Text of Ziebach Co., SD History (1982) - pages 41 - 57 This file is the text of the book, "South Dakota's Ziebach County, History of the Prairie", published in 1982 by the Ziebach County Historical Society, Dupree, SD Permission to publish this book in electronic form was given by Jackie Birkeland, member of the Historical Committee. This book is copyright, 1982 by the Ziebach County Historical Society, Dupree, SD. Scanning and OCR by Terri Tosh , final editing by Joy Fisher, . DINOSAUR BONES FOUND IN ZIEBACH COUNTY translated by Elsie Schuelke (Taken from the Faith Independent, September 16, 1981) (Editor's note: Thanks to Elsie Schuelke for translating the German poster and article from the Siber-Siber Museum in Switzerland. Elsie spent many hours translating the lengthy article and we appreciated her cooperation. The poster was sent to Ruth Mason from the Switzerland museum where they have a dinosaur which was removed from the Mason ranch) Faith is a small town on the flat endless prairie in the northwestern corner of South Dakota. Since the beginning of the last century, the Mason family has lived there on a ranch. Today 82 year old Ruth Mason lives alone and is very efficient. She crawled as a child on the light brown breaks and banks of the Moreau River. Even then she found scraps of bones and other pieces of fossils. During her lifetime, Ruth Mason tried to interest different people in dinosaur bones that she found, but no one took her findings seriously. Then in the spring of 1979 a young man appeared who asked permission to look and possibly dig. In friendliness, the elderly lady asked the hobbyists into her home, and served them tea and cookies. The conversation naturally turned to dinosaur bones. The man's ears pricked up since before this time, he had already inquired about diggings in South Dakota, feeling that such bones, according to information and studies, should be found in South Dakota. The young people were hoping they could find such a whole dinosaur that they could dig and set up. They inspected the place and decided it should be a diggings. So they made a contract with Ruth Mason, the owner of the land, and permission was granted for ten years. [photo – Mr. Brooks and Ruth Mason before Dinosaur shipped to Switzerland] [photo – Dinosaur bone. Photo by John Hipps] [photo – Digging for bones on Moreau River. Photo by John Hipps] The Camp Life in 1979-80 - Nine men and one woman arrived for the first digging in the fall of 1979. Friends and relatives of Ruth Mason gathered to watch as after a week's digging, we uncovered and removed the first bones. We discovered there was much more involved than we had anticipated, and we wanted to make sure that our findings would be in good shape to put together, and enough bones so that our find would represent a dinosaur. That is we hoped to find the bones like head, ribs, leg bones and others fairly close together and not broken up. That meant much more careful and a longer time digging. Instead of three weeks as we planned for the digging, it would take another two or three weeks to complete. We discovered in the last days of digging, enough bones also of the first of the Triceratops, so we were able to show this in our 1980 display. We had 285 bones dug of the Anatosaur. During the time that we lived the tent life, we saw and learned wonderful things about this land. The most fantastic prairie land sunsets, and we were astonished when we saw the northern lights that lasted until daylight. We learned how hot the sun could get and also how the wind could blow so we were hardly able to dig because of the dust in our eyes. The rattlesnakes startled us with rattling and appearance, which came about quite often. Also, we saw in the heavens at times, the jets that fly over and that surprised us, too. It reminded us that we were in the 20th Century. In the fall of 1980, there were two more diggings. Our aim was to correlate the 1,500 bones we had found on our two months' work, with a working crew from five to eight people. We found more and more bones as we kept digging. Farther out from our original diggings, we found many smaller bones, belonging with the head crown. This was about 100 meters from our first digging, and also some ankle, rib and shoulder fragments. This made the original skeleton more complete. We also found fragments of turtles, crocodiles, a tooth from an Ankylosauris and a dozen of Gargosauris teeth. Underneath these teeth we also found quite a few other skeleton bones. The sacrum, a large impressive looking bone, was found in one of the broken off breaks of the Moreau River a few days before we had to abandon the diggings because of the cold winds coming around the breaks, which ended our second diggings. The Cause of Death -- results of our findings: One can guess and think that because these bones were so close together and also because they showed no deterioration from their transport, that these different species of dinosaurs died together through an unusual happening, which brought this herd together -- probably a tragic hurricane or typhoon or a sickness. A second happening brought these skeletons together with wood or trees so they were buried with morass and silt. This mass kill and death of the kinds and types of dinosaurs does not seem to be at the time of the Kreide-time. From strategic studies, we consider that the end of Kreide-time happened after a maximum thousands of years apart from this happening at the Moreau River site. The Anatosaurius were found in North America at the end of the Kreide-time. They belonged to a special group of dinosaurs. Because of their wide flat duck-billed mouth, they were also called Hadrosaurius. From the skeleton studies these are related to the Omithischer. The hind legs were large and strong, as was the tail, which was further strengthened with muscle build-up throughout. The tail also helped the movements in the water, as the feet and hand-like front paws helped when necessary to swim in water. The end bones of the feet and hands were like hoofs on a horse, so they could also crawl where they could not walk or swim. So they were able to move about on land or in water. After an analysis of the stomach of one of the saurier-mummies which was in very good condition, we learned that their one source of food was spruce trees or other needle type trees. We found spruce, etc. needles in this stomach. Their teeth were able to chew and masticate sequoia needles and branches, also other hard branched, or stemmed plants. We