy Culture.”

Proclamations have been adopted at the state and national level in an effort to give recognition to the Great American Cowboy.

Deadwood's Bad Lands...

The Leland D. Case Library at Black Hills State University will host a presentation and book signing with Michael Trump this Thursday (3/25/10) in Spearfish. A 1990 BHSU graduate, Trump will give the presentation at 7:30 p.m. in the Jacket Legacy room of the David B. Miller Yellow Jacket Student Union.

Trump’s book, Raiding Deadwood’s Bad Lands: Its Illegal History of Prostitution and Gambling is an account of the history of the various raids on vice, concluding with the 1980 closing of the brothels and the Deadwood community’s push to get gambling legalized.

Legal historian Michael Trump researched and wrote a thesis on the 1980 federal raid of the brothels. During his research, he discovered there had been other raids not only on the brothels, but on gambling as well. Raiding Deadwood’s Bad Lands is a history of all the raids, concluding with the 1980 closing of the brothels, and the Deadwood business community’s push to get gambling legalized.

Trump also covers aspects of Deadwood’s early years as a wide-open mining camp. Support for the research and publishing of the book was provided by the Adams Museum & House, South Dakota Humanities Council, Deadwood Historic Preservation Commission and TDG Communications.

The event is free and open to the public with wheelchair accessibility. For more information call (605) 642-6361. Refreshments will be served.

Pioneer aviator Art Smith:the Bird Man

The old Deadwood fairgrounds, located near the “Roo Ranch” a couple of miles east of Deadwood towards Boulder Canyon, was the site of the first airplane landing in Lawrence County.

The year was 1912. It hadn’t even been nine years since the Wright Brothers soared their aircraft above the dunes at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina – marking a first in aviation history. And it would be some 15 years before Charles Lindbergh would make the first solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean.

A young Indiana stunt pilot named Art Smith (above photo) landed his bi-plane aircraft at Deadwood in the summer of 1912. The Pioneer-Times reported that Smith "bears the distinction of being the first man to successfully navigate an airship in the Black Hills." It was barely two years after his parents had hocked their Fort Wayne home for $1,800 so the 20-year-old could build an airplane.

By all accounts, the Deadwood landing was a grand event and was, fortunately, captured by photographers. This is one of several photos of young Smith, passed along to us by Jerry Bryant. We would like to extend thanks the Adams Museum and House for sharing them. You'll find other photos in our LCHS Gallery.

Smith biographer Rachel Sherwood Roberts recounts in her book, Art Smith-Pioneer Aviator, that the young aviator "was as celebrated as any Hollywood star...he glamorized and popularized flying while testing the boundaries of aeronautic principles." Roberts has written much about Smith, including an article entitled "The Smash-Up Kid" for the Indiana Historical Society. Smith made another trip to the Black Hills in 1913, bringing his new bride, Aimee, with him. The couple was treated like celebrities, and Smith showed Aimee the plateau from which he’d flown the previous year.

The “Historical Footprint” film series at the Roundhouse in Lead recently (1/16/10) showed a film of Art Smith landing his aircraft at the old Spearfish fairgrounds on one of his visits to the Black Hills. It was during his 1913 trip that Art performed in Edgemont during the Fall River County Fair.

Smith had quite a career. Although he was refused as an Army Air Corps pilot in World War I – probably because of numerous injuries he had endured prior to the war, and possibly because of his short stature. He was only 5 feet 3 inches tall. Following the war, he worked for the U.S. Post Office, flying overnight mail between New York and Chicago. He died when his aircraft smashed into a grove of trees near Montpelier, Ohio, in February 1926. He was 32 years old.

Smith was undoubtedly an inspiration to thousands of would-be aviators who witnessed his daredevil stunts as he traversed the country performing in air shows prior to World War I. He reportedly won the admiration of aviators like Wiley Post and Charles Lindbergh before they achieved their fame.

Spearfish Park Pavilion

Early in the last century, probably around 1920 or so, a new park pavilion was built in the Spearfish City Park, located near the mouth of Spearfish Canyon.

The frame structure has seen a wide variety of community events over its nearly century-long history. From chili feeds and boxing matches to roller skating and wedding receptions. But it’s probably best known throughout Lawrence County and across the region as a really hot spot for dancing. Henry Phillips and the Ambassadors out of Lead were among the more popular local groups playing at the pavilion during the Big Band era.

In the 1960s it was Rock ‘n Roll that stole the limelight. The Spearfish Park Pavilion – now named Tretheway Pavilion for former Mayor Wilbur Tretheway, who helped save the structure – attracted a long list of top-notch national performers.

Read more about the Spearfish Park Pavilion.

Historical film festival in Lead

The Living Map Theater located in the Black Hills Railroad Roundhouse in Lead is hosting its monthly Historical Film Festival from Wednesday, December 9th through Saturday, December 12th, featuring historical films from the Rapid City area. This should be a delightful opportunity to witness historical events captured on film, while enjoying the surroundings of a great building, itself steeped in the history of the Black Hills.

