Jeanne Simuneks comments on another post inspired me to begin a page about the kindness and help of good neighbors. So I will start with an excerpt from her story.
"............. we bought the old Ed Vandemore farm that joined our land & we moved up on the hill the year after we had all the snow & flooding in 1969 & 70.The water was up to the house yard. All the neighbors came to help move things.The water ruined the railroad tracks just beyond our yard fence. Gene started a welding shop on the farm when we moved up to the new house on the hill. He had a portable welder in a pickup truck & would go to the farmers when they needed work done. Then we had a fire that destroyed his shop. He lost the first tractor he owned that he had bought from his dad. I lost my '58 Buick Century that my mom gave me when she quit driving. I had just told Greg a few days before he could share the car with me if he would help take care of it. Again all the neighbors & many friends came to help put out the fire along with the volunteer firemen from Hudson,(where Greg is now a volunteer firefighter)Fairview,& Canton.And many of them helped build a new shop.We lived on the farm for 20 years ............"
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Names for further research
I have found the following info on some of our Eden and Hudson pioneer families.Arthur B. Wheelock born in Vermont about 1832. Wife is Cynthia B. from Wisconsin. He listed himself as a real estate agent.
David W. and Alice Thorpe. David born about 1842. He still listed his address in Hudson in 1910.I also have info on the following Thorpes. Ralph and Inez Thorpe. Ralph was born about 1901.Cecil Thorpe, about 1927, listed occupation as farmer.
Andrew Gove and wife Rosepha. He was born about 1836 and was a civil war veteran. Serving from 08/64 to 05/65. Was on the Lincoln Co. census in 1900.John H. and wife Mary E. He was born in Maine about 1838. Listed on 1880 census in Eden D.T. He was also in Hudson during the 1910 census.
S.B. Culbertson and wife Emma. He was born in New York at about 1830. Emma was born in Indiana in about 1844. They were in Hudson in 1910.Clarence Culbertson born in 1873, Eden D.T. during the grasshopper plague. Chandler Culbertson born in 1876. Eden D.T.
Horace Fitch was a Brevet Corporal during the civil war.
Perry Erling Enger - WWI vet. Prev. of Sioux County, Garfield Township, Iowa. Married. Children? Owned store in Hudson. Does anyone remember the name of his business? I think it was always referred to as Perry's.
P. H. B. Clement - owned mercantile in Hudson with S.B. Culbertson.
John B. Bradley - His biography is published in another post.
David W. and Alice Thorpe. David born about 1842. He still listed his address in Hudson in 1910.I also have info on the following Thorpes. Ralph and Inez Thorpe. Ralph was born about 1901.Cecil Thorpe, about 1927, listed occupation as farmer.
Andrew Gove and wife Rosepha. He was born about 1836 and was a civil war veteran. Serving from 08/64 to 05/65. Was on the Lincoln Co. census in 1900.John H. and wife Mary E. He was born in Maine about 1838. Listed on 1880 census in Eden D.T. He was also in Hudson during the 1910 census.
S.B. Culbertson and wife Emma. He was born in New York at about 1830. Emma was born in Indiana in about 1844. They were in Hudson in 1910.Clarence Culbertson born in 1873, Eden D.T. during the grasshopper plague. Chandler Culbertson born in 1876. Eden D.T.
Horace Fitch was a Brevet Corporal during the civil war.
Perry Erling Enger - WWI vet. Prev. of Sioux County, Garfield Township, Iowa. Married. Children? Owned store in Hudson. Does anyone remember the name of his business? I think it was always referred to as Perry's.
P. H. B. Clement - owned mercantile in Hudson with S.B. Culbertson.
John B. Bradley - His biography is published in another post.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
BUCKAROO MEMORIES!!!
Please share you memories and photos of the Buckaroo. Email me if you need assistance with scanning or posting photos.
Luanne Thorpe has shared the following: This was taken in the new Buckaroo using the painting as the background. This was taken about two years before Fat died. To the left is our daughter Terry, then Todd, Fat, and our youngest daughter Tracy. Incidentally, none of them went into the bar business, although Todd works for Dakota Beverage, because they said that cleaning up that bar every Sunday morning, and bar tending at both bars we owned while they were in college, cured them of even considering going into the business.
The second photo:
This picture of my husband, Dale (Fat) Thorpe holding our son, Todd was taken in the summer of 1961. The man to the right of Fat (as you look at the picture) is Fat's Dad , Ralph Thorpe who used to be our daytime bartender.