found in the mouth, the Anatosaurius had more teeth than any other animal had, in fact, one thousand teeth. These were in rows of three, both upper and lower jaws, with about 50 teeth tightly pressed against each other along the jaws. It showed that new teeth were almost ready to grow when the present set was gone, about or at least one or two underneath each tooth in the jaw at present. That was the reason they had such a great amount of teeth. Our mummified saurier is set up to look as he did naturally when he roamed this earth many years ago. Thelma Frame and Shirley Menzel called on Mrs. Ruth Mason one afternoon and she was happy to share her experiences with them. She told of the diggings being done on her land. The Moreau River bank and the breaks, where the digging was done, is just inside the Ziebach County line. Mrs. Mason's home is in Perkins County. The Black Hills Institute of Geological Research from Hill City, South Dakota were the ones who reconstructed the dinosaur and prepared it for shipping to Switzerland, where it is now in the Siber-Siber Museum. WILDLIFE Along with the picture of the coyotes, Art Bockman wrote "I thought there should be something about our (Irving and I) coyote hunting in your book. Most fun I ever had. We got 1,946 of them. Did the sheepman a lot of good. Some cattlemen didn't care, others downright forbid it. Too many forced landings to count. Had one tire shot off plus three propellers. Sonny Olson and Vic LaPlante were my main gunners." Bob Saul took the first pictures for post cards. Art grew up on a ranch northeast of Faith in Ziebach County. He presently lives in Lake Park, Iowa. He is still using the same airplane which he used to hunt coyotes in the late 1940's. [photo – Champion Coyote Hunters Bockman Brothers] [photo – Good deer hunting in Ziebach County] WILD LIFE OF ZIEBACH COUNTY The general trend of our wildlife in Ziebach County is of native game, with the exception of pheasant and partridge. Our deer population is of two varieties, Mule deer and Whitetail. The Mule deer was the first to repopulate the county. A very few of these animals were being seen in the early 1940's. By 1952 there were enough deer in Ziebach County to warrant a limited hunting season on bucks only. With the shifting of the two varieties of deer and the overlap of the deer range we had to have a season of any deer in 1954. The Whitetail deer were taking over the brushy draws and creek beds. The Mule deer were being forced into the rough country along the Cheyenne and Moreau Rivers. The Mule deer population on the prairies of our great state dates back as far as we have any records. The Mule deer was one of the strangest animals noted by Audubon and his companions on their memorable journey up the Missouri River in 1843. He says of his first sight of it, "On winding along the banks, bordering a long and wide prairie, intermingled with willow and other small brushwood, we suddenly came in sight of four Mule deer, which after standing a moment on the bank and looking at us, trotted leisurely away, without being much alarmed". A person has not really enjoyed the wonders of nature until they have seen and heard the Grouse and Prairie Chicken on their drumming grounds during the mating season. When the early settlers first came to Ziebach County the drumming grounds of these game birds covered many acres. On quiet clear mornings a person could hear the birds drumming for many miles. On these drumming grounds the grass would be completely worn off. We can't forget the smallest of our game animals. I'm sure that all of the old timers will agree that the Cottontail rabbit has been about the most sport of our small game. This little gamester has put many a platter of golden fried meat on the table. To a good many of the homesteaders this little animal was the difference between just having biscuits and gravy or having cottontail, biscuits and gravy for dinner. This little gamester is still with us, still as sporty as ever, and so far as meat is concerned, I can't see any difference between it now and what it was many years ago. They are just plain good eating. Our fur bearing animals of this county are much the same as they were when the farm boy used to run his traplines from his home to school. Often that was several miles. The skunk, jackrabbit, mink, coon, coyote, beaver, and weasel put many dimes in his jeans and a 22 rifle in his hand. Drought and hard times of the 30's were the cause of some of the best fishing in this area. Before that time the fishing was mostly for Catfish in the Cheyenne and Moreau Rivers, plus a few Bullhead in the favorite waterhole in the pasture. [photo – R. K. Stout and bass caught in his dam] [photo – Fishing – JoAnn, Clinton, and David Thomas] The WPA program in this area resulted in the building of some large dams in the county. The Department of Game, Fish and Parks then planted them with more desirable fish. The dams near Dupree were Bednar Dam just north of town and Miller's Dam south of town. Miller's Dam is still a good fishing dam. Bednar Dam started to go dry in 1954. By 1955 it was necessary to rescue as many fish as possible. All the Walleye Pike were put in Lantry Dam, the bass were used to plant in some large stock dams in the area. Perch and Crappies were planted in several kids' ponds throughout the state. Some of the other dams near Dupree are Lantry Dam which was built by the Milwaukee Railroad for engine water, Cowan Dam on Rock Cowan's land north of Lantry and Rattlesnake Dam which was built by the Indian Department. These dams have furnished the people of the Dupree area with many hours of pleasure while pursuing the sport of fishing. There are many other dams which have not been listed here, that have also been good for family fishing trips. Pheasants were planted in Ziebach County in either 1929 or 1930. Ten crates of pheasants were shipped to Dupree. August Bakeberg was in charge of distributing them around the county. Hank Burgee received two crates and planted them on the farm he had north of Dupree. There were two crates planted along Bear Creek west of Dupree and the balance of the birds were planted throughout the county. The pheasants had a hard struggle getting started, but favorable conditions in the late 1930's caused their population to boom. By the middle 1940's the birds were at their peak. The hard winters of 1948 to 1952 brought the population of pheasants to a very low level. At the present time there are very few pheasants left near