Footage of the 1935 Stratobowl flight, early Ellsworth Air Base, the 1972 flood, and a wide range of other never-before-seen historic films will be featured. The event is a two-hour presentation that includes free refreshments at intermission. So, if you've not yet had an opportunity to visit the old Railroad Roundhouse in Lead, this is the perfect time!

Presentations will be each evening at 7 o'clock, with 2:00 p.m. showings on Friday and Saturday. The Living Map Theater seats only 65 people, so if you’re interested in attending a particular showing, call 605-717-0296 for reservations. Adults $16.00; Seniors $14.00; and Students $12.00. Future programs include:

􀂃 January: Spearfish & Spearfish Canyon

􀂃 February: Railroads of Western South Dakota

􀂃 March: Lead, Homestake and the Sanford Lab

􀂃 April: Tourism

This is a unique opportunity for anyone interested in history to see the Black Hills the way it used to be. Some film in this series dates back to 1912 and 1915.

A Black Hills bard

by Jerry L. Bryant

With historical societies just about everywhere you look, aimed at preserving the memory of just about every cause you can imagine, from stage coach robberies to memorable outhouses, I was in amazed the other day when I called the Whitewood Library, and they did not know the name Robert V. Carr. The person I spoke with had no idea of what I was even talking about! So, on a quest, I stood on a street corner in Whitewood to ask passersby if they had ever heard of Carr. The best answer I got was from a little boy who told me for sure that Carr was “that mean old guy that lived over behind the “Hole in the Wall” saloon.

After standing there for a while, I got the feeling that it might be a long time before anyone came by that had ever read anything by Robert V. Carr.

So, here are a few of the known facts about the man: Carr was born in Illinois in 1877. In 1890 his parents, brought him to Rapid City where he attended public schools and after graduation he attended the South Dakota School of Mines. Carr joined the South Dakota Infantry and served in the Philippines. While in the Philippines he contracted a disease, probably malaria, which hastened his discharge from the service. After returning to home Carr held various editorial jobs with the Denver Times, St. Paul Dispatch and the Chicago Evening Post. For a time Carr lived in Whitewood, SD, working as the Editor of the Whitewood Plaindealer. In addition to the Plaindealer Carr published a periodical called "The Jawbone." The small periodical was published in Whitewood, Sd. and combined Carr’s talents in poetry, prose and philosophy.

I first came in contact with "The Jawbone" while searching national newspapers of 1904 to find out what Carr had been up to; I began running into Carr’s poetry, and quotes from The Jawbone in newspapers from all over the lower 48 states. In other words, he enjoyed a national audience. In the last several years I have encountered three copies of different issues of the Jawbone that I was fortunate enough to be able to purchase. The Jawbone’s following put Carr’s name in front of the American public which led Carr to produce a nationally syndicated column called "Character Cameo’s: Do you know anyone like this?" I first ran into this column in the Atlanta Constitution of 1913. In addition to his writing and editorial successes, Carr was considered a range rider and a livestock expert, editing a livestock journal in Sioux City, Iowa for a time.

Carr’s first book was published in 1902 and called Black Hills Ballads. In the Washington Post review of this book he was compared to Bret Hart. His second book was published in 1908 and was called Cowboy Lyrics, and his third and final book, Cowboy Lyrics, Round Up Edition. By the tine his third book came into print Carr and his wife, Estela had moved to the desert near Los Angles For his health. He then began writing Cowboy fiction for Western periodicals, such as True West, and Frontier. By the draft of 1918 Carr listed his full time employment as “magazine writer.” This proved to be his forte and he continued to produce cowboy stories until his death in January of 1931.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Editor's Note: The following is a brief example of Carr’s work:

Prose: A Black Hills Philosopher

Verse: The Chuck Wagon / Tonopah

Barns of Lawrence County

“The Barns of Lawrence County” will be featured Tuesday evening (12/1/09) at the December meeting of the Spearfish Area Historical Society. The presentation, which is open to the public, begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Spearfish Senior Citizen’s Center.

The barn shown here belongs to Ralph and Becky Crago and is located just north of Spearfish near the Red Water River. It is one of 37 barns featured in the program.

Long-time Spearfish resident Leo Orme will resurrect select images from more than 2,000 barn photographs collected as part of a display at the High Plains Western Heritage Center nearly a decade ago. It was originally prepared to complement a traveling exhibit from the Smithsonian Institution.

A native of Colorado, Orme came to South Dakota in 1969 to lead a U.S. Fish and Wildlife project at the McNenny Fish Hatchery west of Spearfish. As a 4-H leader and later as an SDSU Extension Agent in Lawrence County, he became well acquainted with agricultural interests in the region – including barns. Orme, who worked with Bob and Ann Matheney to assemble the original exhibit, says an updated book on Lawrence County barns will be published in the near future.