The Grand Opera House - Huron, South Dakota

 

For 17 years, the Grand Opera House provided a venue for many of Huron's political and entertainment events.  It was built at 32 Third St. SW. , at the site of what many of us know as the former downtown J. C. Penney store.  Construction was started in 1885, and it was in operation until it burned to the ground on Dec. 17, 1902.   The auditorium had seating for 300, but as a whole, included upstairs and downstairs, it could accommodate 1200-2000 people.  The apartment above the Opera House was occupied by Sgt. Glenn of the US Signal Service Station.  There were other offices and rooms rented out as well.

The 1898 Sanborn Fire Map shows the building's location in downtown Huron.  A grocery store was located to the east, and a steam laundry across the alley to the west were the Grand Opera House's nearest neighbors at that time.  

Closeup of the Sanborn map above

The night of the fire was an eventful one for Huron; not only was the opera house in danger, but the entire block, which comprised 20% of Huron's business wealth.   The best way to tell the story is to let the Daily Huronite, as written at that time, do it.

Huron Daily Huronite
Dec. 18, 1902, pg. 4

LAST OF "THE GRAND"

Huron Grand Opera House is Burned to the Level of the Street
Most Destructive Fire in Huron for Years Endangers for Hours Balance of the City
A Bad Blaze, With City in Danger, is Well Fought, and the Firemen are Heroes
North Bros. Theater Lost Several Thousand Dollars -- Other Losses

     Fire was discovered in the Grand opera house at 4:50 Wednesday afternoon, and for over two hours of stubborn resistance to the efforts of the firemen it was a question whether the balance of the block, representing one-fifth of the business wealth of the city, could be saved. Not until after 7 o'clock was it safe to hazard the notion that the fire was under control. Every foot of available hose in the city was at command, a large force of firemen worked steadily and admirably, water was turned into the Third street water pipes from every direction so that the pressure was the best that could be had and a flood of water was turned into the building, yet the best that could be done was to prevent the fire from spreading. That the fire did not get away from the building is a matter of congratulation to Huron people, as doubtless 20 per cent of the entire business wealth of the city is contained in the block on Third street and Dakota avenue in which the opera house was situated. The opera house building burned to the ground, leaving standing only a part of the front wall.

THE OPERA HOUSE
     The Grand opera house building was owned by W. L. Miner, although a sale was in course of completion when the fire alarm was sent in.
     The North Bros. Theater company were playing a week's engagement and some members of the company were in the building and in the neighborhood when the fire was first discovered. Smoke was seen curling up through the stage from a fire which had communicated from the furnace to the wood-work in the dressing rooms under the stage, and an alarm was at once sent in. The theatrical people got at some of their trunks, but as soon as the fire chief arrived he ordered all doors closed and no further admittance was allowed to the building. Considerable personal property might have been saved had the doors been open, but the chief doubtless acted wisely in taking every precaution that would seem advisable toward the end of saving the balance of the block.
     For an hour and a half there was no blaze, although the dense volumes of smoke showed the interior well [sic] on fire. Lines of hose were played into the front and rear of the doomed building; two streams were played onto the blaze from the side stairway of the Wilcox building, across the alley on the west, while firemen with a line of hose worked from the roof of the adjoining block on the east. In fact, there was a steady flood of water pouring into the blaze from the start, but the building being a brick veneer except on the west where it joined the Meyers solid brick, there was no much of a chance to save the building after fire had once established a right of way between the wood-work and the walls.
     Not until 8 P.M. Did the firemen feel confident that adjoining property was comparatively safe, when a recess was taken for supper, although water was played on the ruins all night.
     The insurance on the opera house was $3000, as follows: $1000 in the New York Underwriters; $1000 in the Palatine, of London; $1000 in the Glenn's Falls, Minnesota. Policies to the amount of $6000 expired only a few days since.

NORTH BROS. HEAVEY LOSERS
     North Bros. Theatrical company were playing an engagement in the Grand, and are heavy losers. Most of the theatrical wardrobe was in the property room – thirty five trunks filled, going up in the blaze.
     Every piece of the scenery of the company – probably $400 – was lost.
     The North Bros. And members figure themselves out several thousands [sic] dollars. Five hundred dollars would no more than replace each of the ladies' wardrobes, and with thirty-five big property trunks, the loss here reaches well up in the thousands.
     Although every man in the company is a loser to some extent, the ladies have fared worse.
     The personnel of the North Bros. Company as appearing here this week, all of whom are losers: C. Chapin North, F. C. Carter, Fredk. Clarke, C. B. Monroe, Edwin Patterson, Gavin Dorothy, M. Tarlton, Genevierre Russell, Mabel Colton, Gertrude Clarke, Mae Monroe, Annetta Tarlton, Virginia Harvey, Grant Simpson.
     The North Bros. Will play to a benefit performance in the Daum opera house this (Thursday) evening.