Dupree. Very little is known of the Hungarian Partridge origin in Ziebach County, but these sporty little game birds cause the heart of a hunter to jump to his throat when a covey flushes under his feet. The Hun is considered one of the sportiest birds in the county. Landmarks CHERRY CREEK Cherry Creek rises in the eastern part of Butte County and flows a distance of 152 miles through Meade County to join the Cheyenne River at the community of Cherry Creek in Ziebach County. The name was given it by the Sioux Indians because of the large number of chokecherry trees that grow along its banks. The Sioux pounded and mixed the fruit of the trees with dried meat and tallow to make "wasna" -- one of their prized delicacies. In its upper courses it is know as Sulpher Creek. It is also known as Horse Creek or Dead Horse Creek. [map showing creeks in Ziebach Co.] FIRESTEEL CREEK Firesteel Creek, 31 miles in length, rises in the northern part of Ziebach County and flows north into Corson County to join the Grand River. It was so named because of the flint rock along the creek which was used to make fire by striking the rocks together. RED COAT CREEK Red Coat Creek (Dakota -- Oglesasa or Ogleluta) has two versions of how it got its name. The first is that an Indian by the name of Red Coat lived along the stream. The other version is that after the Battle of Little Big Horn, Sitting Bull's band fled to Canada where one of the girls of the tribe married a Northwest Mounted Policeman. The man returned with her to the United States and they camped along this creek. His red uniform gave the creek its name. TURTLE BUTTE Turtle Butte, in Ziebach County (Dakota Keyapaha) was named because of large number of turtles found imbedded in the hill. Turtle Butte Creek is a tributary to Cherry Creek just east of Red Scaffold in the western part of Ziebach County. It got its name from nearby Turtle Butte. [photo – Cedar Hill, north of Dupree, a hiding place for horses, east of the later Ed Dupris homestead] [photo – Eagle Rock landmark. About 8 ½ miles northeast of Dupree] ASH CREEK Ash Creek, stretching a distance of 20 miles, rises just east of Rattle Snake Butte and flows south to join Cherry Creek. It got its name from the large number of Ash trees that formerly grew along its course. Droughts of recent years have nearly diminished them. RED SCAFFOLD CREEK Red Scaffold Creek (Dakota-Cowahosha meaning burial above ground), rises almost on the west line of Ziebach County. One legend tells that an Indian corpse, wrapped in a red blanket, was found on a scaffold near the creek. The other legend tells two Indian girls killed each other fighting over a man and they were buried together on a red painted scaffold. RUDY CREEK Rudy Creek tributary to the Cheyenne River in the southern part of Ziebach County was named for a Frenchman who became wealthy through raising cattle and who lived at the mouth of this creek for many years. SAND CREEK Sand Creek rising on the eastern edge of Ziebach County flows a distance of 5 miles and empties into the Moreau River. It was given its name by Dr. Frank E. Creamer, because of the sandy character of its stream bed. SNAKE CREEK Snake Creek (Dakota -- Sentehgla -- meaning rattlesnake) was so named by the Indians because of the large number of rattlesnakes in the area. Rising in the western part of Ziebach County and flowing south to join Cherry Creek, it bears a name which is a translation of the Sioux name for the creek. It is known locally as Rattlesnake Creek. STINKING BEAR CREEK Stinking Bear Creek was named for the Sioux Indian man who lived at the mouth of the creek. This creek extends 20 miles and is a tributary of the Cheyenne River in the western part of Ziebach County. It is also known as Cottonwood Creek because of the cottonwood trees growing on this creek. [photo – Bessie's Butte south of Redelm (fox on left) 1982] HUMP FLAT Hump Flat in Ziebach County and Hump Creek in Haakon County were named for Chief Hump who camped near the springs at the head of the creek. Hump, a Chief of the Minneconjous, was a leader of one of the Indian bands under Red Cloud's chieftainship. He fought Custer at the Little Big Horn and later that year voluntarily settled on Cherry Creek on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation. He never accepted the white man's customs or Christianity. During the Ghost Dance Movement (Messiahor), Hump's band participated wholeheartedly and troops were sent to guard them. Fearing for his life and for his people, Hump led his band into the Badlands. He later surrendered peacefully and served as a scout for the U. S. Army and was instrumental in bringing about surrender of many of Sitting Bull's fugitives. CHEYENNE RIVER Cheyenne River (Dakota -- Wakpawaste) was named for the Cheyenne Indians who at one stage of their migration west made their home on the river's banks. The Dakota name for the river was "Wakpawaste", meaning Good River, because it was easily forded at any point along the stream. The Belle Fourche River known as the "Beautiful River" also "Wakpawaste" is the north fork of the Cheyenne River. MOREAU OR OWL RIVER The Moreau or Owl River was said to have received its name from a Sioux hunter. A Sioux warrior went alone to hunt; he came upon a river just before dark and decided to camp there for the night. As he was cooking his meal, the sound of an owl hooting came toward his camp. He recognized it as that which was not made by an owl and he became very cautious. He readied his weapon, hid away from his campfire and questioned what could be making the sound. It was a Crow Indian, an enemy of the Sioux. The Sioux stepped out from where he was hiding to encounter the Crow, and as the Crow was taken by surprise he dropped his weapon and began to talk with the Sioux. The Crow said, "You have surprised me, so in a gesture of defeat you take my clothing back to your people and I will go back to mine." From then on this river was known by the Sioux as Owl River. The Dakota name for this river is "Wakpahinhan''. It flows midway across Ziebach County, cutting it, winding its way almost due east, nearly east and west, flowing into the Missouri south of Mobridge about 15 or 20 miles. THUNDER BUTTE Thunder Butte (Wakanganhotan -- meaning place of holy thunder) is located in the north central part of Ziebach County. The Indians believe that during a storm the sound of thunder seems to come from the butte. The thunder was the Great Spirit's voice and was sometimes even heard on a clear day. When