Eastern Pennington County Memories -- Scenic, Part 2 This information is from "Eastern Pennington County Memories", published by The American Legion Auxilliary, Carrol McDonald Unit, Wall, South Dakota and is uploaded with their kind permission. Pages 225-235 Scan, OCR and editing by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net, 1999. This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit organizations for their private use. Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other means requires the written approval of the file's author. This file is part of the SDGENWEB Archives. If you arrived here inside a frame or from a link from somewhere else, our front door is at http://www.usgwarchives.net/sd/sdfiles.htm The Larsen Family by Lawrence Larsen In 1874, my grandfather, Albert Larsen, staked his homestead claim nine miles north of where Humboldt, South Dakota now is. At that time Sioux Falls was a tiny settlement. He was a Norwegian emigrant. The thought of being owner of such a large tract of land in his native Norway was an impossibility. He also filed on a tree claim making him the proud owner of 320 acres of fine fertile land. To assure himself of his boundaries he cut sizable pieces of hard wood upon which he carved the legal section corners. These he buried two feet deep in the original survey holes. Many years later surveyors wanting accurate reference marks, used these corner marks as the basis of a new county wide survey. I remember very little about my grandparents except they were real elderly. I vividly remember the stories he told me about the ferocity of the blizzard and winter of 1889. The storm struck suddenly in mid afternoon of a nice winter day with such fury, people and livestock caught out in the open, perished. Most of the people had only meager rations. It was a winter that will be remembered for generations. Grandfather had planted seven acres of corn by hand the preceeding summer. The corn did real well but winter set in before he had it picked. As the winter progressed the rations grew scarce. He and his neighbors had to dig the corn out of the deep snow for food. He related it, "dig or die". My grandparents reared ten children on their homestead. They were educated at the little country school. Seven of these children came west and filed on land on 71 Table, near what is now Scenic, South Dakota. In the early spring of 1906, Roland and Adelbert Larsen came to Rapid City by train via Chadron, Nebraska. Mr. Merle McCain, a land locator brought them to the Pete Lemley Ranch. Mr. Lemley accompanied them to a vast raw table land several hundred feet above and to the south of the Cheyenne River. This Table land was named 71 Table because many of the horses which roamed this area carried the 71 brand. Only two quarter sections of land were deeded. The rest could be filed on. They had first choice, Adelbert chose the N.W. 1/4 of Sec. 35, adjacent to 71 springs and overlooking what is now Scenic Basin where Scenic was to be. Roland chose the W. 1/2 S.W. 1/4 Sec. 26 and the E. 1/2 S.W. 1/4 Sec. 27 Twp. 2 S. Range 14 E of the Black Hills Meridian. The 71 Spring quarter had been filed on in the early 1890's by John L. Hamm. August Ballman owner of the 71 brand owned the spring. The Pack Saddle Spring quarter on the north eastern edge of the table had been filed on by a cowboy by the name of Emerson Vaughn. It got its name from the brand X-X owned by the firm for which he was working. Roland and Adelbert went back to Humboldt, returning by team and wagon. Adelbert's wife coming with them. They related how unafraid the wild game was. A coyote trotted along behind them out of curiosity one day. All the supplies and lumber had to be freighted by team from Rapid City. They purchased native pine lumber for six dollars a thousand. Boards were from twelve to sixteen inches wide and an inch thick. They erected their own shacks and busied themselves getting settled. As soon as possible they hired out to their neighbors to earn some money. Roland broke five acre plots and did freighting Adelbert did carpenter work building shacks for everyone. The Milwaukee Railroad came to Scenic in 1907. The town came into being at that time. Peter Strom, Wm. Edington and Adelbert Larsen among others organized a civil government. Scenic Twp. No. 7 was born. Years later Scenic boasted it was the second largest voting precinct in Pennington County. Owen Larsen, Chester Larsen, and Bertha Larsen Dustman came to 71 Table in 1907. Owen brought his wife and son, Merrill. He bought a relinquishment two miles southeast of Roland. Mrs. Dustman and her husband, Lawrence, filed on the Delaney quarter. Len Jobgen lives there now. Chester Larsen filed