Text of Ziebach Co., SD History (1982) - pages 57 - 79 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, . THE DIAMOND A CATTLE COMPANY The Diamond A Cattle Company was the largest cow outfit to operate during the open range days in South Dakota. It ran over all of Ziebach and part of Dewey Counties. Many young men of this area found employment with the Diamond A. The Diamond A outfit was established by Frank Bloom about 1870 in Colorado. Bloom was married to a Thatcher girl and a considerable amount of Thatcher money was invested in the Diamond A Cattle Company. They needed a strong and able manager for their holdings and Burton "Cap" Mossman was hired as general manager and remained as such until the company was sold in 1944. Many people thought that Cap Mossman owned the Diamond A because the stockyards at the headquarters ranch on Highway 212 was named Mossman, South Dakota. He did own the "24 Ranch" located northwest of Lantry, which he had purchased during his stay in South Dakota, and it was sold at the same time as the Diamond A holdings in 1944 to Mr. Leon Williams. Cal Smith Jr. now lives at this location. Mossman leased one million acres on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation in 1902 for 4e an acre. The Matador Cattle Company, owned by Murdo McKenzie, leased the other half of the reservation the same time. McKenzie paid half the expenses of building a four-wire fence, running forty miles west of the Missouri River so the two leases were separated. Cap also built twenty-four miles of fences on the western line. The Missouri River was his eastern border and the Cheyenne River his southern. They needed no fencing. Most people remember Cap Mossman as being not especially friendly or close to people, but very fair and as one man said, "He was one tough son-of-a-gun!" [photo – Diamond A dipping vat] [photo – Diamond A cowboys gather for reunion in October, 1971, at Eagle Butte, South Dakota. Walt Fackelman, Shortlog Tibbs, John Holloway, Norval Cooper, Russell Keckler, Syd Nordvold, John Hagel, Paddy Hudson, Albert Lopez, Miles Hudson, John Tibbs, Kitch Lavender] On one occasion at Christmas time, he sent out an entire shipment of ropes with orders that the ropes be given out to ranchers and cattlemen for Christmas, with the idea that most everyone at some time or other had pulled Diamond A cattle out of trouble and maybe broken their rope doing it. Cattle were shipped by rail to Evarts near Mobridge and ferried, later pontooned, across the Missouri River to the reservation. The railroad was built in 1910 and at that time the stockyards and headquarters ranch was built near Ridgeview. Amadee Rousseau was Cap's first foreman. Jesse Knight replaced Rousseau and later Cal Smith was foreman. In 1911, Ernst "Boog" Eidson became foreman and remained with the company until 1914, when he moved south of Eagle Butte to run his own little bunch of stock on Rudy Creek. He later married and moved to a different location on Cherry Creek. In 1919, he again returned as foreman for the Diamond A and stayed until 1929. Then he left and went back to his ranch on Cherry Creek near Bridger, South Dakota. In 1918, Martin Gordon was foreman until he died of the flu. People who worked with him and knew him remember him as being a good, hardworking man. Hans Mortenson became foreman in the early 30's and remained as such until his death in March, 1940. Nels Babcock followed as foreman and stayed until June 1946. Williams then had these three men working at approximately the same time in different areas. A man named Parker took care of the business end while Emery Brown worked the cattle end, with the help of Ivan Fluharty of Dupree. Both Parker and Brown were brought to South Dakota by Williams and they worked here until 1950. Fluharty also worked until around 1950. Cap Mossman was married in 1905 to Grace Coburn. She and her younger sister joined Cap in South Dakota in 1906 for a time, but they established a home in Kansas City. A son Billy was born in the fall and in May, 1909, a daughter Mary was born. Grace died when Mary was only nine days old. Miss Ann Graham stayed with the family until Mary was fourteen years old. Cap built a home in Eagle Butte and their summers were spent together there. They later established a home in Roswell, New Mexico. He maintained a smaller house on main street where Bill Warnock conducted the business part of the Diamond A. The Diamond A had four major camps on the Cheyenne River (Circle P, the Rousseau Place, Brings the Arrow, the Dolphus Place and Rudy Creek, which was not right on the river). And three on the Missouri (The Diamond A Farm, Fairbanks and Willow Creek). Through the years many different cowboys and their families lived at these camps, cowboying, haying, checking fences, breaking horses, etc. This especially was true during the 30's when, with the exception of the railroad, the cattle outfits were the only ones with money enough to supply jobs. At its peak, the company probably employed fifty to seventy-five hands from spring through fall and during the winter about twenty hands were on the payroll. Many ranchers took ten head of horses to their home outfits to break for the Diamond A. To avoid tax payments on the horses, the Diamond A ran unbroke saddle horses under the Bar 10 brand which belonged to Mrs. Hans Mortenson. When they were broke, they were branded Diamond A. At the time of the sale to Williams, Mrs. Mortenson laid claim to all the horses with her brand on them. This was contested and brought to court at Timber Lake. The court's decision was that the horses had always been Diamond A property, and as such, would be turned over to Williams along with all the other Diamond A holdings he had purchased. Credit was also established at certain stores for Diamond A hands. From time to time, Cap Mossman sent college kids out to South Dakota to work for experience.-They were green and supplied "entertainment" for the cowboys, but some of these stayed on and learned the life of a cowboy. In later years many have written back wondering about the Diamond A. At their peak the Diamond A ran approximately 20,000 head of cattle in South Dakota, mostly cows and calves. Yearlings were shipped every spring to South Dakota ranges, mostly from New Mexico. Steers were shipped out to Montana for fattening at two years old, and heifers were wintered here on the lush river bottoms which provided excellent natural shelter. This plan of operation continued until about 1934 when they discontinued leasing the west end of the reservation, and they held the eastern part until 1940. During the Roosevelt administration, all drift fences were ordered removed from public lands and within a little more time the era of open grazing was at an end. [photo – Round up dinner, 1885 (SDSHS)] [photo – "Mississippi Outfit" near Cheyenne Crossing on Route 63 (SDSHS)] The roundup wagon ran sixty days in the spring and ninety days in the fall while they gathered, branded, dipped, sorted, and shipped. These wagons ran every year until 1948. In 1944 the Diamond A Cattle Company was sold to Leon Williams. He built a house a short distance southeast of Eagle Butte where he was in residence periodically but never for any great length of time. Nels Babcock was foreman when Williams took over the Diamond A. All Indian leases were dropped in 1952 and the Diamond A then ran on its own land and small individual leases. The Diamond A maintained the lease on the government land next to the river, some of which had been subleased to individual ranchers, until 1959, when the rivers came up due to the building of the Oahe Dam, and the land was covered with water. Len "Fat" Bringman became manager in 1950 and remained so until 1959 when the Diamond A was broken up and sold following the death of Williams in 1958. It has been said that keeping pace with this man was like trying to keep pace with a race horse doing a draft horse's work at top speed. There were approximately 8,000 head of cattle in South Dakota at this time. The entire Diamond A Cattle Company had been willed to the Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. They in turn, had it put up for sale and it was bought largely by the local people, (many different individuals), who lived in the same areas. The headquarters Williams had built was left to his manager, Bringman, who had been, and still is, residing in it, and the brand Diamond A was sold to W. A. Hickman, a ranch owner south of Eagle Butte. He still holds the brand at this time. [photo – Diamond A Cowboys – John Johnson, Powder Alexander, Tom Maupin, Pat Gray, Doug Baker, C. C. Stanley. Photo taken just north of the Diamond A dipping vat.] HISTORY OF THE DIAMOND A CATTLE COMPANY Credit given True West magazine The year of 1902 saw the last great open range roundup in South Dakota west of the Missouri