“It Happened Right Here” was the name of a monthly historical column I wrote for the Plankinton weekly newspaper, the South Dakota Mail. It ran from January 2013 until the end of 2017. I initiated this project while working on my graduate degree in history, hoping to build my skills in writing and research – with deadlines to help with motivation.
I selected topics that explored the history of Aurora County, a county with historical roots in the homesteading era of the 1880’s. The county today has three incorporated communities, Plankinton, the county seat, Stickney and White Lake.
I tried to tell stories that hadn’t been told before or to tell them in a way that delivers a fresh perspective. It’s also provided a great opportunity to practice different types of writing styles. One of my favorite columns, “Jacob’s Journey”, invites the readers to experience the journey of the first white settler from his viewpoint. Other articles, “A Tale of Two Men”, and “A New Day Dawns” provide strong contrasts to add interest. “Character of the County” investigates the statistics of the 1915 to tell the story of life at that point in time.
Rather than list these stories by publication date, I have grouped them into sections with like topics. I’ve also noted the date that they were published in the South Dakota Mail. Many of these articles were written as I developed my thesis, and you’ll notice some repetition. Enjoy!
Settling
On the Western Frontier (Feb 2016). While Aurora County today is on the western edge of the American Midwest, at one time this area was at the western frontier of American expansion.
A New Age Dawns: (Feb 2016). By 1880, farmers seeking more productive land, and speculators hoping for quick riches, arrive in a county in Dakota Territory named Aurora for the Goddess of the Dawn.
A Tale of Two Men (Mar 2013). Ira Woodin, the land owner, and John Plankinton, the namesake, each played a role in the founding of the town of Plankinton.
Boom and Bust (May 2016). Families Diehl, Todd and Gibbs experienced the initial boom of quick growth followed by economic hard times.
Foundation for Community (Jun 2016). In those early years, the pioneers developed the foundation for community, a community that was essential to sustaining those families and their descendants.
Character of the County (Aug 2013). In 1915, the state of South Dakota conducted a detailed census that provides fascinating details about life in that era.
Promoting
Cheap Land and Easy Riches, Part 1 (Jun 2013). In 1891, Aurora County promoters resolved to build a palace of grain in Plankinton, making it the first city in the new state of South Dakota to feature such a structure.
Cheap Land and Easy Riches, Part 2 (Jul 2013).Plankinton’s Grain Palace exhibition and harvest festival, the showpiece of the booster’s scheme to keep the good times going, was discontinued after just two years, and times got worse.
Homesteading
Jacob’s Journey: (Apr 2013). This imaginative account of Jacob’s journey into Palatine township is based on his story and other early pioneer stories appearing in the Aurora County History book, published by the Aurora County Historical Society, in 1983.
Claiming Public Lands (Mar 2016). One of the first women to arrive was Isabella Todd Diehl, a twenty-nine-year-old newlywed from Scotland who had crossed the ocean to marry a man she had never met.
The Ethnic Influence (Apr 2016). The promise of free land and agricultural opportunity attracted a number of immigrants from Europe. Norwegian immigrant Margrete Knutson, a widow with nine children, took advantage of the homestead laws to claim her 160 acres in Aurora County.
A Pioneer Woman (Jan 2016). Surviving terrible blizzards, searing heat, dusty windstorms, crop-destroying hail, and a fire that destroyed a barn and part of the house, Sarah Page raised her children, socialized with her neighbors, and provided leadership in her community.
A Family on the Move (Aug 2017). Based upon a real family that homesteaded in Firesteel Township, a new children’s book, “Elfie,” by Mary Nelson Keithahn, tells the story of an extended family on the move across the Midwest, arriving in Aurora County in the mid-1880s.
Harvest Time for Women (Sep 2013). In the memoirs of Ella Todd Wilson, Wilson describes the work required of women as the men gathered during harvest season to thresh the grain.
Learning and Praying
The Little White School House (Sep 2016). Believing in the importance of education, the early pioneers built schools in the towns and rural areas of Aurora County as soon as the voters were able to raise taxes and issue bonds.
The Schoolmarm (Jan 2017). Many teachers, often young and female, received only a common school education and then, after attending one summer session of a teacher’s academy, passed an examination and started teaching in the fall.
Schools as Social Centers (Mar 2017). The one-room schoolhouse served as the public hall, bringing the community together for a variety of activities. The teachers’ role as event coordinator for many of those activities places them in the center of community.