on a rough quarter on the eastern edge of 71 Table, adjacent to the Dustman quarter. Matt Jobgen owns the quarter, Chester homesteaded. Owen lost his wife a few months after coming to Scenic. In 1911, he married Mabel Young, a neighboring homesteader and a school teacher. After their marriage, Owen moved his homestead house and joined it to her shack. This made a roomy and comfortable home. They moved to Humboldt, S.D. in the fall of that year. They retained ownership of their land until about 1950. Chester Larsen was single when he lived in this area. He came for the adventure and a good time. Later he mortgaged his land for what he could get and moved to Saskatchewan, Canada. Adelbert Larsen and Lawrence Dustman had a sale in 1911 and - moved to Washington state. In 1917, Dustman returned. The bunk house from the Pack Saddle quarter, was moved to their quarter section for their home. It is still in use and is the oldest building in 71 Table. Here the Dustman family of five sons and two daughters grew to maturity. In 1940, Mrs. Dustman leased her farm to Len Jobgen, later sold it to him and moved to California. One son, Robert, still lives near Farmingdale, S. D. Lora Larsen Kimball came to Scenic, S. D. in 1914. She and her husband, Albert, filed on three quarter sections in Sage Creek Basin. Their two sons and one daughter attended school on Quinn Table and South 71 Table. In 1919, they received the deed to their land and sold it to Forrest Batchelder Sr. The National Park Service now owns their former land. Lawrence H. Larsen, my father, came west to visit relatives, in 1919. Before returning home he decided to homestead and he also bought the Wm. Fisk place. He filed on a section of land in Sage Creek Basin. The Fisk people from whom my father purchased our home, were homesteaders in 1908. Bill (Wm) Fisk was a blacksmith by trade -he carried on his profession at his homestead. Mrs. Fisk was a frontier woman and helped as a midwife when many a baby arrived. Onetime when she was called to the Wm. Maude's home, to assist at childbirth, she found the Cheyenne River out of its banks she climbed on a horse and swam him across. While living on their homestead, he decided to have his blacksmith shop in Scenic. His wife and family ran the restaurant in Scenic. They drove to the ranch each night. He drove a single high stepping hackney horse which was a sight to remember. Many horse lovers have related this to me. Bill had immense strength and was widely know for his horse shoeing ability. In 1921, Lawrence Larsen, brought his wife, Helen Young Larsen, a son, Lowell, and a daughter Daphna to their homestead. He moved the Fisk house to the homestead where they lived three years. When the homestead could be proved upon, the home was reestablished on the Fisk quarter. Here at their new headquarters and permanent home my sister, Evelyn, was born in 1923. I arrived in 1925, and my youngest brother, Kieth arrived in 1931. This made our family complete. My father did lots of custom work with a grain binder and four horses. He went all over the community to cut grain and he also had acorn binder which he did custom work with. My father had a Model T Ford truck which he did trucking with. He got about $3.00 for taking a load of hogs from 71 Table to Wall. Uncle Roland Larsen had married Edith Knapp in 1911. They were childless but it was like a second home to we children. Most children around the neighborhood felt the same. My Uncle Roland and Uncle Adelbert bought a threshing machine in the late 19201s. They threshed all around the country and year after year made the circuit. Many of the young men, who grew up in the community, remember being part of that threshing crew. Everyone had to work hard but there was lots of fun to be had and lots to eat. A good many hands got their first blisters here and quite a push to maturity. Soon after my folks came to Scenic my father and Uncle Roland went into sort of a partnership. They ran cattle together, did house moving work as well as exchanging work at all times. In about 1929, my father and Uncle Roland went into the sheep business. We were lucky as times got so tough in the early 1930's, the sheep kept us fed and our bills paid, not always on time, but eventually. Besides hard work and deprivation, people had lots of fun together. There were ball teams on each Table and each town. They had clubs, horse shoe games, horse racing and dances. The whole family went together and we remember the fun. In 1932, the Scenic Twp. brought running water to Scenic. It was an event to be celebrated. Wayne White, Kate Levy, Swede Neilsen, Al Jensen, Earl Taylor, and Roland Larsen among others started a rodeo to celebrate the event. It