Louis Everly Biography


	This biography appears on page 1716 in "History of South 
	Dakota" by Doane Robinson, Vol. II (1904) and was scanned, 
	OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

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	LOUIS EVERLY, of Keystone, is a native of Indiana, born in 
Vermilion county on May 1, 1845. His father was a farmer and in 1852 the 
family moved to Cass county, Iowa, which was a new and almost wholly 
undeveloped country, and they found themselves in the midst of the hard 
conditions incident to the most ultra pioneer life. The son grew to the 
age of seventeen there, and in 1862 moved with his parents to Boulder, 
Colorado, where the father acquired mines in which he and Louis worked. 
In the spring of 1876 the young man came to the Black Hills, from 
Franklin county, Nebraska, arriving at Custer in April. From there as 
captain he led a company of seventy-two men to Bear gulch, traveling by 
way of Cold Springs. On the trip two of the men strolled away from the 
train and were killed by Indians. Mr. Everly remained in Bear gulch 
about six weeks prospecting, then went to what is now Deadwood, although 
at that time there was no such place. Going into the gulch he located 
what is known as the Everly Addition to the town of Elizabeth, all being 
now a part of Deadwood. He plotted his land and sold it in town lots in 
the fall of 1876, and soon afterward returned to Nebraska for his family 
and in the spring of 1877 brought them to this state and settled them at 
Harney. where he occupied himself in prospecting and mining. He has sold 
many claims there for both gold and tin mines, and has also worked some 
from which he has taken thousands of dollars; and he still owns a number 
which show great promise. He is still living on the land on which he 
settled in June, 1877, which in the intervening years he has greatly 
improved and brought to a high state of cultivation, irrigating it at 
considerable expense and devoting a large part of it to the production 
of small fruits, of which he produces the largest volume and finest 
varieties in the Hills. One of the oldest prospectors left in this 
section, he is also one of the few who have in their declining years the 
means to make the residue of life easy, and what he has is the result of 
his own industry and thrift. In politics he has always been an 
unwavering and active Democrat, and in public and local affairs has 
never failed to do his part cheerfully toward the promotion of the best 
interests of the community. 

	On August 22, 1864, Mr. Everly was married at Boulder, Colorado, 
to Miss Jennie Downen, a native of Illinois. They have had five 
children, Edna, Milton, Joseph D. (who was killed in the Holy Terror 
mine on November 6, 1899, at the age of twenty-six years), Catherine and 
Effie.