Faith on The Prairie, Part 1 (Mar 2017). Strong faith in God motivated the Euro-American settlers to establish worship spaces soon after arriving in Dakota Territory.
Faith on the Prairie, Part 2 (Apr 2017). In the county’s first two decades, from 1880 to 1900, the settlers established at least twenty-one places of worship, reflecting the diversity of faith traditions and ethnic origins among the early residents.
Enduring
The Long Hard Winter (Jan 2014). One new resident of the county, George Gibbs, wrote a colorful account of how he risked his life to keep his family warm and fed during the winter of 1880.
The Great Blizzard of 1888 (Jan 2013). The harrowing and disastrous January blizzard of 1888 was commemorated in Plankinton every January 12 with a winter dance.
A Plague of Locust (5/2/2013). Swarms of grasshoppers arrived in Aurora County during the hot, dry years of the 1930s, devouring every green thing, completely destroying crops and gardens
Caretaking
Imagine the Past – Imagine the Future (Jul 2016). In 2004, the Plankinton Preservation Society, dedicated to preserving a unique piece of local history, purchased the old Commercial House and began the hard work of restoring it to hose the new Sweep-VanDyke Railroad Museum & Cultural Center. This dedication speech from 2016 honors the past and welcomes the future.
Hotels Deliver Motherly Care (Aug 2016). Female hotelkeepers played an important role in helping people transition to pioneer life during the early years of settlement in Aurora County.
Treating the Diseases of Man (Feb 2014). Thirty-three medical diplomas were registered in Aurora County between 1885 and 1951, most of them before 1912. This article discusses some of the earliest and most notable entries and the type of medical care provided.
Saving Lives and Delivering Babies (Sep 2017). A prominent figure in the early history of Aurora County, Hiram Shouse, country doctor, father of nineteen children, civil war veteran, Sunday school teacher, and civic leader led a remarkable life and left a remarkable legacy.
Pioneer Nurse, Jean Todd (Nov 2017). The expression “pioneer nurse” describes Jean Todd, not because she moved to an area of pioneers, but because she entered the nursing profession as a working class woman in an era when training in medicine was rare for all women, regardless of class, and because she established herself as one of the first professional nurses in Dakota Territory.
Merrymaking
Giving Thanks (Nov 2016). Some of the earliest settlers practiced the custom of hosting pioneer Thanksgiving dinners for those families who arrived before 1883. In later years, many of the churches hosted pubic Thanksgiving dinners with the Ladies Aid organizations using that opportunity to sell handmade items to raise funds for church projects.
We are Going to Have a Dance (Dec 2016). The story of the Page Orchestra illuminates the social and cultural life of young adults living in remote, rural areas in the early part of the twentieth century.
Take Me Out to the Ball Game (Jun 2017). The town’s most famous baseball team, the Newell Nine, promoted itself as the “first and only all-brothers baseball team in the world.” Organized sometime in the 1920’s the eleven Newell brothers, travelled throughout the state competing with local town teams, volunteer fire department teams, and even semi-pro teams.
The Fighting Finish (May 2014). Racing in the most exciting stretch drive in the history of the Kentucky Derby, two jockeys battled each other with hands and whips down the field and across the line. It was 1933, in the midst of the Great Depression, when teenager Don Meade, of Plankinton, South Dakota, rode the winning horse across the wire
The Pool is for Our Children (Mar 2017). In 1957, the people of Plankinton drew up ambitious plans to build a community swimming pool, to be placed within a beautifully landscaped park with picnic tables, fireplaces, tennis courts, and a skating rink.
When Santa Knocks (Dec 2013). Members of the Facebook group, “Growing up and living in Plankinton South Dakota. Do you remember …” shared memories of local Christmas traditions. Many of those responding fondly recalled Santa knocking on their windows.
Soldiering
Soldier Pioneers (Oct 2013). Some of the earliest settlers in Aurora County were former soldiers who had fought to protect Dakota Territory or preserve the Union. Long gone and mostly forgotten, these men shaped the early development of the county and started traditions that continue today.
The Great War (Nov 2013). Many young men from Aurora County fought in the front-line trenches on the Western Front of World War I, helping to win important battles in the Argonne Forest of France. Casualties of the war included not only those killed and wounded on the battlefield, but also the men who died from disease in camps or on transport ships.
RPJ Histories - Ruth Page Jones 