this happened the Indians knew an important event would occur. Some still profess to believe. Native American young men used to travel many, many miles to climb the butte for Spiritual Vision, (Wakan Tanka). [photo – Thunder Butte] RATTLESNAKE BUTTE Rattlesnake Butte (Dakota -- Paha Sintehgla) was so named by the Indians because of the many rattlesnakes on the butte. [photo – Rattlesnake Butte south of Redelm] [photo – Mud Butte south of Redelm] MUD BUTTE Mud Butte (Dakota -- Makotapa) meaning gumbo soil. The gumbo becomes extremely sticky when wet. Another version of how it got its name is that Mud Butte was named by surveyors in 1902. FOX RIDGE by Mable Ross Many years ago, before the Algonquin Indians were removed by the government from the eastern part of what is now Montana and placed in Oklahoma, the Indians from both East and West hunted on the ridge located between the Moreau (White Owl) and the Cheyenne (Prairie Dog) Rivers. There was a group or brotherhood, of young Algonquins, who called themselves, and were known as "The Foxes." These Indians came from Montana to dispute with the Sioux over the hunting grounds between the two rivers. This band, The Foxes, was entirely surrounded by the Sioux Tribe on this ridge and every Algonquin brave was killed. Ever after that the ridge was known in the Sioux language as "Fox Ridge''. The Sioux told the story to their children and the children told it to their children and so it became a tradition. The white men took the name from the Sioux and so the central part of Ziebach County is known as "Fox Ridge" even to this very day. BEAR CREEK Bear Creek, found in Ziebach County. reaches a distance of 40 miles. It was called "Mahotey or Mahtokte," meaning "bear was killed," and was named after a young warrior who killed a bear single-handed near the creek. It rises in the eastern part of the county and flows northeast into Dewey County to join the Moreau River. It bears a name of disputed origin: (1) It was named because an Indian was killed along the creek by a bear. (2) Named because numerous bears were along the creek in early times. The upper end of this creek is sometimes known as Little Bear Creek or Big Bear Creek. It is also called Red Elm Creek, which is a tributary to Bear Creek from the west in central Ziebach County. It appears on most maps as Red Elm Creek but is locally known as Bear Creek. MUZACAGA DRAW Muzacaga Draw (Dakota -- Mazakaga) was so named because of a blacksmith who lived in that area. Muzacaga Draw is on the Moreau River about 15 miles west and north of Dupree. (There was a family by the name of Blacksmith lived there by the river. When I was a child we lived due south of there about 5 miles. We used to go there fishing, swimming and picnicing. Their son was Tommy Blacksmith. -- Ruth Edwards) EAGLE CHASING BOTTOM Eagle Chasing Bottom is located in Ziebach County and was named for an Indian man, Joseph Eagle Chasing, who worked as a scout for the U. S. Army and who lived in this bottom after he settled on the reservation. [photo – The banks of the Moreau River in western Ziebach County near Dinosaur dig] Chapter 5 IMPROVEMENTS TRANSPORTATION AND UTILITIES COMMUNICATION The Rural Telephone System brought many changes in the life style of farmers and ranchers, but its orderly operation cannot compare to the wonder of the 2-way radio. In the mid 60's, the cost of CB (Citizen Band) radios came within everyone's reach and rural communities were quick to adopt them. They were, of course, practical. Whole communities were connected to each other as well as the outside world. If a ranch home was within 1/2 mile of the telephone line to Cherry Creek, they were permitted to tap into it. Two or three families qualified. They shared the line with the Cherry Creek, Bridger and Red Scaffold communities, so it was a game of chance to get a call through. These homes became clearing houses for messages to and from their neighbors with CB's, and with the outside world. Ranch women were no longer isolated. They could exchange recipes, report on the progress of their gardens and swap storm reports while a blizzard raged. Jan Wall visited with her parents in Blue Earth, Minnesota. They would telephone to Bud Herren's home and Violet would hold the phone to the CB speaker for Jan. The "skips" brought voices from faraway places, especially the deep south and California. It was entertaining to hear southern farmers discussing their cotton crops. California "skips" were usually much clearer and many illegal conversations with them were held. (FCC regulations prohibit this activity). Bud Herren heard the report of the shooting of President John F. Kennedy at Dallas via "skip" on his pickup CB radio. He turned to the AM radio for confirmation, which came a half-hour later. CB's are now useful tools to farmers and ranchers who have units in their pickups and tractors -- but the romance is gone. The county now has a modern efficient telephone system in operation. Gone are the party lines and variable service. The new equipment and buried cable provide dependable telephone service. The convenience of direct dialing is greatly appreciated. The Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe got a loan from REA to provide this service. One stipulation of REA lending is "area coverage". No matter how remote a ranch home may be, they are assured of telephone service. This is the only Indian tribe in the nation which owns and operates -their own telephone system. A few private lines have been built and paid for by the people who used them but are no longer in use. Most of Ziebach County is served by Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Telephone. The western portion is served by Golden West Telephone. Montel Creamer wrote this of communication in 1936: "Ways and means of communication in Ziebach County, such as good roads and telegraph lines, have until recently been very meager. As early as 1911, F. E. Sexton was granted a franchise in Ziebach County for the construction of a telephone line. Although some work was done on it, the line was never completed. Two government lines were constructed, one from Dupree to Cherry Creek and another to the Thunder Butte Indian substation. Some private lines were also built, but it was not until November, 1927, that a complete telephone system joined the county with the rest of the world. This system was built by the Northwestern Bell Telephone Company." THE CHEYENNE RIVER BRIDGE AND HIGHWAY 63 by Rose Griffith In the early fall of 