was a three day affair followed each evening by a dance. One year the dance band for the occasion was the now famous Lawrence Welk. The celebration brought people from far and wide. They had Indian dances, Squaw wagon races, chariot races, horse races and all the modern events. It got to be an annual event, which continued until World War II caused its termination. In the thirties when everyone was about to lose their land, the Federal Land Bank came to our rescue. In this area Peter Strom, Wm. Gantenbein, Lawrence and Roland Larsen served on the local board. The leniency of the F. L. Bank and the local administration under Wm Barney saved many a home. My father was active in all community affairs. He was interested in everyones problems. He served on the Scenic Twp board for 22 years, and he served on his school district for as long. In 1944, while I was in the Navy, he became fatally ill with Parkinsons Disease and he died in 1946. I purchased the homeplace and my mother moved to Scenic in 1954, where she still lives - her interests are her family and the local church. Roland and Edith lived to retire together in Rapid City. My brother, Kieth, purchased their place where he now lives. Roland lived to celebrate his 50th wedding anniversary and a few more years. He died in 1962 just prior to his 79th birthday - Aunt Edith still lives in Rapid City. [Photo - Albert Larsen Family Front row: Ralph, Beatrice, Mrs. Clara Larsen, Mary, Albert Larsen, Laura and Lawrence. Standing: Owen, Roland, Adelbert, Bertha and Chester.] [Photo - Claim shack Mr. and Mrs. Larsen, Lowell and Daphna.] [Photo - Sheep on Larsen Ranch.] [Photo - Larsen's sheepherder.] [Photo - Owen Larsen enroute to Scenic in summer of 1921.] [Photo - William Barney presiding over meeting with Roland Larsen, Pet Strom, Wm. Gantenbein and Lawrence Larsen.] Alex H. Shellito Sr. They were married in Sheridan, Nebraska in 1899. Mr. Shellito came from Ireland. Mrs. Shellito came from Colesburg, Iowa. They homesteaded near Creston, So. Dak. They later moved to Kube Table where the house still stands; where their son Alex Jr. resides. There were three children, two boys and one girl. Opal, Dale and Alex. Mrs. Shellito is 96 and lives with her daughter Mrs. C. L. Miles. Mr. Shellito passed away in 1937, also a son Dale in 1919. [Photo - The family of Alex Shellito, Sr.] The Ward W. White Family Ward W. White came to western South Dakota from Canistota and homesteaded near Cottonwood in 1910. He married Ellen Christenson from Iowa in 1913. There were ten children in the White family, one died in infancy. They moved to grandma White's place on 71 Table and later to the Levi place. This house burned and they moved back to Iowa. Clarence Barclay For 13 years a cowboy in the Badlands of South Dakota, 10 years in the Scenic area. My first as a cowboy, was on the Lazy Wye Z Ranch in Wyoming in 1919. I started as a horse wrangler. In the spring of 1920, we had a big blizzard and cattle died by the thousands. The snow drifted in the draws and the cattle smothered. We skinned the hides from 600 head, we lost over 3,000 head of cattle, and ran 10,000 head. My first job at Scenic was for Wayne White, which was breaking horses which we called Bronco Stomping. My Pardners name was George McGaa, we broke lots of broncs, both for saddle and to work. I worked sometimes for one-half for breaking. We had one for Wayne White which was the W <> that he could not tame. The prettiest you ever saw. She was Arabian. But she was one bad one yours truly could not bust! In the year of 1930, we had a bad prairie fire near the 61 which I helped to fight. We shot two steers and pulled off the hides. Two of us cowboys put our Lariat ropes on the hides and straddled the flames. One horse and rider on each side, and rode as fast and as long as we could. Then two more would take over. We did the same with the carcass. That way, we soon smothered it out. Then there were other cowboys on foot with shovels and wet sacks to finish the job. Then there was the bad blizzard we had in the spring of 1931, in which lots of cattle died. Kudna of Imlay lost quite a bunch just can't recall how many, about 50 head, I believe. In fact yours truly lost 5 head of young stuff. Yours truly homesteaded in Big Holler. Sold out to Earl and Guy Taylor the year of 1933. Yours truly helped dig the well on Bill Levy's place. I helped pipe water into Scenic. We used wooden pipe, that was in the year of 1933. Before that, Scenic was a dry town. I have seen Peggy Hines ride a bucking horse right up main street at Scenic. She used to be a good rider and they didn't get too wild for her. I had a little cow pony that I called Bally. I could whistle and he would come