River. Eighteen wagons, with up to 60 riders to a wagon, participated. There are very few 1902 cowboys left. The Department of the Interior began to permit leasing of grass lands on Indian Territory in Oklahoma in 1891, but insisted that the Messiah Craze, among the Sioux Tribes of the Dakotas made it inadvisable to permit grazing on any reservation land. At the turn of the century the reservation grass in the Dakotas was still closed to stockmen. In the summer of 1902, Ed Lemmon, of the Lake, Tomb and Lemmon Co., whose outfit branded with reversed L7, made a trip to Washington. There he was granted an interview with President Theodore Roosevelt. Ed had previously known the President as the owner and operator of the Maltese Cross and Elkhorn ranches near Medora, North Dakota in the 1880's. The President told the secretary of the Interior to grant a lease to the Lake, Tomb and Lemmon outfit. This left the gate open for other big cattle outfits to lease Indian land. Lake, Tomb and Lemmon built 270 miles of three wire fence to enclose and cross-fence their lease. [photo – Cap Burton Mossman] In 1904, Mr. James Coburn, General Manager of the Hansford Land and Cattle Company, a Scotch outfit that ran the famous Turkey Track brand hired Burton C. (Cap) Mossman of Texas ranger fame, as foreman. This outfit ran 10,000 head of cattle from below Lakewood, New Mexico on the Pecos, some 40 miles north into the John Chisum country. Mr. Coburn told Cap about a trip he had made as a guest of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad to the end of rail at Evarts on the east bank of the Missouri River in South Dakota, about 10 miles down from the mouth of the Grand River. The railroad, eager for cattle shipments, showed him the vast Cheyenne River Reservation on the west side of the river. He told Cap to go north and go over the lease as the Turkey Track Cattle Company was feeling the effects of the drought in the south. This would be a fattening place for the cattle. The bids would be opened up in Washington on May 1st. The only trouble was that it was far more land than the Turkey Track needed. Cap suggested they see Murdo McKenzie of the Matador outfit in Trinidad, Colorado. It was early in the spring when the two men met at Evarts. They crossed on the ferry and rode horseback straight west down the center of the million acres, which ran some 50 miles north and south and about 40 miles east and west with the Missouri River as its eastern border and the Cheyenne River as its southern border. McKenzie had a half breed as his guide and rode the north side, no doubt thinking it was closer to the shipping point. Cap Mossman had a Frenchman by the name of Rousseau as his guide. Rousseau explained to Cap that the Cheyenne River breaks provided shelter for the cattle in the winter months of snow and cold. When the two men got back at the agency headquarters it was decided that each would write on a piece of paper his choice. Cap shook his head and said he wished he had ridden over the northern part. That settled any doubts McKenzie had and he promptly wrote the two words, "Northern Half". Cap of course got the half he wanted. It totaled 488,000 acres. He bid 3 1/2 cents per acre. When the bids were accepted in Washington, they urged him to take out the lease in his own name, otherwise the papers would have to be sent to the Hansford Land and Cattle Company in Scotland and there might be a lot of difficulties. So Cap wired Mr. Coburn and was told to accept the lease in his name. Murdo McKenzie accepted his lease at the same price and he and Cap agreed to share the expense of putting in a four wire fence, 40 miles west from the Missouri, which would separate their leases. Cap would have to put 24 miles of fence at his own expense on his western side. He ordered eight carloads of tamarack posts and the necessary wire and staples and had them all shipped to Evarts. It was fall when he was ready for the first shipment of Turkey Track cattle. [photo – A copy of a check to Bert Libolt for putting up hay for the Diamond A] [photo – Albert Lopez hauling hay for the Diamond A Cattle Company in November, 1932] Other big outfits to follow with leases on Indian land were: A. J. Marriott, of the Hat; Gene Holcomb with his OHO brand; The White River Cattle Company with its Sword and Dagger brand; the "73" of the Minnesota and Dakota Cattle Company; and the Mississippi Cattle Company. Mixed blood Indian stockmen with sizable herds were the Claymores, Fred LaPlante, Narcisse Narcelle, Fred Dupris and Felix Benoist. In 1907, hard times were on again, so to keep from going under, Cap Mossman leased two more tracts of land and bought out the Turkey Track. Then they joined with Colonel Green, the Thatcher Brothers and Mr. Bloom to get enough cattle for the extra leases. They formed the first Diamond A Cattle Company. In the fall of 1908 they shipped out the first Diamond A cattle. In 1914 the western part of the Diamond A lease was taken from them by the government and opened up for homesteads. Then in 1918 World War I broke out. Also, the terrible flu epidemic. Cap's foreman died of the flu. The winter of 1919-20 proved the most devastating since the great dry-up of 1886-87. From then on cattle prices went down until the second World War. The Diamond A held on grimly until 1925 when they were almost squeezed to death. To escape a financial collapse, Mossman formed a new Diamond A Cattle Company, whereby he put his own ranch and 16,000 head of Turkey Track cattle and his 1,500 head of breeding cows in a general pool, also went the Bloom and Thatcher's five ranches and their thousands of cattle. Cap Mossman held a substantial share in this company and for 20 years he was general manager at a salary of $12,000 a year. In 1925 Cap married Ruth Shrader. Another 10 troublesome years went by, the great depression, droughts and price collapse. Then the new administrations, the Taylor Grazing Act, range laws became so strict it made it almost impossible to operate. In 1943, his son, Billy, was killed in an airplane in Europe. In 1944 the last of Diamond A holdings were sold to Mr. Leon Williams. [photo – Diamond A Cowboys, 1981: Frank Tibbs, Glenn Holloway, John Hagel, Russell Keckler, Nelson Babcock, and seated: Philip Hudson, Kirk Meyer, Miles Hudson, and Paul Reichert] WESTERN CATTLE COMPANY by Jackie Birkeland The M&M Ranch twenty miles southwest of Dupree was one of many ranches purchased by a group of ten or so men from Chicago with resources to invest in 1943 or '44. The company has always been referred to locally as "The Chicago Outfit". The M&M Ranch was started by Henry "Hank" Meier and Bert Marks, after Hank had served a term as sheriff of Ziebach County. Hank had previously ranched there for many years until economic conditions of the '30's put him in a bind along with everyone else. Meier's camp was on Ash Creek, the site of the Duke Brothers cattle operation in earlier years. The Duke house had been destroyed by fire and Marks built a two story house. Their range ran from near Chuck Bennett's on the east to Rattlesnake Creek on the west. The ranches purchased by Western Cattle Company retained their original title. They owned the M&M; the VE Ranch east of Eagle Butte; the Thunder Hawk Ranch near the North Dakota border; Brooks Ranch near Philip; the Hart Ranch, and Hermosa Ranch at Hermosa; Missouri Farm, an old Diamond A farm southeast of Eagle Butte; as well as others. A place on Bull Creek, tributary of the Cheyenne, where bulls were kept was named, appropriately, Bull Ranch. One can realize the size of the spread in that salt was delivered on a flat bed semi truck. Cake was brought in by rail and distributed. Oscar Markwed was general foreman, Billy McKillip was troubleshooter. Among the men serving as foremen at the M&M for the Western Cattle Company were: Russ Rausch, Bud Jeffries, Bill Price, Waterlund, Lowell Mraz, Jack Walker and Clarence Rush. There may have been others as many men worked for them. The cattle carried the brand quarter circle reversed JN connected. Their operation in Ziebach county was closed although others remain. SHEEP by Thelma Frame Allard, Barthold, Tidball, Smiley, McQuirk--these names meant "sheep" to residents of Ziebach County who lived here until the mid-thirties. The big cattle companies had little competition for this lush grassland before 1910, when sheepmen began to come into the area. Disagreements between the cattlemen and the sheepmen were inevitable. Cattlemen stood firm in the notion that sheep ruined the land and that a sheepherder was of a lower social order than a cowboy. Billy Circle Eagle remembered the conflict: "Early days first sheepmen coming from west country -- Cowboys fight against sheep all they can. Flying V men and HO men. The cowboys fight against sheep outfits early days but now all these gentlemen