Fat purchased the Buckaroo Bar from Harry Wiese in, 1958 or '59...I'm not sure which. The painting was by an artist named Seal VanSickle and was painted especially for the Buckaroo Bar. The painting was then sold to Alan Miller when he opened the "new" Buckaroo in what used to be the old Drug Store and Floyd Torkelson grocery store.
Before we closed the doors of the Buckaroo Bar, we held an auction. People from all over came to the auction to buy up everything including the wall posters. Many of the buyers of the various articles were former patrons of the bar who wanted something to remember the fun times they had in there. The bubbles in a tube that decorated the old juke box was always playing and it sold to an antique dealer. You can see them now on The Price Is Right, but those are reproductions...this one that sat in the Buckaroo for so many years was the authentic juke box of its era. The building was sold to a man who used it for storage purposes and never operated as a bar again. Tony Rau wrote and said that his dad had many memories about the bar and used to say that "everyone knew they had a busy night at the old Buckaroo if the screen door was laying on main street Sunday morning".
Allen Miller opened the "new" Buckaroo and that beautiful old painting hangs in there today as a reminder of days gone by.
Luanne asked me if I had any other info on Seal VanSickle, the artist who painted the western scene now hanging in the new Buckaroo. Mr. Vansickle and and his brother Tom were early Sioux County pioneers and originally settled in Calliope IA. He was a sign painter by trade but was appointed Marshal of Calliope in the late 1880's. He built the Van Sickle building in Hawarden in 1908 and went into the sign painting business with EG Fairbrother. He later owned and operated a "moving picture show" and the theatre was called the "Airdome". He had a tavern in Hudson and Hawarden called "Seals Tavern #1 in Hawarden and Seals Tavern #2 in Hudson. He later owned a bowling alley and produce market. In 1929 the family left Hawarden and settled in Kansas City where they owned and operated a restaurant. The paintings in Hawarden and Hudson are believed to have originally been hung in the Seal taverns. Luanne T responded and said: "I believe the Hudson Seals Bar was later named Ann’s Tavern. Ann was Harry Wieses wife. He had the Buckaroo and she owned the tavern. The stone firplaces in both the Hudson and Hawarden back rooms of the two bars are almost identical, as is the rock on the front of the buildings".
I Remember When- Memories 1970-1980
Please share your stories that occurred between 1970 and 1980 here.
I remember that the old Duncan barn had hundreds of pigeons in it. Brett Crumb, my brother Mike and I decided that we would try to catch some of those pigeons and sell them to a dealer in Orange City. We hatched a plan to cover all of the escape holes and then blind the pigeons with our flashlights. The plan worked and we had a couple of hundred pigeons flying around so crazily that you couldnt hardly stand up. To complicate matters, the loft floor was covered in about two feet of pigeon droppings that were sold old that it became dust as we tramped around up there. You couldnt breathe and you couldnt see, even with the flashlights. We just blindly reached out and grabbed anything that had feathers. We made quite a haul that night and sold about 250 pigeons at .50 cents each. A week or so later I contracted ringworm and I am sure that it came from breathing in those old pigeon droppings. Its a wonder that we didnt catch anything else.
I remember that the old Duncan barn had hundreds of pigeons in it. Brett Crumb, my brother Mike and I decided that we would try to catch some of those pigeons and sell them to a dealer in Orange City. We hatched a plan to cover all of the escape holes and then blind the pigeons with our flashlights. The plan worked and we had a couple of hundred pigeons flying around so crazily that you couldnt hardly stand up. To complicate matters, the loft floor was covered in about two feet of pigeon droppings that were sold old that it became dust as we tramped around up there. You couldnt breathe and you couldnt see, even with the flashlights. We just blindly reached out and grabbed anything that had feathers. We made quite a haul that night and sold about 250 pigeons at .50 cents each. A week or so later I contracted ringworm and I am sure that it came from breathing in those old pigeon droppings. Its a wonder that we didnt catch anything else.
