James Hartgering Biography


	This biography appears on pages 1158, 1161 in "History of Dakota 
	Territory" by George W. Kingsbury, Vol. IV (1915) and was 
	scanned, OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

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				JAMES HARTGERING. 

	James Hartgering has had wide experience as a civil and mining 
engineer and has gained a reputation in those lines that is statewide. 
He was born in Ottawa county, Michigan, on the 22d of September, 1852, 
the third in a family of six children, whose parents were Alexander and 
Josephine Hartgering. The father was a teacher by profession and was a 
veteran of the Mexican war. 

	James Hartgering entered the public schools of his native county 
at the usual age and after completing the course offered there attended 
the Grand Rapids Business College. Some years later he attended the 
engineering school of the South Dakota School of Mines. Before entering 
that institution he had worked for a time at the carpenter's trade. In 
1877 he came to the Black Hills, where he engaged in placer mining to 
some extent, but later followed the trade of a millwright and built or 
installed many of the early stamp and other mills of that section. 
Since taking up the work of engineering he has completed many important 
government contracts and in 1897 did much of the work connected with 
the official geological survey of the Black Hills district. For three 
years he was city engineer of Rapid City and for two years was county 
surveyor of Custer county. He is counted among the leading engineers of 
the state and one of the ablest authorities on civil and mining 
engineering in western South Dakota. He has made a thorough study of 
geology, natural science and astronomy and is one of the best informed 
men on geological formation of the Black Hills. For many years he was 
an active member of the American Society for the Advancement of 
Science; is a member of the American Geographic Society; and a member 
and director of the South Dakota Engineering Society. 

	Mr. Hartgering has a number of valuable mining interests, a fine 
ranch in Custer county, is a stockholder in the Security Savings Bank 
of Rapid City and a stockholder and director of the Ranchman's State 
Bank of Fairburn, South Dakota. 
On the 21st of March, 1883, Mr. Hartgering was united in marriage to 
Miss Jennie M. McRae, a daughter of John McRae, who was a native of 
Scotland but a resident of Ottawa, Canada. To this union five children 
have been born, namely: Constance M., a graduate of the University of 
Minnesota, who is now teaching in a high school at Pittsburgh, 
Pennsylvania; James F., deceased; Genevieve, also a graduate of the 
University of Minnesota and now instructor in domestic arts at the 
State Agricultural College at Brookings; John McRae, who graduated from 
the South Dakota State School of Mines and the Iowa State College of 
Agriculture and Mechanic Arts and who is now mechanical engineer for 
the city of Detroit, Michigan; and Francis B., a graduate of the South 
Dakota State College and now assistant principal of the schools of 
Hecla, South Dakota, and teacher of chemistry, domestic science and 
German. 

	Mr. Hartgering is a republican with independent tendencies and 
fraternally is a Mason, having taken the third degree in the Scottish 
Rite, and belonging also to the commnndery, the Shrine and the Eastern 
Star. In attaining prominence in his chosen profession he has not 
forgotten the duty that he owes to his community and has always been 
found ready to aid in furthering the public welfare.