THE WESTERN UNION
     In case of fire no effort is made to save any of the instruments, furniture, etc. In the offices of the Western Union Telegraph company. So when the fire became too warm in the Western Union offices on the second floor of the opera house building, the manager clicked his last message in the old office, locked the doors, and Mr. Jones and his assistants proceeded to the general offices of the North-Western railway company, where desk room was supplied and business resumed, after an intermission of the time required in walking from the opera house to the new temporary quarters – a distance of two blocks. Commercial business will be handled from this latter location for a few days. The Western Union loss will not exceed $700.

ADJOINING BUILDINGS
     The first two brick store buildings on the east, adjoining the opera house, are owned by F. M. Wilcox. The solid wall withstood the fire in good shape, and saved the balance of the block.
     The first store room on the east was occupied by Cory & McAdams, dry goods. Everything was taken off the shelves and there will be considerable loss here in the finer grades of dry goods. The store will not open until the insurance adjusters get through with their work, although the proprietors hope to resume business by Monday – possibly before.
     Next east from Cory & McAdam is A. Robinson, shoes. Window displays here were taken down and preparations made for moving, but there will be no loss except the time necessary to rearrange.

HISTORY OF THE BUILDING
     The Grand opera house was built in 1886, by Helm & Walters, and cost about $22,000. The property changed hands a number of times and was later sold to C. S. Loveland, for $7500. Mr. Loveland managed the house until he sold to W. L. Miner, on May 1, 1902. Mr. Miner paid $8500 for the property and carried $3000 insurance.
     Mr. Miner was negotiating a sale of the property when the fire broke out. A check in payment for the same had been drawn and awaited the completion of transfer papers on the part of Mr. Miner. An attorney was at work on the final transfer when the alarm was sounded.
     From the opera house east to the Dakota avenue corner and thence south, offices in the second and third floors were occupied by professional men. Here in many cases doctors and lawyers moved out – while clear through the block arrangements were in course toward getting out – it looking at times as though the block was doomed.

OTHER TENANTS
     Nels Paulson, tailor, first floor, moved out most of the stuff. Will lose some. Insured.
     Byron Healey, bakery, first floor and basement, moved out everything except a stove. Loses value of a bake oven.
     Dr. T. J. Wood, office on second floor, saved some of his books and furnishings. However, here also is almost a total loss, in library and surgical instruments. The doctor had $400 insurance.

SPARKS FROM THE BLAZE
     During and after the fire the firemen were tendered open house at the restaurant of Eberhart-Huntley, Senator F. M. Wilcox footing the bill. For over two hours not a fireman left his post, after which time it was safe to leave the work to relays.
     J. T. Breen is among those who attended the opening and closing dates in the Grand, being present when the building was formally opened and also holding a seat at the North Bros. Entertainment Tuesday night.
     The water pressure was excellent, and the Huron fire department did splendidly. The work was well handled and there was at no time a class in the execution of orders. Situated in the center of a solid block of buildings, protection in every direction was necessary and this protection was so nicely balanced that adjoining buildings are scarcely more than scorched. From the start the first was in charge of Chief W. A. Ritschlag, and the HURONITE wants to congratulate the chief and every man on the force for the work done.
     The force of firemen from the shops of the North-Western railway company, with one cart, helped the city department in good shape.
     North Bros. Figure their loss will exceed $5000.
     Immediately after the fire F. M. Wilcox offered Mr. Miner $4000 spot cash for the lot on which the building was situated.

The Grand Opera House

Later, J. C Penney Co. building at that site

The site as it looks today

Sources:

"Do You Remember? Gov. Mellette inauguration held in Grand Opera House in 1885" by Roger Kasa.