I Remember When- Memories 1960-1970
I remember watching the fire drills on a Sunday afternoon. And I remember Pappy Vellier and I would like to know much more about him. I worked for Harry Miller through high school. Arnum Sorlie, Ward Miller and Danny Nitz were also working there. When I was a pre-teen I used to go through those old cars and look for change in the seats. I learned to smoke in a barn behind Millers Garage. Mark V used to purloin cigarettes from his grandfather and we would smoke them in the barn. Perry Enger was quite the fellow. Some of the kids would take advantage of him and steal the candy that was behind the counter. This usually happened after he "fell asleep" in the back. I think that a Snedeker may have run a bowling alley in that old store many years ago. Later, my mother had a cafe in there. I also remember that I met some old fellow who had pretty good luck catching catfish and I asked him what he used for bait. He said camel liver and that I could get it at Smiths Lockers. Off I went to the locker, I think that Gib Smith is still laughing about that one. Later Brett Crumb and I trapped and we stored our catch at the lockers. Gib said to make sure that we covered the animals well with garbage bags so that his customers wouldnt complain. I also recall when the old implement building and between the liquor store and Millers Garage burned to the ground. I think that it happened on a Sunday morning. My brother Mike still bemoans the fact that he lost his favorite bicycle in that fire. He had left it in back where Ward Miller did service work. That fire got so hot that it had the tin popping off the roof of Harry's building. It is a wonder that we didnt lose the whole block as the building was huge. It was a testament to the ability of our volunteer firefighters and neighboring volunteer departments.
I remember the flood in the mid 1960's when the water almost reached town and we later caught fish out of the potholes in the road.
I also remember when my dad had the blacksmith shop and he was doing some welding on a wagon tongue during a rainy day. He was sitting on the tongue with his feet in the water when he recieved a pretty good shock. It threw him off of the wagon. I can still remember the smell of that shop and everytime I get around some old grease, memories come flooding back.
I remember venturing into the tiny old houses that lined the east side of the railroad tracks and finding old letters, magazines and newspapers from the turn of the century. Many of the old houses still had furniture and clothing in them and it appeared that someone had just got up and left and never came back. I had quite a collection of portable kerosene stoves that I took from those houses. Do any of you remember the itinerant dealer that would travel through town a couple of times a year to solicit for antiques? I believe that I sold him an old picture frame or two that I found in those homes.
I remember shooting rats at the town dump which was located on the Iowa side of the Big Sioux. On a quiet day you could hear the rats moving garbage all over the dump. Occasionally you could even find something worth taking home.
I remember Fullenkamps Drugstore and Soda Fountain. You could find me there every Saturday morning drinking a chocolate coke, cherry phosphate or cherry sour. I would pay for the soda and then spend an hour or so reading the comics. All of my mothers day and birthday gifts were purchased from that store. Bud & Mary were very kind and I think that they really enjoyed having us kids around. I later used Bud as my first reference to get into the Army and after that for my first civilian job. What he saw in the long haired kid, I dont know.
I also remember the Rogness Hardware Store and being greeted by him when I stopped in to buy some fishing hooks or sinkers. Marvin had a large garden next to our house when we lived in town and he always shared a little with us kids. My dad said that he remembered watching television through the hardware store window in the late 40's or early 50's. I guess that, that was a big treat back then. I have a phonograph that my grandfather purchased from Marv's in the late 40's. My mother used to take me to Torkelsons Clothing store to purchase a couple of pairs of jeans for the school year. I always had to be careful in my school jeans and take change out of them as soon as I got home. We didnt have dozens of pairs of jeans like kids have today.
Us kids, had a great time swimming in Roy Rollings gravel pit after the city took over maintenance of it. The water was clear and we had an actual sand or perhaps gravel beach.
I remember when many of the men got together and cleaned it up. Too bad, the state doesnt take any pride in it. They have a chance to make the pits into a really attractive place to hike, swim and fish in. I was really surprised by all of the water in the extreme north end. It is a neat wetlands environment and could really use a little management and a trail or two.
I remember the flood in the mid 1960's when the water almost reached town and we later caught fish out of the potholes in the road.
I also remember when my dad had the blacksmith shop and he was doing some welding on a wagon tongue during a rainy day. He was sitting on the tongue with his feet in the water when he recieved a pretty good shock. It threw him off of the wagon. I can still remember the smell of that shop and everytime I get around some old grease, memories come flooding back.
I remember venturing into the tiny old houses that lined the east side of the railroad tracks and finding old letters, magazines and newspapers from the turn of the century. Many of the old houses still had furniture and clothing in them and it appeared that someone had just got up and left and never came back. I had quite a collection of portable kerosene stoves that I took from those houses. Do any of you remember the itinerant dealer that would travel through town a couple of times a year to solicit for antiques? I believe that I sold him an old picture frame or two that I found in those homes.