sheepmen, nowadays. [photo – Roy and Irene Viet's first home was a sheepwagon] When Mr. Fred Allard first came to South Dakota he was working for the W.M. cattle outfit on Bad River. Mr. Allard made a long jump from there to the Montana line. He was working for the Hashknife outfit on Box Elder and then he came to Belle Fourche real estate man. He came to Red Scaffold with Mr. Ray Cox bringing a band of the sheep. He made himself at home around Indian country almost 26 years. He pass away 1942." Helen Lackey wrote about M. J. Smiley and Barthold: "Smiley, a New Yorker, had come west when a young man. He had an uncle near Rawlins, Wyoming, who set him up in business. It seemed that every venture he undertook turned to gold and it was not long before M. J. was rated as one of the most successful ranchers in the West River country. Many of the most prominent sheepmen of a later date could lay their success in business with their start through M. J. Smiley. Among the first to work for and take out leases from Smiley were the Tidballs (Jim, Denver, Vol and Watt), Clarence Smith, and others who came to the reservation in the Isabel vicinity and in northern Ziebach County in 1911. My father bought sheep in 1910. McQuee, Dunlap's, and Fred Barthold had sheep near Isabel from 1912 to 1915. Later Fred Barthold sold to Ed Lemmon. M. J. Smiley moved all of his sheep to the lower Cheyenne Reservation in the spring of 1917. At that time, the country above and below the Cheyenne River in southern Ziebach County was one of the greatest sheep ranges in America. Thousands of sheep in uniform bands grazed over these grassy hills and plains, and could be seen trailing to water each day at a certain hour to the muddy holes of Felix Creek and Bull Creek. M. J. Smiley, with 30,000 head of sheep, and the "Three Cornered Outfit", owned by Craid, Fuller and Burk, with 5,000 head were the two largest outfits. The coming of the sheepman seemed to make little difference to the settlers of that section. To the Indian people it meant more money, and as the cattle business was on the wane, it mattered little to the rancher. Both the Smiley and the Three Cornered Outfits had their headquarters on Felix Creek. Frank Lanouiette, better known as "Frenchie", who had come from the Sulphur area, was Smiley's foreman. About 7,500 head of sheep were leased out to individuals. In all, there were eleven wagons used with the Smiley outfit. Crews were hired to build dams, as usually the waterholes on Felix and Bull Creeks dried up during the summer. The Smiley crew put up shearing pens to accommodate the sheepmen of the area. Jack Burk, a Kansas lad, was manager of the Three Cornered Outfit when it was located on the reservation, having its headquarters at the Ed Owl King place on Felix Creek. In 1919 a deal was made where Jack Burk purchased the Ernst Eidson ranch on Cherry Creek, which was located about seven or eight miles above the Cherry Creek Station. This served as headquarters for the company until they closed out. One of the favorite sports, although a very necessary one, was hunting coyotes with hounds. Both Smiley and Burk crews kept a pack of hounds. One thinks of the life of the shepherd as dull and monotonous, but not down on the Cheyenne River strip. Besides keeping the old Cherry Creek Trail to Faith hot, there was much excitement down there. On the 4th of July 1918, a big celebration was held at Cherry Creek station. People came from all directions. In the afternoon, the sports took place on a big flat. The most exciting event was the riding of an outlaw Indian horse. After it had thrown all its riders, a purse was taken up for anyone who could ride the horse. Bill Lackey was the winner, although he came near losing his clothes. One event in the summer of 1918 was the big Red Cross Auction held in July at the Smiley shearing pens. This was sponsored by the Indian people. Ed Swan, educated at Carlyle, was the auctioneer. The proceeds from that sale amounted to a great deal. On October 12, 1919, a snowstorm began and by morning the entire range country was covered with a white blanket about four feet deep. No one had looked for winter to set in so early and many had not shipped their cattle and sheep. Those who waited were not able to trail their stock to the railroads, therefore had to hold their stuff over. The snow lay on the ground all winter. On the fifteenth of March rain began falling. By morning, a full fledged blizzard was raging the worst storm that had been witnessed in this section to the memory of all. The storm let up, only to be renewed on the 18th. After the storm had subsided, cattle and sheep by the hundreds were found dead in the draws and creek bottoms where the winds had driven them to shelter and their deaths. Dead sheep lay all over the prairie country between Cherry Creek and the Cheyenne. When the snows melted away, it kept a crew busy skinning the carcasses in order to salvage what little the pelts would bring. This was not all that befell the stockman. Market prices on livestock sank to a low level. Local and eastern banks tightened up on the money. The stock owners were unable to borrow enough money to carry them through, or set them up in business again. The big Smiley outfit was broke. M. J., as good a business man as he was, seemed to be unable to borrow money at the banks. For twenty days he traveled to different places trying to borrow enough to tide him over, before he was able to get a sufficient loan. His bands were now cut to a minimum. In the fall of 1920, he gave up his leases on the Cheyenne Reservation. The Three Cornered Outfit held on a little longer, but late in the fall of 1921, it closed out and left the reservation. [photo – Shearing sheep at Butler Ranch] In 1894, Ernest Barthold, in partnership with his sons, John and Fred, moved their headquarters to Thunder Butte Creek. By 1902 the EB outfit had nearly 1,500 head of cattle and 500 head of horses. The brothers eventually sold their livestock and went into the sheep business. Fred bought the Big Stone Ranch near Four Corners Bridge on the Cheyenne in 1918. He ran about 6,000 head of cattle and sheep on his reservation lease, taking over the Staple M lease when that company closed. In 1957 the Big Stone Ranch was sold to the Hanson brothers. As late as 1930, Barthold had several bands of sheep numbering from 1500 to 2000 each in southern Ziebach county. In the summer the sheep grazed on land leased mostly from the Indian Department. Most of the sheep were wintered on his ranch near Bridger on the Cheyenne River." Charles Samuelson was interviewed and this is how he remembered Allard and McQuirk, the other big sheep operators: "For several years, Fred Allard ran about 2,000 head of sheep west of Red Scaffold. Allard's winter quarters were near Felix Creek. The sheep ran the breaks toward Red Scaffold, following Samuelson's horses, which kicked up the snow. Coyotes were so bad that someone always had to stay with the sheep in those days. Allard summered with a sheep wagon on Pretty Creek, a mile east of highway 73, on Mrs. J. Samuelson's homestead. In those days, no one could afford to pay taxes on all of the land they needed, so they would run stock on the whole area around their lease or homestead. Neal Collins, of Faith, worked for Allard. In the 1940's, Allard died and a relative named Titus took over the place which was later bought by Charles Steen. McQuirk owned another sheep outfit, headquartered one mile southeast of Howes. He ran sheep northwest of the Samuelsons' in the summer and on Bull Creek, north of Bridger, in the winter. The sheep business declined before the Depression. Then, during World War II, everyone went into sheep. The industry was a gold mine. One could buy a sheep for one dollar. People made money on sheep, then went into the cattle business because cattle were less work, and cattle ranching was more glamorous. Extensive fencing began during World War II, when people began buying up land from the county, and that ended the days of the open range.'' The big sheep operators had camp tenders whose job it was to keep several sheep wagons supplied with wood and groceries, and to move the wagons to fresh range. Food was bought in case lots and distributed as needed. Neighborhood kids that happened to be near a sheep camp at mealtime relished the Van Camps pork and beans, crackers and cheese that were always on the menu. There were very few dams, and as water holes dried up in mid-summer, it wasn't easy to find a new location for camp. Finding enough wood was sometimes a problem, too, because wagons were placed on the open range far from creeks or draws where trees grow. Remind a sheepherder of the foul smelling, always warm, water they had in the heat of the summer and you'll probably learn his ideas of "the Good Old Days". His drinking water came from the same