John F. Luke Biography


	This biography is from "Memorial and biographical record; an illustrated
 	compendium of biography, containing a compendium of local biography,
	including biographical sketches of prominent old settlers and 
	representative citizens of South Dakota..." Published by G. A. Ogle & 
	Co., Chicago, 1899. Pages 577-578

	Scan, OCR and editing by Maurice Krueger,mkrueger@iw.net, 1998. 

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JOHN F. LUKE, one of the men who have contributed by energy, enterprise 
and public spirit to the present advanced state of prosperity and 
civilization of Faulk county, may well be classed among her pioneer 
citizens, and who without such distinction would be worthy a place in 
the annals of the county. He is the owner of one of the most valuable 
farms in township 120, range 68, where he has made his home for many 
years. 

Mr. Luke was born in Dodge county, Wisconsin, on a farm, November 21, 
1854. His father, Frederick Luke, was a native of Germany, and came to 
America in 1852, and settled in Dodge county on a farm, and worked at 
day labor. He was injured while working on a mill dam, and after 
lingering for six months, died from the effects. Our subject was the 
second child in a family of four children, and was six years of age at 
the time of his father's death. He was placed with another family, and 
at the age of ten years, in compliance with the wishes of a Mr. Thomas 
Patrick, he joined that gentleman's family, first temporarily for the 
purpose of helping husk corn, and then it was decided he should make 
his home there, which he did until he reached his majority. He attended 
the public schools and received a fair education. After reaching the 
age of twenty-one years he hired to Mr. Patrick for a few months, and 
then began work by the day for others. This he continued for the next 
seven years. He then determined to seek fortune in the west, and on 
March 24, 1883, he reached Northville, Spink county, Dakota, and thence 
proceeded overland to Faulk county. He worked at anything he could find 
to do, and on April 5th of the same year located a claim to the 
northwest quarter of section 34, township 120, range 68, as a pre-
emption. He built a board shanty, 12 x 14 feet, and sodded it outside. 
During the summer he hired some breaking done, while he worked out 
digging wells and grading for a railroad. His first attempt at a crop 
was of sod corn, potatoes and beans, the potatoes only being worth 
harvesting. A year later he was the owner of a team of horses, a wagon, 
a plow, a harrow and a cow and a few chickens. He lived on his pre-
emption claim from 1885 to 1893, which had in the meantime been 
converted into a homestead. In the latter year he removed to section 27 
of the same township, where he erected a house, 16x 24 feet, with an 
addition, 16 x 16 feet. He provided a cellar, 16 x 24 feet, with eight-
foot walls, stoned up, and a cement floor. Various outbuildings were 
erected, including a barn, 32 x 30 feet. This was swept away by a 
cyclone April 15, 1896, at which time he suffered considerable loss. 
Notwithstanding drawbacks, he is now the owner of four hundred and 
eighty acres of land, with two hundred acres under cultivation, seventy 
five acres of pasture, five acres of forest trees, together with 
various small fruits. All his improvements are of the best, he has a 
large pond, formed by means of a dam, and has water all the year round, 
except possibly for a few days on unusually dry summers. He has devoted 
his attention chiefly to wheat growing, though he has given 
considerable care to the raising of stock. He keeps about twenty head 
of cattle and sixteen head of horses. His best crop was in 1892, when 
his wheat yield was eighteen bushels to the acre. 

Mr. Luke was married March 23, 1884, to Miss Magdalena Schweickhard, a 
native of Dodge county, Wisconsin. Mrs. Luke's father, Jacob 
Schweickhard, was born in Alsace, Germany, and came to America at the 
age of twenty-five years, and settled in New York. He afterward became 
one of the earliest settlers of the state of Wisconsin, where he 
engaged in farming. Mrs. Luke's grandfather, Schultz, was a soldier of 
the first Napoleon, and followed that famous leader on his perilous 
invasion of Russia, was at Moscow, and returned with the few survivors 
of that memorable campaign. Mrs. Luke, before her marriage, located in 
Faulk county in the spring of 1884, and took a tree-claim. She has 
given invaluable aid and encouragement to her husband through all the 
years of trying pioneer life. Their union has been blessed by the birth 
of five children, named as follows: John D., born July 9, 1885; Minnie 
M., born May 19, 1887; Sarah L., born September 28, 1889; Nellie E., 
born May 19, 1893; and Belle E., March 4, 1896. In politics Mr. Luke is 
a Republican, and takes an intelligent interest in public matters. He 
is a member in good standing of the Modern Woodmen lodge, and he and 
his wife are communicants of the Congregational church. 

Our subject was one of the first to build shanty in his township, and 
at that time there were little evidences of the coming greatness of 
that section of the country. His first load of goods, hauled from 
Northville, consisted of lumber, a barrel of pork, which cost twenty-
three dollars, a jug of syrup and seed beans and potatoes. As they were 
crossing Snake creek the wagon tipped over and dumped the entire load. 
The next year he made a trip to Northville for a load of horse feed, 
some furniture and a kitchen outfit, when the load stuck in the mud ten 
miles from Northville, and he worked all night trying to extricate it. 
He recounts many of his pioneer experiences with interesting detail, 
and his reminiscences form a portion of the history of the Dakotas.