I remember shooting rats at the town dump which was located on the Iowa side of the Big Sioux. On a quiet day you could hear the rats moving garbage all over the dump. Occasionally you could even find something worth taking home.
I remember Fullenkamps Drugstore and Soda Fountain. You could find me there every Saturday morning drinking a chocolate coke, cherry phosphate or cherry sour. I would pay for the soda and then spend an hour or so reading the comics. All of my mothers day and birthday gifts were purchased from that store. Bud & Mary were very kind and I think that they really enjoyed having us kids around. I later used Bud as my first reference to get into the Army and after that for my first civilian job. What he saw in the long haired kid, I dont know.
I also remember the Rogness Hardware Store and being greeted by him when I stopped in to buy some fishing hooks or sinkers. Marvin had a large garden next to our house when we lived in town and he always shared a little with us kids. My dad said that he remembered watching television through the hardware store window in the late 40's or early 50's. I guess that, that was a big treat back then. I have a phonograph that my grandfather purchased from Marv's in the late 40's. My mother used to take me to Torkelsons Clothing store to purchase a couple of pairs of jeans for the school year. I always had to be careful in my school jeans and take change out of them as soon as I got home. We didnt have dozens of pairs of jeans like kids have today.
Us kids, had a great time swimming in Roy Rollings gravel pit after the city took over maintenance of it. The water was clear and we had an actual sand or perhaps gravel beach.
I remember when many of the men got together and cleaned it up. Too bad, the state doesnt take any pride in it. They have a chance to make the pits into a really attractive place to hike, swim and fish in. I was really surprised by all of the water in the extreme north end. It is a neat wetlands environment and could really use a little management and a trail or two.
I Remember When- Memories to 1940
I know that there are plenty of good stories and memories out there, so I have started several pages with "I Remember When". Each will cover two decades. Please share your stories with all of us.
Historical Atlas of Dakota 1884
Lincoln Co., SD - Description and History, 1884. Found in A. T. Andreas' "Historical Atlas of Dakota", 1884. .EDEN.--The earliest settlers in this town were, Frazier Gilman, John Davis, A. B. Wheelock, David Thorpe, J. B. Bradley, Andrew Gove, and some others, who settled in 1868.The original town plat of Eden was laid out two or three miles southwest of its present site, on land owned by Frazier Gilman. This must have been in the northeastern part of Virginia precinct, in Union County, then, however, forming a part of Lincoln County.Mr. Gilman blocked out a town and surveyed and probably sold a number of lots, though no plat was ever recorded. He erected a fine store building and carried on the mercantile business for a number of years. He also built a hotel, and was the leading citizen of the place for several years. When he sold out or closed his business, it was carried on by S. B. Culbertson, who continued for about four years with a general stock.In 1878, the C. M. & St. P. Railway reached the site of the present town of Eden, which was laid out and began to grow rapidly. This was the death knell of the old town, and business and people soon removed to the new location. The present town site was laid out by A. B. Wheelock, in 1878.The place is organized as a village, and governed by a president and board of trustees. The population of the town is probably from 200 to 300.CHURCHES.--The Protestant Episcopal is the only church in the place, the organization dating back to 1878. A church edifice was erected in 1879, at a cost of $1,500. Rev. ____ McBride was the first pastor.SCHOOLS.--The first school was opened in the old town, in 1872, in a temporary building erected at a cost of $300. A new school building was erected in the present town, in 1880, at an expense of $1,700, which is a credit to the place. The school is graded, with about seventy-five pupils in attendance.A Good Templar's Lodge, No. 4, was organized in 1881.A newspaper, called the "Eden Sun," rose above the horizon on a cold morning in January, 1880, and for a brief period illumed the heavens in the region of the Big Sioux; but in the frosty atmosphere of October, in the following year, it "paled its ineffectual fires" and changed its orbit to a more congenial clime, to-wit, the growing town of Men[n]o in Hutchinson County.A flouring and custom mill was put in operation, in 1876, by Struble Brothers, which has done a good business, and met a want of the people of the Sioux Valley.A banking institution was established, in 1881, by Taylor & Russell. The first store was opened by S. B. Culbertson, and the original hotel by A. Snyder. A. B. Wheelock was the first postmaster.There are a half-dozen mercantile firms in the place, several grain and lumber dealers, two hotels, one or two physicians, a number of mechanics and artizans, and a considerable business.The place is organized as a village, under a president and board of trustees.