hole where the sheep watered. Winter camps were in sheltered places near a creek or draw. A typical summer day in the life of a sheepherder began at daybreak as the sheep left the bed grounds to graze. He'd crawl out of his sleeping bag, saddle his horse and go with the herd until they went to water, around 10 o'clock. Then he'd head for the wagon to fix breakfast. The wagon was usually placed near the watering hole so he could stay there and keep an eye on the sheep until late afternoon when they went out to forage again. As a rule the coyotes didn't bother the sheep during the day, so it was safe to leave them for a few hours. If he was lucky he might ride to a neighboring ranch just in time for dinner. When the sheep began to stir, around 4 o'clock in the afternoon, he'd head them away from the water hole toward fresh range. Herding sheep also meant keeping them off land belonging to the local ranchers. Sheep bedded down a different place every night, so before dark the herder would ride back after the bedroll he'd left. A bedroll, wrapped in canvas, for some reason stayed cool, even on the hottest day. He was wise to make a thorough inspection of it. Rattlesnakes rather liked slithering into this sanctuary. When it was too dark to see, the sheep settled down. The herder hobbled his horse, unrolled his bed, and called it a day. Still he was not permitted a deep undisturbed sleep because he had to be ever alert for coyotes. This is a true adventure of a man who was herding sheep north of Red Scaffold in the late twenties. He was aroused about two in the morning by the bleating of lambs and tinkling of sheep bells. That meant the coyotes had gotten into his sheep! He scrambled out of his bedroll, slipped on his shoes, and ran to chase away the predators. A thunderstorm, which had been building, was fast approaching. The band of sheep, already nervous from the coyotes, was spooked by the storm and headed off into the night. A good shepherd stays with his sheep, even if he is only wearing his shoes and undershorts. Lightning was striking all around and the thunder rumbled. Finally the cold rain came. Still the sheep moved on. Toward daylight the weary animals settled down. The cold, wet, semi-naked herder went back to hunt for his bedroll. When he finally located it--it was full of water. In his haste to protect the lambs, he'd neglected to pull the tarp over it! His wet clothes didn't seem too inviting either, so he walked about two miles to the sheep wagon. He put on some dry clothes, made some coffee, and greeted the rising sun. The sheepherder had two important helpers--his horse and his dog. A good dog that understood sheep and the commands of his master, was a necessity in caring for a big band of sheep. The dog wasn't part of "camp equipment". He belonged to the herder. Many homesteaders and small ranchers got their start in sheep with bum lambs, which were gathered from the big sheep operators. The four or five men lambing out a big band of sheep on the open range didn't have time or means to save baby lambs that were separated or not claimed by their mothers. Twins are common and it was better to allow the ewe to keep the strongest one. The sheepmen were glad to give the bums to anyone who would care for them. Local people had plenty of milk and were pleased to get them. The lambs quickly learned to drink from a bottle and nipple. The sheep industry has varied according to range conditions and market prices. Sheep can forage on marginal range so are better adapted than cattle to survive during dry years. The widespread use of synthetic fabrics for a few years depressed the wool market and sheep numbers dwindled. Wool is once again in vogue and lamb as meat is becoming more popular. So once again sheep are profitable and are found on many ranches. CBC HORSE OUTFIT The CBC Horse Outfit, owned by Chappelle Brothers, leased the Cheyenne River Reservation during the late 1920's. The DZ's (owned by Dye and Zimmerman) had closed out in the fall of 1927 and the CBC took over their lease and the remainder of their horses the following year. The CBC ran about 25,000 killer horses around Cherry Creek, Bridger, La Plant and Timber Lake, a distance of about 125 miles from one end to the other. [photo – CBC horses] They shipped to a packing house in Rockford, Illinois. The CBC was the last really big outfit in the area, closing out in the fall of 1935. Ben Horn, Raymond Jones, John Maupin, Tom Maupin, Ralph Hensley, Baptiste LeBeau, Raymond Johnson and Otis "Beany" Shannon were some of the CBC cowboys working this end of the lease. Ernst Eidson, living near Bridger, was foreman on the west end of the reservation. Lee Brown ran the east end at the Iron Wing Camp near La Plant. Some of the riders there were Alec Garreau, Bill Ewing, Tom Scroggins, Bill Sculley (wagon cook), Jim Holloway and Jay Burnett. Their work included riding, branding, castrating, riding bog, opening ice and the cowboys needed fast and long-winded horses to keep up their work. They spoke of castrating 2500 studs and trimming and halter breaking 100 big geldings for market. About July 1st they started branding colts. As Raymond Jones described: "We would handle them just about the same as you do cattle, only a lot faster and you needed a fast horse and a longwinded horse. The wagon boss would take about half of the. crew out on a big circle and drop a man off every mile or two, depending on the lay of the country. The rest of the men would circle the other direction and everybody would be in place about the same time, forming a circle roughly from eight to twelve miles and all start to drive towards the center. Those horses were wild and were scattered over the country in small bunches, from a few head up to fifteen or twenty. Each stud had his band of mares and colts. When you came up on a bunch of those horses they would run and every horse that saw them would start running. Soon the whole country for miles was covered with little bunches of horses running, some going one direction, some another, all trying to escape, and some always did get through the lines. That was some of the grandest sights I ever saw. Hundreds of horses scattered over the country as far as you could see and all running. Everyone had to ride hard to hold them together and when we would finally get them pushed into one big bunch, things really got wild. Each stud was trying to keep his band separate and the stud fights would start and they were really vicious. I have seen them get kicked in the head and knocked unconscious. We would usually have four or five hundred horses, up to a thousand, in a round-up. After they got settled down a little, two men would ride into the herd and cut out the mares with colts to be branded. One man did the roping. He would rope a colt around the neck and drag him to the branding fire. Two men on the ground would hold a big loop between them. The roper would drag the colt between them until his front feet got in the loop, then one of the men would tighten the loop and tip the colt over and the other man would grab his head. The men with the hot irons were right there and it was over within about one minute. When the herd was turned loose, most of them went back to that part of the range they were on before we disturbed them. They seemed to prefer a certain part of the country. The next day the wagon would move and we would work another section of the country." [photo – Branding colts at Tom Maupin's, 1950. From left: Steve Arpan, Peggy Maupin, Joe Heitt, Tom Maupin, Albert Lopez on Smoky] FARMING Of the approximately 170,000 acres of farm land in the county in 1981, 13,000 were nontaxable Indian land and 157,000 were on the tax rolls. In 1910 statistics show that Ziebach County had only 98 farms, while in 1925 there were 723 listed. The remarkable change in the years 1920 to 1925 was that the large farms of over 1,000 acres decreased from 128 to 89. The valuation growth of Ziebach County went from $476,215.00 in 1911 to $6,041,188.00 in 1921, an increase of over 1300 percent. In 1935 the average size of a farm in Ziebach County was 1,767.6 acres. In 1981 the average size of a farm in the county is 3,085 acres. [photo – Heading grain on the Carl Anderson farm, 1939] [photo – Threshing with steam engine, Carl Anderson claim, 1909] The principal crops raised in Ziebach County are cereals, hay and forage crops, vegetables and fruits. The county is more fitted by nature for ranching than farming, but due to the introduction of dry farming methods, the farmers have developed the ability to raise fair to good crops on a small amount of moisture. Early homesteaders were successful and the newspaper states in 1912 that the grain and vegetables sent to the State Fair were above average; Wheat and small grain stood 36 inches high; alfalfa, which was of the first stand and grown on