1921 they started working on the Cheyenne River bridge south of Eagle Butte, on what is now Highway 63. The steel beams were shipped to Lantry by railroad, then were hauled by team and wagon about 25 miles south to the bridge site. They would go by my grandparent's place just about the time we children were on our way to school in the morning. We lived three miles south of Lantry. We would stop and watch them until they got out of sight. They had some teams of little donkeys, we thought they were so small to be pulling such heavy loads. They cut a deep trail down to the river as there were a lot of loads that went down. [photo – Getting the Cheyenne River bridge underway] [photo – Starting the Cheyenne River bridge in 1921] [photo – Three spans left of the old bridge as it was being dismantled, 1981] [photo – The new bridge across the Cheyenne River. Part of the old bridge showing] Roy Foltz was one of the contractors for the freight hauling and Frank McDaniel was construction foreman. They used his equipment. They hired a lot of local men as work was scarce. They worked all winter even though they had a lot of snow and it was very cold. Frank McDaniel said one weekend he and Roy Foltz wanted to go home. The snow was so deep and it was so cold they couldn't get anywhere with any outfits so they walked. They started in the morning and didn't get to Lantry until about 2 o'clock that night. It was about 25 miles. They finished the bridge in the summer of 1922. It was used all these years until this last fall when they finished the new one and disposed of the old one. They didn't start on Highway 63 until about 1924. My Uncle Bob Massee worked on the road and Aunt Margaret cooked for the crew, in the summer of 1925. I stayed with them for about a month and a half that summer to take care of their daughter, Ruby, who was about a year old, and help with housework. Sofus Brams was the contractor. He had quite a few horses the hired men drove. Bill Crowley was the foreman. As with the bridge work they hired a lot of local men. Those I remember were: James Gray, Delbert Longbrake, Lee Sever, and a couple of Ross boys from Red Elm. The one I remember most was Delbert Longbrake as he was so good to everyone. One morning I was setting the table for breakfast when he came in. He said "You're the only one working here that isn't on the payroll. We'll have to do something about that". So he cleaned up a Carnation milk can and cut a slot in the top of it and set it in the middle of the table. He told the men as they came in that they had to put some change in it every meal before they could start eating. They were all real good about it. When I went home I had about five dollars in cash. I really thought I'd struck gold. And of course, I thought Delbert was super. It helped Grandma buy me a new coat that winter. Delbert was real good at handling horses, too. He had so much patience with them. Ruby and I would sit on the porch in the morning and watch the men hitch their horses. Delbert drove the big blade which had to have about eight horses to pull it. He would hitch up the lead team and they would take off down the road while he hitched the rest. He never got excited, he would finish with the rest, then pick the lead team up on his way to where they were working on the road. It was a slow process putting in roads with horses in those days but I think they did get to the bridge that fall. The road is still the same as it was then only they straightened out a few of the curves across Dupree Creek and blacktopped it. ROADS Montel Creamer wrote "Prior to 1936, roads in Ziebach County were nothing more than trails. They served their purpose well enough; but with the coming of the automobile in increasing numbers, the settlement of the county by farmers, and the building of fences, it became necessary to build roads which follow the section lines. While many of the old trails are still in use, the new country roads have replaced them for the most part in Ziebach County. As early as 1912, an organization known as the South Dakota Northwestern Development League sponsored a road from Redfield to Belle Fourche by way of the Cheyenne Agency, Eagle Butte, Dupree, and Faith. This road was completed in due time. Ziebach County was by 1936, also connected by a good gravel road with Mobridge by way of Isabel, by a gravel road with Sturgis by way of Faith, and by a gravel road with Pierre." There are presently over 600 miles of established roads in Ziebach County, besides the many trails that are used by farmers and ranchers on their own property. Three major and one Indian Department highways make up about 150 miles of hard surfaced roads. U.S. 212 and State Highways 63 and 65 serve the County. The Tribal road starts at Cherry Creek, joining Highway 63 on the east about 25 miles south of Eagle Butte. There are about 175 miles of graveled, 100 miles of ungraveled and 75 miles of roads maintained by the Indian Department. [photo – Track-laying crew entering Dupree, December 16, 1910] [photo – Laying steel through Dupree, December 16, 1910] [photo – Olive Johnson, Ruby Lafferty, Mildred Johnson down by the train] [photo – First train into Dupree. End of the line. December 16, 1910] The railroad was not completed into Dupree until December 16, 1910 and that day saw the first train. The first train reached Eagle Butte on October 27 of that year. Up to that time all supplies were freighted overland by teams, from LeBeau, Isabel and Eagle Butte. The railroad proved to be a boon to the area as all supplies and mail usually arrived around the expected time. However, this wasn't always the case during winter, if there happened to be a snow storm. Many times crews of shovelers had to be sent out, when the snow plows couldn't make it through the drifts on the tracks. The depot also proved to be a good place to visit with the neighbors you rarely saw. [photo – 1911 – Waiting for the train to arrive in Dupree] [photo – First depot, Dupree, South Dakota] [photo – Milwaukee Railroad Depot at Dupree in 1910] [photo – Water Tower located by Lantry Dam. Where the train got its water to operate the engine. Taken down about 1954] [photo – Dupree Railroad Bridge] [photo - Milwaukee Train headed west from Dupree about 1970] The railroad presented the people a way to travel from Dupree to the neighboring communities for a day of shopping or visiting as the train had passenger cars as well as box cars and coal cars. Many ranchers used the railroad to ship their cattle to bigger markets