to me as far as he could hear me. I could turn him loose and a whole bunch of dogs couldn't make him leave me. I sold him to Wayne White in the year of 1928. He was a little iron grey, in fact a dapple grey. Wayne White and Roland Larsen put him in the races and he took first money every day. He was quite a horse and a pal to me. I am still a fiddle footed cowboy at heart, although my riding days are over. I have ridden in the roundup with Keliher, both old Frank, and also young Frank and also Mote. I have ridden with Jess Olson and Coots Higgins. I have helped the Higgins' brand cattle, both Jack and Marsh. I have also ridden with the Starr brothers both Fred and George, in Wyoming, and in Fall River County in South Dakota. I have played poker with Dad Burroughs and Gay Bump. We played, "freeze out", believe me I almost froze. The game lasted till 2 A.M. in sub-zero weather. That was the good old days. I was a witness when a guy was led into town on the end of a rope. That was the first part of January 1924. I guess he had started to Scenic with a load of corn to sell, when he got into this fight. Yes sir, Scenic used to be a lively little cow-town. We had sidewalks make of wood. We also had a couple of hitching racks. [Photo - Adolph Fiesler] Lewis Young by Mrs. Cliff Hill In 1906, Lewis W. Young homesteaded on the north end of Kube Table. Part of his land extended to the Cheyenne River where our first house was built. It was located near the south end of the new Cheyenne River bridge. He and Gay Bump came from Rapid City with their families. Lewis Young and Gay Bump were both members in Rapid City band. My two older brothers and I were born in Rapid City. In 1908, my father dug a well up on the table land and got a bountiful supply of water before building our house. He laboriously turned the sod and built our house of sod. It contained four rooms and an attic, which was high enough for we children to play and sleep in. Later he moved my grandfathers house from his homestead, which addition made ample room for his nine children. I can remember goihg to grandmothers' with team and wagon which was about two miles away, and it being about dark when we returned. I can remember seeing a pack of wolves coming over the hills and howling unmercifully and then slinking over the horizon. It was an annual event of the Young family to plow, plant, weed and hoe a big garden. Some years after fighting bugs and drought we failed to have a harvest. But many times our harvest was bountiful. My father had dug a cellar and cave in connection with the house for our vegetables and these helped a great deal in feeding his family. My mother was an accomplished pianist and sang a great deal. She had taken an active part in church work before coming to the ranch. When my oldest brother, Murrin, who passed away in Feb. 1965, was barely old enough to reach the floor, so his foot could manipulate the beater on the bass drum, my father bought him a set of drums and he became a very good drummer. Father, Mother, and Murrin had an orchestra and played for dances the country over. Almost every night was spent in practicing, and we children would sing or dance. Many a time they would heat a large stone on our heater and wrap it in a blanket to put in the bottom of the buggy to keep their feet warm while traveling to Owanka or "Paulsen's Barn" north of Owanka to play for dances. I seemed to be "baby sitter" and Bill, my second oldest brother, and I stayed at home and took care of all the younger ones. "Bill", or A.M. Young is now our State Hi-way Engineer. Many years, my mother had to put up six lunches every morning. We walked and carried them to school as we attended the Kube School a mile and three quarters away. The "Young and Bump Hill" shown in the picture was east of the present high-way and was quite steep and of course impassable when muddy. After the Cheyenne bridge was built in 1912, many times Father had to "pull" cars up with his team. Even in dry weather it was too steep for some cars. In later years, he and his father built the barn which still stands on the Walter Maude ranch who purchased it from Lewis Young Jr. who is now a business man in Edgemont, South Dakota. Mr. Young served as county assessor, county commissioner, county auditor, and was on the school board for many years. He left the ranch in 1933, moving back to Rapid City. He had poor health and passed away in 1938. Other children are Don Young, a painter in Santa Rosa, California; Warren Young, a realtor in Sioux Falls; Mrs. Esther Estrup, Women's Consultant for the First National Bank, Rapid City; Robert Young, who is in California; Harold Young, a salesman in Rapid City, South Dakota; and