sod, averaged M inches high; corn on the stalk, over 8 feet tall, with a minimum of two large ears; onions averaged 21/2 inches in diameter; pumpkins, 24 inches in diameter; beets 12 inches in length and 6 inches in thickness; sunflowers with 12 foot stalks; and a large assortment of turnips, potatoes, carrots, wheat, oats, barley, rye and millet, all of large and good quality. Albion Eulberg wrote this account of harvesting: "My father, Herman Eulberg, A. G. Davis, Al Martin, and Fred Beguhl had the first threshing outfit in Ziebach County. The one cylinder engine was mounted on a four wheel wagon affair and was hauled from job to job by horses. The threshing machine was quite modern for then as it had a feeder on it but the straw was carried away from the machine by an apron and had to be stacked by hand. [photo – Carl Anderson enjoys hay stacking] [photo – Putting hay in the hay mow] [photo – Leonard Birkeland started farming in 1928] [photo – Leonard Birkeland, fifty four years later] The threshing run began one year in the forepart of August and ended the day before Christmas. The run was from the Moreau River on the north to the Cheyenne River on the south. Most of the homesteader's fields consisted of about ten acres and were oats, wheat or flax. The bushels of grain were estimated by wagon box measure. The owners of the rig took turns running it. After the first threshing rig sold out, a steam engine outfit came into being. It consisted of a 32 inch cylinder Case separator and I believe a forty-five horsepower engine. It was known as "the Big Ten" outfit as there were ten men who owned it. My first job on the threshing crew was that of a wagon tender. I began it around ten or eleven years old, simply because I was the only lad around of that age. The job was to move the grain around in the grain wagons so it wouldn't run over on the ground. One time, when we were threshing on the Hazel Davis claim, north of town, a spark from the steam engine ignited a load of wheat bundles some fifty or seventy yards from the engine. The bundle hauler got the team safely away from the wagon but was heard to say as he walked away toward town, "I think, I go back to Sacroment!" My ambition at that time was to get to be a "water monkey" -- the one who hauled the water to the steam engine. I guess I was born too late as that job became extinct before I got old enough. Several rigs came after that. Some I can remember were the McDaniel's, the Jake Dochnahl's, Art Beguhl, Birkenholtz, Radiche, and the Untersehers. Some of the tractors were a 30-60 Case gas engine, a HartParr, Allis Chalmer 20-35, a cross block 18-36 Case, a 15-30 I.H.C. and even the old Fordson. Jackie Birkeland made these observations about farming: "The day of the scythe and the pitchfork used in putting up hay are long since gone and with no regrets. Imagine walking all day behind a plow, one furrow at a time and pulled by four horses. Seed was broadcasted and harrowed to cover it. A two horse mower and a two horse rake later covered many an acre. There was the sulky riding plow pulled by five horses. Some of the early tractors were the Titan, Fordson, a Case that pulled a two bottom plow. There was the 1020 International, also a 1520 International. The binder had its day as did the corn binder, dumping off bundles that were made into shocks to be threshed or fed. A steam engine and threshing machine moved from place to place in the fall, threshing from stacks or bundle wagon. A header cut off grain heads, filled a wagon alongside, then stacks were made to await the thresher. Pitching headings must have been one of the hottest, most difficult of jobs. Crain hauling was by wagon load, then it was scooped by shovel into bins. The reaper cut grain, then pushed it off the platform in piles to be pitched on a wagon and stacked. Much more land could be broke--turned from sod into tilled acres--with tractors, plows, discs, which happened through the years. Farms continue to grow larger. Mold board plowing has given way to chisel plows which rip the ground. Tractors with horsepower of from 175 horsepower on up are used extensively. Common models are the John Deere, Case, Versatile and International. Many are four-wheel drive. A tool bar for weeding may be from sixteen feet to sixty feet wide. Erosion control is a grave consideration in Ziebach County. Methods used include strip farming, tree planting and stubble left standing. Anything that will prevent the wind sweeping a smooth field is desirable. At this time, no-tillage weed control is almost unknown to the area. One reason of resistance is that, due to scarce rainfall, opening the soil with tilling lets more moisture be absorbed. [photo – Carol, Thelma, Ethel and Calvin Anderson shocking oats bundles on the Carl Anderson farm, 1937] [photo – Gerald Frame shows how dirt was moved in the "Good Old Days". The team and slip, owned by Cully Miller, was the Frame Construction float at the Jubilee Celebration in 1960. Dr. Creamer building in the background] REHABILITATION PROGRAM from: "History of Cheyenne River" by Noralf Nesset, Superintendent, Cheyenne Agency 1951-1959. The passage of Public Law 776, which was signed by the President on September 3, 1954, opened a new era on the Cheyenne River Reservation. As a result of this Act, $10,544,014 was made available to the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and its individual members. Section II of the Act provides that "The United States agrees to pay, out of funds appropriated for construction of the Oahe project, as just compensation for all lands and improvements and interests therein (except the agency hospital) conveyed pursuant to Section I of the Act; and for the bed of the Missouri River so far as it is the eastern boundary of said Cheyenne River Reservation, the sum of $5,384,014; which sum shall be in final and complete settlement of all claims, rights, and demands of said Tribe or allottees or heirs thereof arising out of the construction of the Oahe project, and shall be deposited to the credit of said Tribe in the Treasury of the United States, to draw interest on the principal thereof at the rate of 4 per centum per annum until expended.'' Known as the Rehabilitation Program of the Cheyenne River Reservation, it is unique in that it is a radical departure from other programs having to do with Indian Affairs. This program is under the direct control and supervision of the Indians themselves and the Bureau of Indian Affairs acts in supplying technical assistance and advice as requested by the Tribe. The Rehabilitation Program covers six phases of operation, three on a loan basis and three in the form of grants: 1. Repayment cattle program (loan); 2. Farm program (loan); 3. Business enterprise (loan); 4. Student education (grant); 5. Adult education (grant); and 6. General assistance (grant). The general assistance program is directed mainly to improving housing conditions. During the first two years 58 new houses were constructed and many other homes were given major repair or were enlarged. The Rehabilitation Program is designed to be in operation for a period of twenty years. At the expiration of the program, it is provided that holdings will be converted to cash and a percapita distribution will be made to enrolled members of the Tribe. [The Rehabilitation Program ended in 1977]. Chapter 7 COMMUNITIES BRIDGER by Leroy Aasby Bridger is located in the southwest corner of Ziebach County. The present village was established in 1891 at the request of some of the Wounded Knee survivors. The village inherited the name Bridger from the nearest store/post office named for a homesteader, Carv Bridge. The store was located north of the Four-Corners Bridge on the west side of old Highway #73 (beside the brass plate survey marker). When the store and post office closed, the mail was sent to Howes. The history of the Lakota using the Bridger Area goes back into the late 1700's or early 1800's. Water was the major reason and early hunting parties found springs in the area. Water, fuel, the protection of the river valley, and game to hunt made this an ideal winter camping area. The area became more important with the coming of the White Man and his trading posts. The groups that preferred to keep away from the ways of the White Man found the Bridger Valley just to their liking. These people were conservative and preferred traditional ways. The Indian leader, Mahto, and his group are known to have used the area. The Buffalo family is, according to legend, related to the Mahto group. Prior to Wounded Knee, the Indian leader, Big Foot, and his followers lived along the Cheyenne River from Cherry Creek to near the forks of the river (later Pedro). His camp was scattered in small groups. After Sitting Bull's death, Big Foot led his band up the Cheyenne and then south to Wounded