in Sioux City and Chicago. In the fall it was a common sight to see grain cars lined up beside the elevators to take the grain to market. There was even a time when water was hauled into Dupree, via the railroad, for a short period. During World War II, when gas and tires were rationed, even salesmen traveled to the area by train. Following the war, more cars were being purchased by farmers, ranchers and townsfolk. Many country people also purchased trucks to do their own hauling. This, of course, had an impact on the use of the railroad. Declining business soon cut the number of runs to the West River area, and the passenger cars were eliminated. Finally railroad officials decided to eliminate services to this area altogether. In 1979, removal of ties and rails on the Mobridge to Faith run was started and all were removed by 1980. Memories are thoughts of the past, which includes the railroad. Isn't it sad to think many of our young people will never experience that coveted train ride, unless they leave home.? REA Many improvements to make life easier have come to Ziebach County in its seventy- two year history. The hard surface and gravel roads, rural telephone and rural water would hardly have been dreamed of by the early homesteaders. The greatest achievement of all, however, would surely be the coming of the R.E.A. A stable supply of electrical energy to every farm and ranch, no matter how remote, has added so much to the quality of life in the rural area. From the December 24, 1953, issue of the West River Progress comes this story: "The hum of the engines at the Dupree Light Plant are no longer heard as the plant was shut down for good last Wednesday afternoon at 3:00 o'clock. And with the shutting down of the light plant a new era starts for Dupree. It will also include a large territory from LaPlant to the east and the west line of Ziebach County. It will extend as far south as Cherry Creek. "Besides Dupree getting REA juice, men are now at work on the Cherry Creek line and as soon as that work is finished other lines will be worked on. As it is, only part of our farm and ranch population will have REA electric juice by Christmas. "The contractor and his crew finished their work at 3:30 Wednesday afternoon of last week so it is only the hook-up at each farm or ranch that remains to be done." The area north of the Moreau River had REA at least a year before the southern half of the county. There was an article in the West River Progress August 10, 1939, about the light plant at Dupree: "Mr. Hall, retiring manager, has been with the light plant almost since its inception when it consisted of a small unit of 3 farm engines but which at that time was hailed as sufficient power for years to come. Of course, too small and a 25 HP Diesel engine installed but that too was outgrown and in 1930, a 75 HP Fairbanks-Morse engine put in. But in order to be sure of constant power, another diesel engine of 50 HP was installed last year and AC motors were also installed, making the plant one of the best small town plants in the state. "The new manager Bob Peterson, is quite well known in Dupree as last year he supervised the construction of the new wire system and the change from DC to AC current." A much bigger diesel engine was installed at the light plant during the 1940's. Another item from the April 23, 1953 Progress has this item: "Recently the town of Dupree completed the sale of the electric system to the REA for $31,000.00. We hope the money will be used to black top main street some day and the sooner it is done the better the people of Dupree will like it. We have been wading in mud for a month or more this spring." This dream was not realized for almost a decade. The streets were blacktopped in the summer of 1961. TRI-COUNTY RURAL WATER SYSTEM After 15 years and twenty million dollars, the Tri-County Rural Water System was brought to Ziebach County in 1981. In 1978 President Jimmy Carter signed into law an interior appropriations bill containing funds for the Tri-County Pipeline to serve portions of Dewey, Ziebach and Meade Counties. Although funding for the project was not included in the President's budget, Representative James Abdnor, R-SD, was successful in persuading the House Appropriations Committee to insert it into the bill The final inspection on the pipeline and water treatment plant was held in August 1981, several months ahead of schedule. Eatherly Contractors had 50 to 60 men employed, many of them local, and they worked from 10 to 12 hours a day to complete the project as soon as possible. The pipeline, with water coming from the Oahe Reservoir (Missouri River), will provide a safe, adequate supply to the Cheyenne River Reservation and adjacent points. The pipeline, with main line branches, is nearly 1,000 miles long, with approximately 600 rural hookups, which includes rural homes and pasture hookups. Communities served by the pipeline include Dupree, Eagle Butte, Faith, Cherry Creek, Bridger, Red Scaffold, Iron Lightning, Thunder Butte, Bear Creek, Green Grass, Promise, White Horse, Blackfoot, La Plant, Lantry, Ridgeview, Parade and Swiftbird. The new water supply was turned on in Dupree in July 1981, replacing the hard, hot artesian water that had been the towns supply. However, during July, because of a few problems, the old well had to be put into use again for a few days and will be maintained for fire protection. Water storage tanks of various capacities and kinds were also erected throughout the area. An elevated tank of 250,000 gallon capacity was erected at Eagle Butte. Another which holds 100,000 gallons was constructed at Parade. Five underground storage reservoirs were also built. One is located seven miles south of Eagle Butte on Highway 63 South, one is ten miles north of Eagle Butte on Highway 63 North, one is eight miles north of Ridgeview on the White Horse Road, one is on the access road to Promise, and the fifth one is on the access road to Armstrong County. Five standpipes were also built -- one at Ridgeview and one west of Lantry. One is northwest of Dupree, six miles north on the Thunder Butte Road. One is eight miles south of Dupree on the Cherry Creek Road, and one is near Faith, three miles south of Highway 212. Four booster pumps are located along the pipeline, one seven miles west of Eagle Butte, one north of Dupree two miles, on Highway 65, one south of Dupree and one 2% miles west of Dupree. A $2.4 million water treatment plant, a separate project with different funding, will