"Frame by Frame in Huron," by William Lampe

Huron Daily Huronite, Dec. 18, 1902, pg. 4

Google Earth

Pro-Division Day Celebration and Re-enactment Pamphlet

June 1898 Huron, South Dakota Sanborn Fire Maps

Lisa Klungseth's Journey to the United States and a New Life - Part 3 of 3

In Part 2, Lisa's train was just coming into Minnesota at nightfall: 

Now it is dark and I cannot see anything. It is raining and I am waiting eagerly for time to go by. I sat and thought about how strange it was that Adolf could not come to meet me before this. When we got to Brookings – two hours before Huron – I went out to the corridor to get some air. Two men with long visors on their caps came in. I didn’t pay any attention to them. Then suddenly I heard someone say “Lisa.” It was A. who had taken the bus to meet me. He was as happy as a little boy to see me again. We talked as acquaintances then, but then when I saw the gleam in his eye, I recognized him again. When we got to Huron we took a car trip around the town and had a long talk. We would go to his place in Huron and be there for the night because he had to be at work at 5:00.

When we got into the house I got the surprise of my life. He had not been there for three weeks and it was completely terrible. It was two railroad cars which stood together, making a square. The windows had been broken by hailstones and the sand had come in. There was no place where you could sit. It smelled like manure and tar because there was tar paper nailed over the holes. There was nothing to clean with and I used a roll of toilet paper to take off the worst. My head was aching from all the traveling and I wanted both to throw up and to sleep. There was nothing of that to do. I had a wish to leave because the dirty mess was the worst I knew. Adolf didn’t really know what we should do. I had a desire to drive out to the farm, but for his sake I stayed. He had bought a light-blue nightgown which would have fit my mother. I had joked with him and written that I was as heavy as my mother and he had believed it. We slept very little, because it didn’t take very long before the alarm clock went off and he went to his job. I laid down and slept and made a kind of meal at 10:00. When he came home at 12:30 he was done and then we drove around the town. I did not like Huron. One must be familiar with the town before one likes it there. I was really anxious to come out to the farm. We got there at 6:00 in the evening. I received a hearty reception from Janice, Barbara and Everett. They had cooked a chicken, really good food. Adolf had kept rockets from the Fourth of July and we had a big party that evening. I warmed up Norwegian chocolate and we ate cream and cakes.

The days which came afterwards were completely different than what I had thought. The children had taken care of the house by themselves for three years. There were no decent places other than the kitchen, and everything was very messy. One room had been used only for storage. That room I decided to use for a bedroom. We were agreed that we should be married August 3, and there was a lot that had to be done first. I cleaned and tidied the house for three weeks. We talked with the pastor, ordered cards and sent invitations to 70 people. We hardly slept. We worked, talked and joked as a couple of youngsters.

We planned to get married at the American Lutheran Church at 1:00 and eat lunch at a hotel at 2:00. Mary and Ove with their family came to Yale in the morning. I was so anxious that Magda and Lars would get there. Yes, at 10:00 they came with two children. We were so happy to see each other. I rode with Magda to the church. She and Lars were our attendants. Early that morning I had to get up and clean the outdoor toilet because the hens had been there.

When I got to the church there were flowers for me from Adolph. There was one flat bouquet for a corsage, a small one for my hair and one for the table. I got a large bouquet from Anna and Kristian. We put that on the table with a Norwegian flag in the middle.

We had 62 guests and many gifts. The lunch consisted of ham sandwiches, a piece of cake, a piece of pie, coffee and wedding cake. We had grape wine with which to skål, only one glass for each person.

Oluf was toastmaster and there were many speeches. After the meal Mary, Amanda and I packed up the gifts and then we walked around and visited with all the guests. At 5:00 we were done and drove home to Yale.

When we got out to the car it was all written on in white letters “Just married,” etc. Behind the car hung a long row of tin cans on a string so when we drove they rattled with a terrible noise. All of Huron could hear us. All over people would turn and have a good laugh. When we got home the house was full of people. It took a long time before we could get in and make coffee at Yale and show them around and drink a little beer.

When I got home, I had to take off my wedding finery and put on another dress so I could serve coffee. When some of the guests had left, we made supper. Oluf and Kari and Nora were with us at Yale and it was really fun. Nora was just as nice as in my childhood, and when we go to Canton we will visit her.

Lars, Magda, Maren and Kenneth stayed at Yale until Wednesday morning. Then I rode with them to Salt Lake City. That trip is described in more detail later in the book.