Knee. After Wounded Knee the survivors went west to the area north of the present Loneman School, to areas called "No Water", "Drywood" and up toward "Red Shirt Table". A few, including James High Hawk, returned to the Valley. Although the village was better-known as Bridger, the Lakota used the name TAKINI -- meaning "sole survivor". In about 1870 a great fire swept down on Bridger from the north. Most of the people fled across the river to the Big Spring and stayed at Bear Eagle's. Francis Jackson told of this incident and the next. In 1918 the flu hit the flat above Bridger to the East very hard. Many died despite Mrs. Jackson's nursing. Several other times a number of people died. From Mrs. Jackson's descriptions the cause was most likely TB. East of Bridger is Hump Flat, on which Hump once camped. Carl Jackson later lived on the flat, lending his name to Jackson Spring. On the east side of the flat, near Bull Creek, was St. Lee's Catholic Church, also known as the Church of the Blessed Sacrament. It was established by 1911 and later moved into Bridger and used as a parsonage. Only the cemetery remains to mark the location of St. Leo's. East of the church lived the Council Bears and the Red Bulls. [photo - Bridger School, May, 1935. Front row: Bernice Long, Ted Buffalo, Henry Red Horse, Jr., and Philip Crane. Second row: Vera Circle Bear, P. Holy, Dorothy Buffalo, Emerson Long and Mabel Holy. Back row: Leona Bear Eagle, C. Little Star, Emily eagle Bear, Leon Bingham, Martin Holy Bear, Clair Maynard, teacher; Luke Black Bull and Robert Blue Hair.] [photo – Bridger Congregational Church, 1915] [photo – Immaculate Heart of Mary (church)] Red Bull Crossing on the Cheyenne River, north of Milesville, was named for the nearby Red Bull residence. Saint Plus Catholic Church was moved south from the Cherry Creek to Bridger under the direction of Father Mattingly in the late 1930's and renamed the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The Reverend Thomas L. Riggs sent an early Indian missionary, Solomon Yellow Hawk, to Bridger, South Dakota. Mr. Yellow Hawk taught the people to read and write in the Lakota. In 1915, the Congregational Church was constructed under the direction of Reverend Thomas L. Riggs. The road from 4-Corners bridge into Bridger was built in the late '30's with a team and fresno. Life remained quite difficult until about 1962 when the present Highway 73 and electricity came in. The Bridger School began as a Public School in 1922. Mr. James High Hawk is credited with getting the school started. The B.I.A. school, started in 1933, has offered the only full-time employment in Bridger. Major events and important people include: The 1927-28 flood when people had to use the church as a haven. The 1949 blizzard with the food drops by air. Reverend Guy Buffalo, who was for 33 years a Congregational Minister at Standing Rock, La Plant, Red Scaffold and Bridger. James High Hawk, Tribal Secretary, who assisted in writing the tribal constitution and by-laws. Virginia, his wife, who served as Bridger Day School cook, taught many to speak English. Mrs. Virginia High Hawk retired in 1971 at age 70. She received, during her stay as cook, a Sustained Superior Performance award. There is a grave of an Indian Scout on the hill west of the village. People who have taught at Bridger include: Clair Maynard, Mrs. Vera Smith, Miss Mildred Birkeland, Mr. Beebe, Mrs. Aurellia Dupris Reddest, Mr. Anthony Whirl Wind Horse, and Mr. Leroy Aasby from 1967-1980. CHERRY CREEK [photo – Cherry Creek, ca. 1880's (SDSHS)] [photo – Hospital and Doctor's home at Cherry Creek] [photo – Cherry Creek in 1963] [photo – Maj. W. S. Bentley, Little Shield, Lone Eagle, Iron Lightning, Fish Gut, Charging First and G. H. Haynes. Seated: Brown Thunder, Gen. C. H. Englesby, Gov. Vessey, Col. Alfred S. Frost, Yellow Owl and Giles Tapetola, interpreter. Seated on floor: Reared by Enemy, Puts on His Shoes, and White Bull. (SDSHS) Cherry Creek family names appear here. Their descendents are many] Many of the Minneconjou Sioux Indian people settled in the Cherry Creek area along the Cheyenne River. Cherry Creek, a government substation, is the oldest historical site in Ziebach County. There was supposedly a fur trading post located along Cherry Creek before 1743. Records show that the Verendrye Expedition came to Cherry Creek in 1743. The location is described as 35 miles northwest of Pierre, South Dakota at the mouth of Cherry Creek, north side of the Cheyenne River. Here they met some Indian people who said, "This is where we camp.'' Other records show that in 1846 Basil (Clement) Claymore, who was then 16 years old, had come up the Missouri River from St. Louis, Missouri, and had joined up with a man named Francis Parker. They visited Cherry Creek in August 1846; as they went into Cherry Creek they knew it was named Cherry Creek because there was an abundance of wild cherries, plums, gooseberries and currants. Mr. Claymore said the creek was so dried up with the heat that they had to dig holes in the sand to get water for themselves and their horses. In 1872, U. S. Agent Koues started an extensive building program of log houses in Cherry Creek; this was carried on by Agency carpenters and their aides into the late 1880's. An 1880 map shows Hump's camp at the mouth of Cherry Creek on the west side. Touch the Cloud also had a camp nearby. Following the Custer Battle in 1876 many of the Indian people moved up into Canada for a time. They were returned by steamboat to Fort Yates, North Dakota in 1881. After spending a brief time there, many of them moved south and settled at Cherry Creek. St. Andrew's Episcopal Church was established in Cherry Creek in 1882. The Cheyenne River Reservation boundaries were established in March 1889 and Hump's band opposed this. In 1889 a settlement named Cheyenne City or Leslie was established just south of the river across from Cherry Creek. Here there were two stores, a post office and a roadhouse; later a newspaper and a school. Most Cherry Creek residents went across the river to trade and some of the children attended school there at the Congregational Mission School established by William and Martha Griffiths. In 1892 there was a 69 member congregation led by Roan Bear (Clarence Ward) and a Congregational Church was established at Cherry Creek in 1890. Harvey Robinson built a trading post at Cherry Creek and sold it to Henry Angell who carried on a trading business there; he later sold this business to William Griffith who crossed over the river. Griffith later sold it. Since then there has continuously been a trading post or store and post office at Cherry Creek. In the 1890's a government substation was constructed at Cherry Creek. These installations were permanent homes for the "Boss Farmers" who supervised individual family gardens and monitored the cattlemen who leased tribal pastureland. A large commissary was built there where rations were issued. There was also a clinic for a doctor and nurse. In time there was a blacksmith shop, a school and even a dance hall. By 1891 Cherry Creek consisted of about 40 homes and the camp was still under the leadership of Hump. Very few homesteaders had started coming into the area yet and most of the surrounding area was leased by big cattle outfits. The Catholic Church was built in 1894. In 1896 a police headquarters was erected at Cherry Creek. A government telephone line was constructed about 1910 and natural gas was discovered in 1936. School attendance increased over the years and bigger and better facilities were added. As more people settled at Cherry Creek Station, housing became inadequate. Housing projects built additional homes and today there are many families living at Cherry Creek. Rural electricity came to this area in 1954 and a water storage system was added in about 1960. The water was really not very good but in 1981 the rural pipeline was erected and runs throughout the reservation providing the best soft water ever had. A semi-permanent highway and bridge across Cherry Creek was built in 1966 connecting the Bridger and Cherry Creek communities. A 17 mile hard- surface highway was built running east of Cherry Creek to Highway 63 in 1975. Gone now are the log houses, the kerosene lights, teams and wagons and all have been replaced with electric lights, automobiles, telephones and many electrically-heated homes. One does still find the ax and saw as many people like to cut their own firewood and use a wood stove. Many of the old family names of Cherry Creek are still surviving; to name some of them, Little Shield, Runsafter, Brown Thunder, Swan, Creek, Ward, Condon, Blue Arm, Straight Head, Eagle Chasing, One Skunk. There are many others and their stories and those of their descendants are scattered throughout this Ziebach County publication. [photo – Pete Longbrake with the