complement the water project. The large building which houses the treatment plant looms like a skyscraper in the middle of the prairie where little is to be seen but prairie grass and sunflowers. It is located near the intermediate pumping station, 13 miles south of Eagle Butte, which previously had pumped water from the existing pipeline to Eagle Butte from the Cheyenne arm of the Oahe Reservoir. The building is two stories above the ground with a full basement that houses the treatment tanks and other equipment. The reason for building the treatment plant is that during the months of May, June, July, and part of August, there is a high turbidity rate in the water because of run off into the Cheyenne River from other points. This makes the water appear milky and it does not meet the standards of the Environmental Protection Agency. The new treatment plant has very sophisticated equipment and will take care of the turbidity, and is designed to surpass any further water standards instituted by the Federal Government. Besides the treatment plant, an underground clear well storage tank with a 500,000 gallon capacity was constructed adjacent to the plant. The completion of the two projects signals a new era for rural users of not only an adequate supply of water, even in the driest years, but also a totally safe supply. 1920's story: During prohibition there was many a still. One large family had the large vat of grain being brewed and the message to the children was, "If you see any strangers coming, or have reason to be suspicious, throw a bucket of slop in the vat.'' Chapter 6 FARMING AND RANCHING RANCHING Stock raising is the leading industry in Ziebach County. The county is about 85% grassland and 15% farmland. Tribal or Indian land is non-taxable. There are over one million acres of grass land which are fairly evenly divided -- 560,270 non-taxable acres and 531,240 taxable acres. Prior to 1920, several large cattle outfits were in operation-- Grant Smith and his Circle Dot Company, Bernard Johnson, Anderson and Ellison and the Kellum Brothers. In 1920, because of a ruinous spring blizzard, over twenty percent of the range cattle were killed. Most of the large ranches were broken up as a result. In 1934, the drought forced the farmers to sell most of their cattle to the government. While an attempt was made to rebuild those herds once again, it was several years before the total reached that of 1920. In 1920, there were 28,474 cattle, 8,036 horses, 61,571 sheep and 1,819 swine in Ziebach County. In 1935, there were 12,663 cattle, 7,161 horses, 41,404 sheep and 1,115 swine remaining in the county. This marked decrease had a great effect upon the economic conditions, because the entire area depended to a great extent upon the revenue derived from livestock. In 1978, the last year when personal property was listed, there were 26,853 cattle, 8,318 sheep, 1,719 hogs and 621 horses. The assessed valuation was $4,418,285.00. These figures do not include Indian owned livestock since they were not assessed by the county. There has always been an aura of romance about life on the range. Billy Circle Eagle reflected on how things used to be: "Days of old all pass away. We use to see the buffalo in our range early days. Use to have beautiful time with longhorn wild steers and wild horses. Early days. We used to have beautiful music with old days. Gray wolf and coyote holler before day brakes and after sundown. Also all kinds of birds singing before sunup. That was real music to cowboys. Also mosquitoes singing right close in your ear that was just as good as your have a radio in your model T Ford. Another music on G and D just sun up roundup wagon coming down hill on old cow trail all kinds of dishes and dish pan top the mess box all them rattle. That was a good radio for cowboy cook. Horse wrangler driving round 200 head saddle horses behind the bed wagon have all kinds of the bell on the saddlehorses -- that was real music for cowboys. We use to have good old camping ground. Round up wagon jenley camp right longside good ole waterhole. We use to have a good bed ground for cattle in the night near the camp. We use to see good old cow trail through the bad land. We use to have nice old watering places for saddle horses and cattle. Mr. Honyockers -- When yo honyockers come in west river country plow up all the bed ground of the cattle. Also make sod house where we use to have old camping ground. Also fence up all watering places of old. Also make highway through the bad land. That makes old cowboy feeling blue and they thought get married and settle down but hard to fine woman.'' When Oscar White Weasel was interviewed in 1971 he told about putting up hay: "I remember my early days, some people cutting hay with a scythe. They don't cut very much, oh, must be about squares. People would set up the pole and kind of divide it up and rake, use a rake and then put up hay. There was no mowing machines then. And then mowing machines come up. They issue them some way for certain families and then towards the last they have to buy them. I had an uncle living there with a mowing machine and he was so particular about the new machine. They cut hay, it was pretty near every day they were going out and then when a thunder storm came up and it lightninged and it got killed, horses and all. And there was that mowing machine still there for a long time. It must be 1900 and some when it happened." (from the Oral History Center, Vermillion, S.D.) Montel Creamer tells about life on the ranches: "The life on the ranches prior to and for some years following the opening of the Cheyenne River Reservation in 1910 was very simple. To provide some recreation to take the place of organized amusements, it was found necessary to hold dances and other occasional gatherings. The ranch was usually large and quite a distance from the surrounding ranches. The buildings found on the ranches were generally built of logs, although some of the so-called "sod shacks" were also to be found. Mail was received from Cherry Creek or Thunder Butte Indian stations, and sometimes the people would not get their mail for three months or more. Clothing and food supplies were purchased at Fort Pierre or Sturgis and in sufficient quantity to last an entire winter. The cowboys and ranchers indulged freely in gambling and dancing. It was not uncommon for them to ride thirty-five miles to a dance, dance all night, and go home the following day. Sometimes these gatherings would last several days at a