I am still trying to find the author of the following piece.
JAMES B. BRADLEY, of Hudson, Lincoln county, is numbered among the sterling pioneers and captains of industry who have aided in laying so broad and deep the foundations of our great commonwealth, and he stands today as a representative citizen of the county and state in which he took up his residence as a young man! thirty-five years ago, at which time the great undivided territory of Dakota was considered on the very frontier of civilization. It is well that the life records of these members of the "old guard" be perpetuated in connection with this generic history of the state. A son of John and Sarah Bradley, both of whom are now deceased, the subject of this sketch was born in Morgan county, Indiana, on the 12th of January 1849, and there he passed his early childhood, accompanying his parents on their removal to Iowa, in 1854. His father became one of the pioneer farmers of Appanoose county, that state, and thus the early educational opportunities of our subject were limited, owing to the exigencies and conditions then in evidence. He continued to assist in the work of the home farm until 1868, when, at the age of nineteen years, he came as a youthful pioneer to the territory of Dakota, locating in Lincoln county, where he has ever since maintained his home. With the growth and development of the county his fortunes have kept pace and he has no reason to regret the choice which led him to cast in his lot with its early settlers. In 1870 he took up a homestead claim of one hundred and sixty acres in Marion county, and this figured as the nucleus of his prosperity. He is now the owner of valuable farming lands in addition to his real estate holdings in the own of Hudson. In 1882 he left his farm and took up his residence in Hudson, which then bore the name of Eden, and here he engaged in the general merchandise business. In November of the same year, under the administration of President Garfield, he received the appointment of postmaster in the village, and he continued to serve in this capacity for the long period of twelve years. In 1883 he established himself in the grocery business, having the post office in his store, and in 1886 he associated himself with P. H. B. Clement, under the firm name of Bradley & Clement, in the purchase of the general merchandise business of S. B. Culbertson, the firm continuing to conduct the enterprise until 1897, when they disposed of the same. In 1899 Mr. Bradley engaged in the retail drug business, becoming the silent partner in the firm of W. M. Pigott & Company, and with this enterprise he is still identified. In politics Mr. Bradley has been a stalwart supporter of the Republican party from the time of attaining his legal majority, and he served six years as mayor of Hudson, though he has never been ambitious for public office. He holds the esteem of the entire community and is one of the best known citizens of the same.
I am still trying to find the author of the following piece.
JAMES B. BRADLEY, of Hudson, Lincoln county, is numbered among the sterling pioneers and captains of industry who have aided in laying so broad and deep the foundations of our great commonwealth, and he stands today as a representative citizen of the county and state in which he took up his residence as a young man! thirty-five years ago, at which time the great undivided territory of Dakota was considered on the very frontier of civilization. It is well that the life records of these members of the "old guard" be perpetuated in connection with this generic history of the state. A son of John and Sarah Bradley, both of whom are now deceased, the subject of this sketch was born in Morgan county, Indiana, on the 12th of January 1849, and there he passed his early childhood, accompanying his parents on their removal to Iowa, in 1854. His father became one of the pioneer farmers of Appanoose county, that state, and thus the early educational opportunities of our subject were limited, owing to the exigencies and conditions then in evidence. He continued to assist in the work of the home farm until 1868, when, at the age of nineteen years, he came as a youthful pioneer to the territory of Dakota, locating in Lincoln county, where he has ever since maintained his home. With the growth and development of the county his fortunes have kept pace and he has no reason to regret the choice which led him to cast in his lot with its early settlers. In 1870 he took up a homestead claim of one hundred and sixty acres in Marion county, and this figured as the nucleus of his prosperity. He is now the owner of valuable farming lands in addition to his real estate holdings in the own of Hudson. In 1882 he left his farm and took up his residence in Hudson, which then bore the name of Eden, and here he engaged in the general merchandise business. In November of the same year, under the administration of President Garfield, he received the appointment of postmaster in the village, and he continued to serve in this capacity for the long period of twelve years. In 1883 he established himself in the grocery business, having the post office in his store, and in 1886 he associated himself with P. H. B. Clement, under the firm name of Bradley & Clement, in the purchase of the general merchandise business of S. B. Culbertson, the firm continuing to conduct the enterprise until 1897, when they disposed of the same. In 1899 Mr. Bradley engaged in the retail drug business, becoming the silent partner in the firm of W. M. Pigott & Company, and with this enterprise he is still identified. In politics Mr. Bradley has been a stalwart supporter of the Republican party from the time of attaining his legal majority, and he served six years as mayor of Hudson, though he has never been ambitious for public office. He holds the esteem of the entire community and is one of the best known citizens of the same.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Lincoln Co. and Hudson resources