Lisa Klungseth's Journey to the United States and a New Life - Part 2 of 3

 Continued...  Lisa's boat entered Manhattan and they prepare to disembark:

July 5.

It was a lot of work to depart from the Stavangerfjord. We stood in a line. We sat here. We sat there. We waited. We sweated and when we had come past all the counters on the boat, there was customs to go through. I was fortunate there, but many had to pay for antiques and cloudberry jam. Travelers Aid took them and some of us and helped us out of the station. There we sat for many hours, but finally we got into a train and could leave. I am writing while the train is going.

This fast train is very noisy. It was a big relief to come into it and leave New York, which we didn’t like and couldn’t do anything there. The conductor was very pleasant. It took a long time and we were starving, but we had to get through it in order to leave. Many think that it made them nervous, but not me. There were so many enjoyable sights here that one does not have time to be sad. We complained a lot, were hungry and sat, and waited and sat. Between New York and Philadelphia there was mist which was there the whole time. But afterwards there was more farmland. The wheat is ripe and some that was combined lies on the ground. Here are horses and cows and red soil along the railroad lines. The dirt is red and sun-dried and the sand is red sand. I see big green fields, but the train goes so fast that I can not see what they are. There are many more hills. We have very quick stops at the stations. The houses are quite pretty, red and white, but the towns are messy. There are many ironworks and factories all over, and rarely a greenhouse. Here are woods all over, but I can not see what kind of trees are there. The train cars are just like ours. Your seat is reserved when the ticket is sold. The dining car is very pretty but chilly. The food is good. You can get a pillow for the back of your head for 25 cents. This is not a sleeper car.

The houses often have chimney pipes on top of them and often tapered roofs. The train cars are very large with red upholstery on the seats and white paper under your head. There are 72 seats in each train car. Close to the towns the houses are built of red bricks, but often decorated with something that looks like gray bricks. The railroad stations are dirty. There are no flowers and plants. They look like the east train station in Oslo.

It is certainly warm outside. I use sunglasses inside the car. There is a Negro who wakes us up when needed. Here are pine and fir trees that we are passing, tall ones. I see seven hen houses on a hill, and only white hens. I see a red barn. This looks like a farmyard in Gottland. We are going faster now. There are hardly any trees. There are some hills in the distance or only flat land. The Negro comes in and brings us fruit and chocolate and other good things. Here is land, land, land. Just like before we got to Harrisburg it ls very beautiful. There are large lakes, rivers, but rarely any boats. There is soot from the ironworks. We stand a long time underground. From where we are we have to walk up many steps. The Americans are certainly not any better than we are.

A soldier is coming home. There is a big reunion with his wife and children. It looks like it is usual and approved, yes, that the women clothe themselves with light and airy sleeveless dresses. People drink colored water. I have not yet drunk the water. I had coffee in New York and coffee on the train, and not anything more. It is not hot. I am not thirsty. I am enjoying myself. Here it is a delight to sit in the dark shadows under the ground and the Negroes serve coffee for 50 cents for a cup of coffee – 3.50 kroner. Yes, yes. Then we start up again, very quickly. Yes, we will go far tonight.

Early this morning, 6:20, we came to Chicago. There I was separated from all those I knew from the boat and with many good wishes I came to my first northwestern station. Alvin was going to meet me but I didn’t see him. But when I had walked a little, he and his wife and Halvorsen and his wife came. They had been looking for me. I had been to Travelers Aid and got the best service I had gotten so far in America. The service at Union Station was very poor. I carried my suitcases myself and they were heavy.

Alvin seemed a little reserved and embarrassed at first, but I got a hearty welcome from them when I went back to see the schools in Chicago at last. He invited me many times and I believe he meant it. This is a much nicer train. It is Sunday and outside it is so clean here. The other train was so messy. We see much more ____?_______ on this side of Chicago. It is more neat and orderly. Here it is also flat but not so _____?_____. At 12:40 we stopped right outside a church. The train did not blow its whistle. It is so still, so still. People are coming in cars and stop outside. Here are flowers outside all the houses. Everything is painted nicely. Here now and then we find meadows at the same time.