myself, Mrs. Clifford Hill, a rancher's wife on Hart Table, near Scenic. [Photo - Youngs sod house plus addition] [Photo - Lewis Young and part of his family after vegetable harvest] [Photo Lewis Young & Gertrude his wife on their ranch.] [Photo - The steep Bump & Young Hill] School The Scenic Community held their first Harvest Fair in October 1910, each school and some of the business places in Scenic had floats. There was a large display of fancy work, china painting and pictures. Mrs. G. C. Leonard had some very fine hand painted china on exhibit. This was held in the Milwaukee depot. Miss Schwintz had a display made to represent the High Dive road and it was made with the badlands soil. 71 Table float with Miss Hanifan as teacher was artistically trimmed and loaded with school children, they gave their yells, and sang songs, the song was composed by Miss Hanifan. This is, the song: We are happy children come, All the way from the 71 To help you celebrate today The Harvest Festival bright and gay. CHORUS 71! Oh 71! That's the place to choose for a home Hip, Hurrah! for the 71 The Table that beats them all. Flowers fresh and flowers fair, Decks its acres rich and rare And brightly shining o'er all these The blue sky bends, the eye to please. In spite of drought and wind and hail No one thinks of making wail Oh hard old times, or any bad luck Just smile and say, "We've got the pluck" When all our neighbors are looking for hay Over our Table they take their way, And find the long, rich grasses bend, To sickle and rake without an end. by Margaret Hanifan [Photo - One year at Scenic school: Jim Bump, E. Levy, A. Bump, E. Gillen, Opal Shelito, Leona Melby, Rosalie Kennedy, Grace Mulloy, Elizabeth Kennedy, Wesley Firestine, Lela Fierstine, Gladys Conklin, Marie Bartlett.] [Photo - Ward, Emil Ehrle, Swindler, Sonny Young, Alex Shelito] [Photo - Marie Bartlett, Murrin Young, Gene Bartlett] Bart and Anna Bartlett Fred, commonly known as Bart and wife Anna Bartlett, came to Scenic from Farmingdale, So. Dak. in 1913 with their four children George, Marie, Lucille and baby Gene. There they continued in a lumber business which they had established earlier while living in Farmingdale, furnishing building material for many of the early day settlers. They then put in a line of hardware, cooler, and the icehouse. On the death of postmaster B. W. Loyd, Mr. Bartlett became the postmaster, a job that he held for many years, until the appointment of Harry Crosmer. In 1920, the family was saddened by the sudden death of Lucille. Then later by death of grandma Broderick who made her home with them. When tourists started coming to the Black Hills, Mr. Bartlett put up a few unmodern cabins and gas pumps and enjoyed meeting the people that happened through the Badlands on the not too good highways. On the death of Mr. Bartlett in May 1934, Mrs. Bartlett and George moved to Rapid City where Marie and Gene both lived. She lived there until her death in 1963 at the age of 94, and never tired of telling of the early days at Scenic and Farmingdale. Gene passed away Jan. 8, 1965, and George lives in Rapid City, Marie at Black Hawk. South 71 Table School The on-rush of homesteaders and their families brought the need for schools. In this immediate area, Matt Jobgen, Bill Fish and Mr. Sherwood petitioned the county commissioners for a school district. Imlay School Dist. No. 56 was formed in 1908. Due to the topography, two schools were needed. One for Imlay area, the other on South 71. Table. Miss Susan Mulloy was the first teacher and school was held in the Dolly Brown claim shack on 71 Table. The first term of school was held in 1908-1909. The 1910 and 1911 school term was held in the Lane house. It was taught by Mamie Hanifan. In the fall of 1911, school was moved to the Theo. Mattis homestead and tutored by Prof. Hynes. Mabel Engstrum taught in the same building the term of 1912-13. She was a Conata Basin resident and walked to and from school every weekend. Fall term in 1913 was moved to the Mamie Hanifan homestead. Madge Scott (Ike) taught. A new school building was contracted by Bartlett Lumber Co. of Scenic. It was erected by a carpenter named Ball. During the fall term of 1914 the school was moved to the new building. In this building, school was held until 1961. The school district combined with four other districts and built a new modern school house in Scenic. [Photo - South 71 School (1960) [Photo Elbert Lee- teacher: Left to right - Hazel JohnsonFlorence Knapp, Rosalie Kennedy, Jesse Johnston, Helen Larsen, Maryette Kenneedy, Elizabeth Kennedy, Lee Skinner, Almyr Bump.] [Photo - Kube Table School - taken in 1908: This is Kube school located in Kube Table northwest of Scenic in 