time. In such cases, they were the guests of the congenial rancher who was giving the dance. Gambling was very common, and large sums of money were lost or gained on the turn of a card. The winner usually treated the losers so that no one felt badly about his losses." Mable Ross had this to say about cowhands: "The early cowhands helped to make the history of the county in many ways. Their faithfulness to their employers and to the call of duty, regardless of the weather, in the extreme heat of summer and the varying cold of winter, toughened them to the life in the saddle. However, having to go in all kinds of weather, did not harden their hearts and many incidents are known of their giving assistance to a worn and weary traveler and to one in need. The early homesteaders learned from the cowboy the tricks of the range and his riding habits. The cowhand's bedroll and his string of horses were his fortune and many of the Old Timers relate with gusto "those were the days". Some of these early riders settled in Ziebach County and have been an asset to the county. Many drifted with the herd and their whereabouts are unknown. Many lie on the prairie, their graves unmarked, for arguments did arise and cowhands could be tough when the occasion arose for them to assert their rights." Cherry Creek, South Dakota -- the following story, "My Life as a Cowboy," was written by James Eagle Chasing, full-blooded Sioux Indian living on the Cheyenne River reservation at Cherry Creek. For 15 years Eagle Chasing was chief of the Indian Police at this sub-agency town. Although the story tells little of his life as a cowboy, it is written in a style characteristically his own. As correspondent of a weekly newspaper for several months recently, his items were the most widely read of any in the publication. "Cowboy's life is a very different life and is very different from being a city or farmer guys life. Which life is best if you had to choose? For my own opinion I'll choose the cowboy's life because I had a good deal of experience in cowboy' s life. "In my cowboy days I had to follow the instructions of their bylaws. They had to follow their boss's instructions in which advises there some good and bad orders. The good first I know. I had to be industrious and must be every ready to help anybody who is need of help. "A cowboy is noted to be a big hearted individual, invites his pals to eat and drink and he pays for all the eats and drinks and must not be frightened by anything, even by outlaws, or bad bronchoes. He must ride 'em and also must be an early riser and dependable. But he also has some bad ways. He breaks laws by drinking, fighting and stealing cattle as I said before. "A cowboy has a big hearts for anyone if you treat him right. He pulls cattles out of mudholes if he saw one mired, regardless of who the critter belong to. Some get right up on their hoofs and clean away and some just lay there and pass away to the happy range in the happy hunting ground. "It makes the cowboy feel bad to see one poor critter pass away like that. In the cowboys paper an article reads like this: At the end of the cowboys life and all the cowpunchers there will be a great big roundup and all cattle and horse that are lost or stolen will be brought back. And then there will be a great judgment at this time and the guilty ones will be found and will be branded with a pitchfork. " Eb Jones had a series of articles on "The Cowboy as he Was" in the Ziebach County News. This is a portion of his story. The cowpuncher would shy at the Sunday school as does a range horse from corn, and regarded these intruders with suspicion, not unmixed with active hostility. The homesteader would climb on his like one going up a ladder. His saddle, if he had one, was a joke, and he couldn't read a brand. He had a one-way pocket book and pinched his hard earned dimes. Any man who had been known to refuse a cowboy a meal or a night's lodging, or even worse, charge him for it, was regarded with scorn. A rider might stop at any camp certain of food and welcome even though no one was at home. The door was never locked, and a visitor would eat and stay as long as he liked. There was one way of getting on the black list, however, and that was by leaving a stack of dirty dishes. A cowboy drew fair wages, had no family to support, and thought very little of the morrow. Money, if he had it, was to spend. Besides buying candy by the pound and drinks for the crowd, he wore expensive hats and gloves, and would pay enough for a pair of boots to shoe a homesteader's family for a year. If he canted to gamble it was up to him, it was his money. The cowboy would ride thirty or forty miles to take a horse to a friend, or he would lend him half of the money that he had. He had seen the boss feed 75 or a 100 cattle belonging to a neighbor without pay until he would come for them, and he was rich so that must be alright. The cowman with thousands of dollars in the bank would give a common cowpuncher a book full of signed checks and start him out to buy cattle without fear of losing a dollar. He often threw dice for $50 a throw, and possibly had won or lost a brand of cattle in one poker game. With this example, it is not surprising that the cowboy was lavish with his money, nor is it strange that he held the stingy settler in contempt. If the range rider disliked the pioneer settlers, that dislike returned in full measure. The cowboy had no fear of the settler, except that he might push him out of his job. On the other hand, the settler both feared and disliked the cowboy. To him the cowboy was a wild reckless type, always hard, who feared neither God nor man.'' For many people in this area, ranching is still a satisfying way of life. Ranch homes are usually built on beautiful locations along creeks or protected areas. Rural electricity, water and telephones, gravel roads and 4-wheel drive pickups have made country living comfortable and convenient. The work, although still hard, is made easier by the use of efficient machinery. Calving or lambing, planting, harvesting and haying are seasonal jobs that require laboring long hours. The rest of the time they are busy, but can work at their own pace. And they wouldn't trade their life-style for a 9 to 5 job! Popular breeds of beef cattle raised in this county are Hereford, Angus, Charolais, Simmental and Limousin. Few herds of registered cattle are raised here. Cross-breeding seems to produce heavier calves that sell better. Most calves are sold in the fall.