This is a very good Lincoln County resource. http://www.rootsweb.com/~sdlincol/
City of Hudson statistics: http://www.city-data.com/city/Hudson-South-Dakota.html
City of Hudson statistics: http://www.city-data.com/city/Hudson-South-Dakota.html
Hudson Today
Hudson is a community of approx 395 persons. It is located along the Big Sioux River and approx 17 miles east of I-29, between Sioux Falls and Sioux City. It has seen hard times during the past 40 years, but in the recent past people are dicovering this secret hideaway and have come to enjoy its secluded , quiet atmosphere. Property prices have climbed steadily and the city has begun to enjoy an expansion and renewal of the downtown business district. Homes are being remodeled and properties have been cleaned up. There is a new fire department, city hall and city daycare. The Fillin Station, former lumberyard, old fire house, grocery, elevator and mercantile have had facelifts. I have heard that the bank will also be getting a new facelift in the near future. I know from personal experience that the town board and the Economic Development Corporation are easy to work with and while their resources are limited, they go out of their way to assist in whatever they can.
I will be posting contemporary photos of the town and homes in the future. Please feel free to email me with any photos that you would like to have posted. I would really like to see some of our early immigrant homes preserved and restored to original. Perhaps someone could find a use for them as a "Sunday home" as they called them in Texas. I have posted photos of two early homes and of the bridge that I know as "Coles Bridge".
I will be posting contemporary photos of the town and homes in the future. Please feel free to email me with any photos that you would like to have posted. I would really like to see some of our early immigrant homes preserved and restored to original. Perhaps someone could find a use for them as a "Sunday home" as they called them in Texas. I have posted photos of two early homes and of the bridge that I know as "Coles Bridge".
Coles bridge is another beautiful spot and with a little work it could be a lovely local spot for picnicing and fishing. Unfortunately it is currently a place for beer parties and the area has been trashed. The cement deck is suffering from the effects of bonfires that have been built on the bridge and I have found burnt remains of everything from wood pallets to TV's and even a piano. Scenic spots available to the public, like this bridge are rare and should be preserved.
I wish that we had a horse, hiking or bike trail from rr bridge north of the gravel pit then south along the river to Coles bridge and perhaps 3 or 4 miles beyond that. I know every bit of that river bank from Simuneks old place to the Hawarden bridge. There is some really nice country in there. I remember when Coles pasture had trees in the wetland bog and you could find frogs, ducks, pheasants and other wildlife in there. Hudson could be a place where people could enjoy the solitude and wildlife all along the river. Many of us older folks (me? I am only 50) think of the Big Sioux as that nasty old river. Well, I believe that it has changed a great deal and people are finding an appreciation for it and are enjoying canoeing and hiking along its banks. The area around Hudson is still an undeveloped well kept secret.
Hudson - Eden Yesterday
I have started this blog with the thought of compiling a history of Hudson and Eden South Dakota. Hopefully, with my readers assistance, we will be able to gather a collection of memories and photos of this historical little village.
I own the old Milwaukee Road railroad depot in Hudson and I hope to be able to display many of these memories and photos when the depot is restored. I am particularly interested in old photos, negatives or slides of the area and its inhabitants. You can send the digital photos directly to me at rwkruid@aol.com or I can schedule a visit with you and scan the photos. The old photo negatives work particularly well with my scanner and I would really appreciate the chance to preserve or copy them. Many ancestors of our area residents arrived by train at the Hudson depot and I would like to compose a list of them and the dates that they arrived. I am also interested in finding some of the Eden Echo and Hudsonite newspapers. In the late 1960’s I found many Eden papers in an old house just down the street from Florence Berg. I gave them to my former school teacher, a Mrs. Scott when I was in the 7th grade and I would love to be able to track these newspapers down again.