There are no Negroes here, only in the dining car. People look more French and Spanish. There are many with brown eyes and dark hair (both Alvin and Anne had brown eyes). There is a completely different type of people than yesterday. These are all well-dressed people. They stand proudly by the train cars and surround us as we drive through. Here are also _____?_____ fields. There are no places to set your cups down and no place to put trash either, and there is nobody who throws them away. It is not permitted to smoke in the train car, only out in the corridors. It is clean in the bathrooms and there are two sitting places for those who want to sit and comb their hair. There are drinking cups and paper towels.

The woman who sits by me has IKE on a button on her handbag. In Chicago a man came into a café. He had a waitress stand beside him and had a picture taken with a sign which said IKE between them. It was most likely a picture for the newspaper. This picture is all over and is an advertisement for Eisenhower.

We have left Sparta and are in Wisconsin. There is a beautiful landscape. There are low hills and large farms, trees of many kinds. Land, land, plenty of land. There are 30 cows standing together and sun, only sun. Some are drying hay. There is a flat landscape. It is 3:25. There are well-kept buildings on the farms. The cows here are either black and white or red and white. There are kilometer-long fields of corn. I see windmills and the first cabbage field. This is the finest I have seen in this country. We are at West Salem at 3:20.

Now we are coming to a long, long marsh. There is a small bird down there with colored feathers. We are coming to LaCrosse. There are 18 strange ducks on the bank of a large lake; no, it is most likely the Mississippi. Now we are coming into Minnesota.

Lisa Klungseth's Journey to the United States and a New Life - Part 1 of 3

This journal, written by Lisa in Norwegian, starts aboard the Stavangerfjord, 25 June 1952: 

Leaving from pier 1, exactly at 12:00 noon after getting flowers and people’s kisses, tears and waves, the boat left Oslo in bright sunshine. The baggage was not opened again after they had searched it. I passed by four counters without a question, all the papers were in order, except the vaccination attest which had to be entered into the form. Mari, Daiel and Mari Kjersti from Elverum, Arne Velo and Giskere(?) were on the pier and stood and waved and I held a large bouquet I got from them. It will decorate our dinner table.

A little after the boat departed, an announcement came on the loudspeaker that we should eat lunch. We had to stand in a line to get tickets for the meal. We got them and also were assigned places which we would keep for our meals. I was assigned to table #16. It was a table for four people and I was excited about who I would get as tablemates. First came an old man from Duluth in Minnesota. He has lived in America since 1948 and had been home in Fredrikstad three months (a business man).

The next one who came was a Swedish man, named Anders Hager. He had heard about the American war in Korea. He was on a travel permit with the Swedish Embassy and would come back often. The third one was from Drammen. He was going to Vancouver to fish for salmon. So I became the only woman at the table, and we were all traveling alone. We ate roast beef with vegetables and afterwards we got coffee and a piece of cake.

I am temporarily alone in a cabin #463, bunk A on the E deck. It is roomy with two sinks, hot and cold water. There are three closets. There is a small place for suitcases. Right outside the cabin is a large laundry room. There are six washstands and one enclosed bathtub. There is an ironing board, which can be used between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. and after 5:00. You have to sign up to use the bathtub ahead of time so that you get a turn. (There is a bench you can sit on while you wait.)

It is now 2:20. We are out in the Oslo Fjord by Oskarsborg. The flag is flying. It is blowing quite briskly now, and most of the people have disappeared from the top deck. I have already had my first fright. When I was going to open up my door and get my writing book I couldn’t find my pocketbook where I had the keys. I looked all over in my purse. Keys, 200 kroner, gone, gone. I ran up to the deck where I had recently sat. There they lay alone on a stand. A man had seen that I laid them there and he stood and smiled when I came. I can tell you that I was relieved.

There is a Negro on the boat. He looks like he is enjoying himself. If I could speak English I would talk to him.

Mrs. Asbjornsen from Tromsø is traveling on the same boat. She has two boys with her – 8 and 14-year-olds. They are going to Edmonton in Canada where her husband is working.

Supper at 6:00 was weiners and all kinds of toppings for sandwiches, open-faced sandwiches, coffee and tea. I was so hungry that my stomach was growling. It is 8:00 so I will take a bath and wash off my Oslo dirt. I have greeted a teacher from Holmenstrand whose name is (Borghild) Borgny Steen.

Our dishwasher has only one good eye. He cleans off the smørgåsbord table and likes to joke with us.
At 10:00 at night we were docked at Kristiansand for one and one-half hours and we didn’t get to go on land.

June 26.

I woke at 7:20. Breakfast was served until 8:00 with porridge and milk, an orange, bread and many toppings, coffee.