1908. This building was one-half mile north of the site where the new school was built in 1909.] [Photo - South 71 School (1913) Back row: Leila Fierstine, Mable Ingstrom, Gage Fierstine, Warren Fierstine, Gladys Fierstine. Middle row: Raymond Fierstine. Front row: Leonard Jobgen, Wesley Fierstine, Billie Jobgen, Delphine Jobgen.] [Photo - South 71 School (1908) Sitting in back row: Edith Fisk, Mabel Fisk, Susie White (teacher), Ed Jost, Albert Fisk. Bottom row: Emery Fisk, Tony Jost, Delphine Jobgen, Leonard Jobgen, two Peck boys] [Photo - An Early Scene on the prairie.] William H. Levy by Eldon Levy My father William Levy along with his brother Frank, came to South Dakota from Iowa in 1907 and filed on a homestead 2 1/2 miles north of Scenic. He proved up on the homestead and went back to Iowa for his family. Then returned here in 1908 with his wife the former Ann Blanche Williams and three children, Lester, Everette and Iva. After moving to Scenic there were four more children born to them. They were Keith, Lindey, Eldon and Avis. After Dad had proved up on his homestead, he bought several other homesteader's land, some near his and also some over on 71 table which he farmed and is now owned by Rex Gorr. Alex Shellito and Lewis Julius now own the rest of his land on the Kube table that he had gotten together through the years. The site of the Scenic Cemetery is part of Dad's homestead. It would be in the South west corner of a L shaped quarter. The first to be buried at Scenic were buried north of the Scenic water reservoir. I would have to say that Dad's main hobby was digging water wells. In the thirties when you couldn't grow anything we used to dig wells to see if there was water in this place or that. On the 40 acres where Dad built his buildings we had four good wells. The first well that was dug for the Scenic water supply was close by the house. There wasn't enough water there so they went on north and have a real good well there. Dad had a double bob-bob sled, that was used on several occasions. Besides our own use it was a school sleigh and sometimes used for church outings. We still have both strings of the bells that buckled around the horses. The sled was used to go back and forth to town and for winter traveling for a good many years. Dad was real active in the community over the years. Serving several times on the township board and on the school board at the time the brick school was built in 1919 and also was an officer on the Federal Land Bank. Mother was also very active in the Congregational Church. Dad used to own quite a number of horses. In the thirties we had more horses than anything else. They were worth about $5 a head good or bad. He also ran sheep, cattle, and hogs. One of the most disappointing things that ever happened to Dad was one time he shipped butcher hogs to Sioux City, Iowa and they wrote back for more money. They didn't bring enough to pay the freight and processing tax. Their two oldest boys Lester and Everette died as young men. Iva, Lindley and Avis are living in Rapid City, Keith is ranching up by Faith and Eldon is living in Scenic running the Standard Oil Bulk Plant. Mother passed away in 1946 and Dad followed 1961. [Photo - Mr. & Mrs. Dexhimer and Mr. & Mrs. Bill Levy] [Photo - Mr. William Levy and Anna Blanche Williams Levy and son Lester] [Photo Mother Levy, Keith, Eldon, Avis William H. Iva, Lindley] Mr. and Mrs. John Bourquin by Clem Bourquin Mr. and Mrs. John Bourquin came from Switzerland and homesteaded at Black Gap, near Spring Creek in 1907. They had three children, two boys (Clem and George) and one girl (Alice). Mr. Bourquin passed away in 1953, and Mrs. Bourquin lives in Cleveland, Ohio. The family moved to the Southeast corner of Quinn Table about 1915, and farmed and raised cattle. [Photo - Here is a picture of Clem Bourquin on one of his favorite horses. Horses were the only means of transportation. Every morning Clem rode after the horses and in the afternoons he brought in the cows. One could ride fifty miles most any direction without opening any gates.] [Photo - Here is a picture taken approximately 1923, by Alice Bourquin, in the back of the Bourquin barn. Arza Robert's folks ran the garage in Scenic for many years. Harley Dustman was raised on 71 Table. Clem Bourquin was raised in me Southeast corner of the Quinn Table. Chris Heinricks was from 71 Table. In this photo the boys were all enjoying their first smoke of corn silk wrapped in corn husk.] On Sundays, the boys often hunted wild horses. If they were up on Table 71, they blocked the passes and ran the horses up on a point. The boys then picked out some wild horses to ride for a couple of weeks, or until they tired of them, and