cake served on his last day as clerk at Cherry Creek Post Office. Thelma Frame, postmaster at Dupree, was present to install Maynard Dupris as the clerk. HOW DUPREE GOT ITS NAME (Taken from West River Progress, June 2, 1938) by Eb Jones [photo – Main Street South, Dupree, South Dakota, 1952] [photo – Welcome to Dupree] Early in the year 1837 a young man of French-Indian descent left his Canadian home at Ontario, Canada and made the long trek down the Ohio River to St. Louis, and to the mouth of the Big Missouri River. He arrived just in time to see the incoming trappers and traders from the great Northwest country come in with their winter's accumulation of furs and hides. This youth was named Fred Dupree, Sr., spelled Dupris by Fred himself. Upon the return of the traders to the northland, young Dupris engaged himself with the American Fur Company for a term of five years, and with the return of the American Fur Company men, he joined them in their 2000 mile canoe trip. The American Fur Company, it must be remembered, was organized and owned by John Jacob Astor as early as 1808. Arriving at Sublette's Fort, then at the mouth of the Yellowstone River, he paddled up the mouth of the Big Horn, where he was stationed that winter, and began a long stretch of twenty years of hunting, trapping and later, scouting and fighting Indians for the government. He was among the very first of the whites to spend some time in the Black Hills country with a party of Cheyenne Indians on the Cheyenne River, not far from Hot Springs. At this time he had for partners Basil Claymore and Joe Larvie, both having come into South Dakota in the early 30's, and who likewise have a host of descendants in the state. Incidentally, Joe Larvie is the father-in-law of the late James Scotty Philip and also Mike Dunn, who was Dupree's first banker. About the year 1859, Dupris put in a winter about five miles up from the mouth of Cherry Creek, hunting and trapping. Later he lived for a time at the mouth of the Okoboji Creek on the east side of the Missouri River, not far from Ft. Sully. From here he moved to the mouth of Morphodite Creek on the Cheyenne River just below where the Carlin Bridge is located south of Eagle Butte. He was living there when I became his nearest neighbor and continued to until 1890, when he moved across to the north side of the river, just where Highway 63 comes down the hill to Cheyenne River bottoms and he died there in 1900. He was considered as being very wealthy at the time of his death, indeed the wealthiest man in the west river country. It is said that he left over one hundred thousand dollars in cash; more than 1500 head of cattle and more than 800 horses. It was Fred Dupris and the late Louis LaPlante who delivered the Shetak captives from Pt. Pierre to Ft. Randall in December, 1862. These two women and their five children had been taken prisoners by the Sioux during the New Ulm, Minnesota uprising that summer and were taken to the Missouri River at the mouth of Grand River, just across the river in the bottoms. Today this spot would be just below the Mobridge highway bridge. Friendly Indian youth had traded for them and had gotten as far as Ft. Pierre. Here Dupris and LaPlante took them to Ft. Randall, 200 miles down the river in the dead of winter, with several feet of snow on the ground, and it was bitter cold. Ft. Randall was located on the west side of the Missouri River and south of the present town of Lake Andes. Dupris had a large family -- ten children if I recall rightly. Mrs. Fisherman first lived for many years on Cottonwood Creek, where the Hensley and Starr ranch was later located. Pete lived at what was called the Circle P springs. He died in 1899. His wife was a Cadotte mix-blood from the Standing Rock Reservation. He lived about three miles above Pete and Xavier. Mrs. Ward, the wife of Clarence Ward, was well known at Dupree. Ed Dupree bought my father-in-law, Joseph Langlois, out on Bear Creek which joins the town of Dupree. The town should rather have been named after him. Ed lived there until he died. His wife was Mary Traversie, a daughter of Paul Traversie. I think she still lives on the Moreau River, not far from Dupree. Armenia became the wife of Tom Blue Eyes, who lived for many years at what was called "Blue Eyes Spring", close to where the Smith ranch is now. I think they are still living on the Grand River. Josephine married Joe Volin in 1896. I was at their wedding and sold them the ranch below Dupree. Later he sold it to Quill Ewing and it became known as the Ewing Ranch. Fred married a girl from the Yankton Agency and established himself at the mouth of Cottonwood Creek. His wife still lives at Cherry Creek and last but not least is Marcella, Mrs. D. F. Carlin. I wrote up their wedding, and in it, I found that the printer had made a few grave errors in regards to the number of kegs of whiskey the old man had there for the crowd. There was one keg (they said) but there were really two kegs. The truth is there were two kegs all right, but the Old Man put one down in his own cellar for the special use of his white friends who were invited to drink whenever they wished to, but I don't mean to say that they all got drunk, for they didn't. There wasn't a drunk man at that wedding -- red or white -- for that was one thing the old timers did not do when in company with Indians, so it cannot be said that the Carlins had a drunken wedding. Everyone, however, had a fine time and everyone still remembers having been there, which would not have been possible if they had gotten drunk and that's fifty-two years ago.! The Dupree Leader, July 28, 1910 had this item about the name of the town being corrected: ''At last, the United States Government has come to rescue the memory of Fred Dupree, Sr., one of the earliest white settlers in South Dakota, by declaring that the new town which was named in his honor, but sadly misspelled Dupris on the maps of the Milwaukee railroad, should be known as Dupree and the spelling be made to conform to the spelling of the old pioneer on the government maps and plots. The old settler was of French descent, and the railroad took the French spelling of the name, with the result that no one recognized it as the name of the old pioneer. The United States Land Office received an order from the Department of the Interior dated June 24, to the effect that the spelling of the townsite Dupris be hereafter changed to Dupree on all maps and plots. The change was brought about, so the letter states, by the action of Charles H. Burke, who took up the matter, wrote the department explaining the circumstances, and asking that the spelling be changed to accord with the original intention. So, from now on, the townsite will be known as Dupree to the United States. - - -Corson County Chief." [photo – The first blacksmith shop in Dupree was owned and operated by Jimmy Crorkin, located on the same lot where the Masonic Hall stands. Jimmy Crorkin came to Dupree with the Railroad construction crew] [photo – Dupree Depot] [photo – Looking north on Main Street, Dupree, So. Dak.] [photo – 'First Restaurant in Dupree 1910 – Owned by Henry Lafferty] [photo – The first grocery store in Dupree 1910, owned by Hank Maupin. Left to right – Hank Maupin, Art Lafferty, ?, Bill Sculley, ?] Bert Smith related this interesting information: About the first of September, 1910, I left my home in Minnesota for the sole purpose of building a store for F. R. Barnes at Dupree, South Dakota, and after that work was finished, I helped with the Keller Store, the Melow Drug Store, and also a grocery store for Tolly Maupin. When I first arrived in Dupree, I could find no place to sleep. Hayes Milton had a livery stable and he allowed me to sleep in the barn, for it was midnight when I arrived there. Mr. McGarraugh was instrumental in obtaining a lineup on the work that was to be done in the town of Dupree. MEMORIES OF AN EARLY DUPREE by Maye Lafferty Ronshaugen My memories of an early Dupree include remembering the many really fine people who came to "homestead". They would arrive at the railroad station (Dupree had two trains a day in those times) with no one to meet them and nowhere to go until they could get transportation to "their land", which sometimes boasted only a sod hut and a hand- dug well. My parents befriended many of these people and made friends who remained so for a lifetime. They were really good and great people. My mother was an accomplished seamstress and often helped newcomers with her talents when the need arose. She had once supervised sewing classes at St. John's Episcopal School at Oahe. In Dupree's earlier days, her devotion to her church was often expressed by being able to offer her home for services (before St. Phillips had a church building), by baking bread for Communion Services, and by providing hospitality to