At 9:00 we got to Stavanger and were there for two and one-half hours. Mrs. Kvielsen (in a cabin to Vancouver), her three children and I went on land and looked at the cathedral, the parks and the harbor.
Dinner was at 12:00 with lamb stew, Victoria pudding, crackers and cheese. I was with an acquaintance named Tangen and his wife from Lillehammer and Borgny Steen, a teacher from Holmenstrand.

We got to Bergen at 7:00 in the evening. Mrs. Steen was going to wait while I made a long-distance call to Tysse, but when I came out on the deck she was gone. Therefore I only walked a little and then got back onboard again.

After awhile many came onto the pier. There were more and more on the balconies. Here there were also flowers and activity, but not as it was in Oslo. The crew was so busy and they sold many things – cards, stamps, long-distance telephone cards, and answered many questions. They will be happy when we get out to sea.

Yes, we finally are soon coming out to the North Sea and will have some bad weather. I slept Thursday night and felt good on Friday, but Friday night and all day Saturday and Saturday night I laid flat on my bunk. I ate Dramamine and got two kinds of pills. It helped a little. I ate all of my meal and threw it up right away. Then I ate a little more and slept. Today we met the ship Oslofjord at 10:30. Then the weather got better and I hope it will be better where we are going.

Friday night there was a movie in the dining hall. Today at 11:00 there were church services in the auditorium. Pastor Yuve gave quite a short talk, only half an hour.

It is foggy and rain so it is best to remain below deck. The days become quite long. The American women are really very nice. They like America and think they have it easy. I don’t think their clothes are any different from ours.

They tell that married people have their rings on their left ring finger. They have all their rings on their left hand, never on the right. An engagement was never longer than a month. They think we Norwegians are dumb who have such long engagements. They buy their clothes readymade and bread that has been baked. But why most Americans wear glasses, I have not been able to figure out. Here are many who travel during vacations and visit people for two to three months, such as I do. But most of them do not have such long trips.

July 1.
Yesterday I saw two films. In the auditorium they played two films from Utah. One film was photographed in the Geographic magazine of June 1952. This can be purchased in Norway. The other one was from the war. They were in English and I did not understand everything. Today we have gotten our customs number. We have gone into the toll department to show what we are bringing with us. We stood in a line by a large table in the auditorium. A pursor helped the unfortunate people who could not speak English, and two others handed out the cards. Yes, we talk and hear a lot about America. I have gotten acquainted with many people, mostly Americans.

Mrs. Steen still writes songs and will perform in the auditorium with what she has done. It is cloudy weather so I have not taken any pictures yet.

I have been walking around the boat. The crew consists of 308 men and girls. There is a bakery, a cafeteria, slaughter room, potato peeling room – 13 sacks for each dinner. There is a store, a library, barbershop, beauty parlor, a room where you can bathe, a laundry room, ironing room, hospital with a place for 24 beds, a doctor and three nurses. Today there will be a children’s party in the auditorium.
Lillemo from Brentforth, S.D., 68 years old. He was a banker in Norway for 48 years in America. He said that he froze so much in Norway that he is traveling back from Ryfylke. He did not find a wife.

1 kilo of coffee is 14 kroner.

1 kilo of butter is 14 kroner. Both are very expensive.

Norwegian chocolate is much better than American.

July 2.

There is a little rough sea today. I don’t feel well. I took a suppository and felt better. The entertainment this evening was quite interesting. There was a dance for an hour and a half. I have darned stockings and struggled to fix my hair. I am bored with so much free time. It is not easy to write. Finding land would be the best. We have seen land today, Newfoundland.

No, the next time I travel to America I will fly. This is too much time to waste, and too much time to be outside. I am gaining weight with all this good food and now I see that I have to do something about it. I have not been diligent to read or learn English yet.

July 4.

I am writing in my bed at 6:30 a.m. Yesterday we had a nice day with Mrs. Brita Horperud and Jens Lillemo. I took pictures of them to have for later. Mrs. Roseth and I have become very well acquainted. She says she will come to my wedding even if she isn’t invited. She is going to invite me for a two-day visit in Chicago with her daughter, but has not invited me yet. The weather is beginning to be warmer. Today we will have the captain’s dinner at 6:00. Tonight we come into Manhattan. I hope and pray that the heat will not be too stifling. Then I am not able to do anything.