then turned the horses loose. Sometimes they trapped the horses up in a box canyon. In the mid-1920's, the government took steps to decrease the number of wild horses because they were eating too much good pasture land. Men who rounded up these horses received from $2.50 to $5.00 a head. A well-known horse trader, George McGaa, brought a bunch of horses through my Uncle's ranch (Wm. Lehman, Farmingdale) and he gave me my choice of horses for $2.50. Harry D. and Maude E. Crosmer by Mrs. C. E. Jurisch My father and mother, the late Harry and Maude Crosmer like all young people wanted to build and make a home for themselves. At that time there was land open for filing. As my father had made a few trips to this area with his father and other relatives freighting he decided to place his claim stakes on Kube Table. His homestead is located almost in the center of the table. In the fall of 1906 he and my mother and others started with teams and wagons to come to the homestead they had filed on. Due to the storms of South Dakota they were unable to finish the trip until the spring of 1907. They built a small house before another winter. My father was a postal clerk on the North Western at that time so it meant my mother would stay on the homestead and he would be home on his time off. In July of 1907 1 was born in the 8x1O shack which they called home. All supplies and needs were brought from the little town of Creston or hauled by teams from Rapid City. My mother spent the following winter in November 1908 in Mitchell, where my sister Fern was born. I have a little memory of Watertown and Gettysburg, where they lived for a short time. My youngest sister Ella May was also born on the homestead in 1910. The life of the early settlers was anything but an easy one and yet my folks always looked back and said they believed that they were as happy as they would have been in starting their life elsewhere. This little story is just one of many: My father used to tell me this one. One night in the winter of 1907, when he was making the freight run with team and wagon, from Wall across the tables, suddenly it turned very cold and a blizzard had started as it was getting dark. He was tired, but he knew that if he fell asleep, he might freeze to death. As he came onto the long straight stretch across what is now known as 71 Table he saw a light in the distance. He said, "You know, the sight of that light in the lonely night gave me hope. It made me stay awake until I got to it just to see what it was." Well, it turned out to be the Jack Harris place. Jack's wife always had a lamp burning in the window at night for wayward travelers. It was blowing hard and my father spent the night at their place. You can bet that he was mighty thankful for the vigil light in the window that night. From this I learned that in bad weather it was wise to leave a light in the window as you never know who might be on the road caught by an unexpected storm. As I look back over the years I'm sure that the hopes of these homesteaders were fulfilled in many ways as most of us have had many opportunities for a better way of life. [Photo - New Post Office in Scenic] [Photo - Grandchildren of Harold and Mary Welsh: Rod, Barbara and Jackie Gunn, Wendy Welsh, Terry Gunn, Peter and John Welsh. Front: Dawn, Paula, Rich and Tracy Welsh, Scott Gunn, Joe, Kelly and Pat Welsh.] [Photo - Eva Hankins, grandmother of Harold Welsh, homesteaded near Wood's place north of Quinn.] [Photo - Charles and Sarah McDonald] [Photo - Wall Band included in the picture are: Ralph Overholt, Frank Skinner, F. M. Noe, Gordon Kneeland, Gary Dean, Hobert Shade, Prof. Parker, Peter Minter, Adley Overholt, John Stret, Glen Kneeland, Henry Sebade, Rev. Palmer, Fricke, Max Noe, Anele McDonald, C. A. Nipple, Dr. Standeven, Frank Patterson, Loy Neilson, Jim Lecoque] Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Jurisch by C. M. and Goldie Jurisch Ernest Jurisch came from the Black Hills in the real early days before many people were here. He chanced to find work on a sheep ranch known as the Herman Kube ranch. As there was need for some one to teach school he became the first teacher on Kube table. He later married Agnes Johanna Kube. They started their life on the river bottom land at that time known as the Nye place, near Creston. Born to them were three sons, Clarence, Ernest, and Gustave. Mother Jurisch passed away in 1914 leaving much hardship for Father Jurisch and, the boys. The Jurischs like all others were ready to give a helping hand and to help make this town grown by working and building. The Ernest Jurisch homestead is on the south side of Hart Table at the edge of the Badlands now known as the Taylor ranch.