I would also like to speak with someone who can point out the Eden town site. Is there anything left of the town? Any foundations, etc? Whitey (Robert) Fitch writes: "The old townsite of Eden is located one south and about three fourths of a mile west. It is now a corn field but when I was a kid in the fifties and early sixties it was John Gilman's pasture. There were foundations and holes where homes and businesses had been located and you could figure out how the town had been laid out. There was a deep hole in the Pattee Creek at the time I was growing up that we used as a swimming in hole so I walked and drove through that pasture dozens of times. My great grandpa came here in 1873. We have old letters that are addressed to Eden, Dakota Territory. My grandmother used to talk about the stage coach running from Sioux City to Sioux Falls. It stopped at Eden and then ran on the road past our farm and would stop if you flagged it down and you wanted to board. In the blizzard of 1881 my great grandfather and grandfather were coming back to the farm from Eden and got lost in the storm. They eventually hit a haystack on the Fowles farm (across the road from our place). They realized where they were and stayed put there until the storm let up and they could make it home". End of Fitch comments.
When my sons were little, I would take them to Pattee Creek and tell them that this was the best creek in the world. How it never ran dry and that I could always catch creek chubs or suckers out of it and I could seine the creek for minnows and crayfish. As a teenager, in the fall, I made more money than my dad did while trapping the Pattee Creek. My sons are now in their 20's and they still occassionally ask me "Dad what is the best creek in the world"? I cant wait to take my granddaughter to the "best creek in the world".
I had also heard of an old mill that once stood about ¼ mile north of the Iowa/SD bridge and I would like to find more info on it.
My grandfather, Henry Kruid as well as my father John Kruid, once owned the blacksmith shop in town and I am interested in photos and any tangible items that were an original part of the shop.
My father said that there were once several lumberyards and machinery dealerships in town. Does anyone have personal memories of them?
Who were our town fathers, are any of them your ancestors?
I own the old Milwaukee Road railroad depot in Hudson and I hope to be able to display many of these memories and photos when the depot is restored. I am particularly interested in old photos, negatives or slides of the area and its inhabitants. You can send the digital photos directly to me at rwkruid@aol.com or I can schedule a visit with you and scan the photos. The old photo negatives work particularly well with my scanner and I would really appreciate the chance to preserve or copy them. Many ancestors of our area residents arrived by train at the Hudson depot and I would like to compose a list of them and the dates that they arrived. I am also interested in finding some of the Eden Echo and Hudsonite newspapers. In the late 1960’s I found many Eden papers in an old house just down the street from Florence Berg. I gave them to my former school teacher, a Mrs. Scott when I was in the 7th grade and I would love to be able to track these newspapers down again.
I would also like to speak with someone who can point out the Eden town site. Is there anything left of the town? Any foundations, etc? Whitey (Robert) Fitch writes: "The old townsite of Eden is located one south and about three fourths of a mile west. It is now a corn field but when I was a kid in the fifties and early sixties it was John Gilman's pasture. There were foundations and holes where homes and businesses had been located and you could figure out how the town had been laid out. There was a deep hole in the Pattee Creek at the time I was growing up that we used as a swimming in hole so I walked and drove through that pasture dozens of times. My great grandpa came here in 1873. We have old letters that are addressed to Eden, Dakota Territory. My grandmother used to talk about the stage coach running from Sioux City to Sioux Falls. It stopped at Eden and then ran on the road past our farm and would stop if you flagged it down and you wanted to board. In the blizzard of 1881 my great grandfather and grandfather were coming back to the farm from Eden and got lost in the storm. They eventually hit a haystack on the Fowles farm (across the road from our place). They realized where they were and stayed put there until the storm let up and they could make it home". End of Fitch comments.
When my sons were little, I would take them to Pattee Creek and tell them that this was the best creek in the world. How it never ran dry and that I could always catch creek chubs or suckers out of it and I could seine the creek for minnows and crayfish. As a teenager, in the fall, I made more money than my dad did while trapping the Pattee Creek. My sons are now in their 20's and they still occassionally ask me "Dad what is the best creek in the world"? I cant wait to take my granddaughter to the "best creek in the world".
I had also heard of an old mill that once stood about ¼ mile north of the Iowa/SD bridge and I would like to find more info on it.
My grandfather, Henry Kruid as well as my father John Kruid, once owned the blacksmith shop in town and I am interested in photos and any tangible items that were an original part of the shop.
My father said that there were once several lumberyards and machinery dealerships in town. Does anyone have personal memories of them?
Who were our town fathers, are any of them your ancestors?
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