the bishops when they visited their missionary outposts in this area. In the early 1920's, after my parents had built a new home, which at that time was one of the larger houses in Dupree, many well remembered teachers made their school-term homes with us. In regard to remembrances, I wonder how many readers of this history will recall the Flu Epidemic of 1917, or the first Armistice Day Celebration for World War I when we had a huge bonfire in a gravel pit near Cemetery Hill? Or when Dupree bought an airplane to be piloted by Sim Jeffries, Dupree's own World War I flying ace? My parents deprived me of my hour of glory when they refused an invitation for me to accompany Jim Shelton, long-time friend and the owner of the Dupree Hotel, on the first paid passenger ride local residents were to have. He had paid $100.00 for the privilege and he and the pilot had agreed that since I was a very small girl, I could have fitted nicely in the plane with them. I have had countless plane rides both at home and abroad since that time, but I still regret the missing of that opportunity. Another memory I find especially poignant is that of recalling the time when radios became available and how many of the townspeople pooled their resources to buy a large Atwater-Kent which was housed in the depot where we could all go for an evening, sit around a pot-bellied stove (in winter), and listen to a Hastings, Nebraska station whose reception was cleverly engineered by Frank Bednar, depot agent. Great was the joy! As one grows older, memories of family, places, and things once again become lovingly familiar. Ah, things historical! How they have enriched our lives and little did we know as they were being acted out how much they would eventually mean. "PICKERVILLE, 1910, OR GLAD VALLEY" by Leona Corwin (in 1960) Mr. and Mrs. William Picker and their son, Walter, accompanied by Mrs. Picker's mother, Mrs. Saam, and brother, William Saam, started from Stanley County, South Dakota in 1910 in a covered wagon to establish a new home in Ziebach county. On the way, a second son, Grant, was born to Mr. and Mrs. Picker. Upon arriving, they homesteaded two miles north of the present site of Glad Valley. They built a roadhouse - - a place for room and board -- and a livery stable. They named their little village Pickerville. Soon other buildings sprang up. Albert Solberg put up a store building, the first post office was established, and was kept in connection with the store, he being the first postmaster. Mr. Carl Rust was the first mail carrier from Isabel to Pickerville. He drove a team of white ponies. A recreation hall was built, where the social gatherings were held. The homesteaders played pool, held dances, etc. Dr. H. Matter surveyed the first mail route road. Otis Domina was the mail carrier for many years after the post office was moved to Glad Valley. In 1914, Mr. Solberg decided to move his store over on his own claim west of Glad Valley in the Butteview area and gave up the post office. Vic Matter was appointed by the Post Office Department as postmaster then, and a building was made ready on his homestead for the post office. Matter's had named their farm, "The Glad Valley Farm" when they moved to their homestead in 1910. Therefore they had the name changed from Pickerville Post Office to that of Glad Valley Post Office. The only salary paid in those days was the cancellation, which amounted to less than $10.00 per month. Dr. H. Matter acted as assistant postmaster until the department retired him at the age of 85 years. Mrs. Alvera Unterseher was then appointed postmistress and she moved the post office to its present site. In 1925, George Unterseher bought 40 acres from Vic Matter and he moved in some buildings and started the first Glad Valley Store. Their son, David, built the garage and house that now (1960) accommodates the post office. Mrs. Becker was the postmistress until ill health caused her to resign. She sold the property to Mr. and Mrs. Merle Matter. Merle has served as postmaster since 1952. The Glad Valley schoolhouse was started in the fall of 1911. Vic Matter, with the help of other neighbors, did the work. Following a hot, dry summer, there was a very cold winter. School did not open until after Christmas, but the term extended into July. John Vale donated the land where the schoolhouse stands, and he was hired as the first teacher at a salary of $25.00 per month. Later the structure was enlarged to include the building as it is now. Dr. H. Matter, formerly of Iowa, came to Dakota to retire as a physician and surgeon, but he soon learned his services were needed in the new country. He carried his own medicines with him. One wall in his home was built for his drug supplies. He seldom was paid anything for his calls or medicine, but he would go any time that a call came for him to go. During the winter of 1918, when the flu was taking its toll, Dr. Matter would ride his pony to make the calls on his patients, as far as the Twin Buttes country. He often scolded, when his patients would not obey his instructions. He never lost a patient. John Corwin and Pete Jensen drew filing numbers for homesteads in 1910. The wind blew away the first claim shack of John's and he built his second home at the foot of a hill. His family came in June 1911, whom he met at Isabel, and he was driving to his claim one mile west of Glad Valley, when the wagon tongue broke. He had to walk six miles to get help. The family huddled under the wagon out of the hot sun. After dark, he arrived back at the wagon and he had 14 miles yet to go. Mr. Corwin bought the first steam engine in that part of the country. He broke much land for his neighbors, for the breaking of land was considered as improvements. No crops in 1912 were raised. However, the old steam engine was used to haul neighbor's wagons like a train in the winter to provide lignite from Black Horse Creek. (Mrs. Merle Matter was Leona Corwin). GLAD VALLEY by Joanne Witte [photo – Glad Valley Store, Rex Witte, owner.] Rex and I purchased the store from Elfrink's in 1956. Since most of the customers were charge accounts, and since we had no money, we both worked at other jobs. I taught school in winter and Rex ran the store. In the summer Rex did odd jobs and I ran the store. Our jobs overlapped as when he nightlambed and I was still teaching. He would sleep until I had to leave for school and then catch a nap after I got home, before he left for the night. If we got too lonesome for each other, I would go with him on week-ends. We were gradually able to add two freezers and a large cooler, which were essential for milk and produce. Rex became postmaster after Merle Matter retired in October 1963. We have the post office where the cream station had been. We are closing out the store now after running it for 26 years, which is longer than any of our predecessors. Rex has also bought and skinned furs over the years and we work with bees. GLAD VALLEY FIRE DEPARTMENT by Joanne Witte The Glad Valley Fire Department was formed in 1953. It consisted of a tank on a platform at Glad Valley. Anyone in the community who spotted a fire drove their pickup to Glad Valley, loaded the tank and alerted anyone near for help. A used pickup was purchased in 1954 so the tank was then loaded and ready to go. In 1964 a new pickup was purchased and a tank and platform built on it by the Dreis Brothers. A pump was added. The Civil Defense was established about this time and a radio was placed at Glad Valley. This was truly an aid in getting more equipment to the fire or letting them know if the fire had been contained. When John Walls moved to Eagle Butte, the fire department bought their garage to house the fire equipment. A Civil Defense Dodge was added in 1970, a new truck in 1973, and an army truck tanker from Civil Defense in 1975. It was awkward and slow but a real asset at a large fire because of its water capacity. They also have a Civil Defense jeep. A new Chevrolet pickup was purchased in 1980. At that time the old Dodge was donated to Meadow. as they were just starting their fire department. The trucks and radio were great improvements. One drawback was that people began to assume that the fire truck would put out the fire and often didn't show up to assist. Like all mechanical things, they require humans to make them operate. The first fire chief was Merle Matter. Rex Witte became chief in 1957 and served until in the 70's. During that time, fires were fought from the Grand River to the Moreau and from Highway 73 to north of Isabel. Sometimes Rex was out all day and most of the night. Keith Dorsey, Barton Harris, Bob Dreis and Chuck Anderson have taken their turns at being fire chief. The Fire Department at this time consists of three pickups, a tanker and a jeep. The major fund raiser is an annual Fireman's Dance held in August.