The Seeman Pheasant Farm of Miller, South Dakota

Mary Yost (right) and her sister

Nothing says "South Dakota" to the Seeman/Yost family like the ring-necked pheasant.

It all began in the early 1960s when Jack Seeman and his brother Jerry Yost wondered if they could raise pheasants in captivity.  They decided to find out.  But Jack moved out of state and Jerry's day job as a plumber kept him too busy to tend to the pheasants alone.  Their mother, Mary Yost, helped out "for something to do" and "to keep busy."  Mary, Jerry, and the pheasant farm ended up on land on the northwest edge of Miller.

Mary started out knowing nothing at all about raising pheasants, but learned quickly and gained experience.  There was no shortage of things to do on the Seeman Pheasant Farm.

In the fall, breeding stock for the following year had to be selected.  Typically about 65 hens were chosen, and along with the roosters, they needed to be cared for through the frigid South Dakota winter.

In the spring, the birds were put in pens with a ratio of six to nine hens to one rooster.  Mary's pens had boards on the sides to prevent the roosters from seeing each other, keeping their minds on the task at hand rather than on fighting.  In nature, hens lay their eggs in nests, but in captivity, they lay them on the ground, so the eggs needed to be collected frequently to keep them from being broken or eaten by the flock.  Each hen lays 50-60 eggs during the spring and summer seasons, resulting in around 3500 eggs that needed to be collected; about half of these would end up hatching.  Mary collected eggs at least once a day, and used a spoon secured to the end of a stick to avoid having to enter the pens and potentially upsetting the birds, resulting in broken eggs.

The eggs were placed in an incubator and later candled to determine which eggs were viable and which were not.  The process of candling involves holding the egg in front of a bright light to see if there is an embryo forming inside.  Mary would do this at night.  Fertile eggs were put back in the incubator and the others discarded.  The eggs would hatch after 23-24 days and the young chicks would be placed in the brooder house for 6 weeks.

Mary's brooder setup consisted of an outbuilding with three rooms, separated by small doors only 4' tall, each room containing a heat lamp to keep the young chicks warm.  Each brood of chicks was kept separately, as they would kill each other if mixed.  After six weeks the chicks were moved to outdoor pens.

Pheasant pens, measuring about 72 x 125', housed the young chicks.  Again, each brood was kept separately.  She clipped their right wings to prevent them from flying out of the safety of their pens, and one by one clipped their upper beaks with fingernail clippers to keep them from pecking each other.  Their diets were changed from a commercial feed ration to a growing mash with wheat screenings added to the mixture, which were obtained from the local elevator.  Feed rations were adjusted during the summer months to bring the birds to their proper dressed weight of 3-4 pounds.  Just before the start of the pheasant hunting season, which was when business peaked, the feed was changed yet again to fine-tune this process.  Then, the dressing and freezing began.


So, while Mary initially got involved for "something to do," she ended up with plenty to do.

While the business was largely a success, not everything always went smoothly.  One year a windstorm wiped out the entire flock.  Neighborhood cats constantly preyed on the young chicks.  Hawks and owls were a frequent threat.  One particular owl kept killing Mary's birds, so she set a trap and when the perpetrator was caught, she called the Department of Game, Fish and Parks to come and get it.  The officer did, but promptly turned it loose again and it came right back and continued to kill her birds.  So she found a more permanent solution to the problem.

Ironically, pheasant hunters were Mary's best customers, even when they got their limit in the field.  Her dressed, frozen pheasants did not count against their limit and frequently the out-of-state hunters gave away the birds they'd shot to local friends who could clean and dress them easier than they could.

Mary's grandsons converge upon Hand County for some pheasant hunting.

They turned to captive-raised pheasants, which were much easier to transport back home for their own dinner tables.  Also these pheasants, Mary explained, tasted much better than their wild counterparts and there was no shot or broken bones to content with which made their wives happy while cooking them.

While most of her pheasants were sold "for the dinner table," Pheasants Unlimited, Inc. of Sioux Falls, also purchased birds to bolster the pheasant population in Hand County.

Six of Mary's pheasants ended up in the National Zoo at Washington, D.C. after South Dakota Senator Karl Mundt took a tour of the zoo and noticed their sad specimen of our state bird.  The one Ring-Necked pheasant they had was a disgrace to the species and to the state, he said.  "Scrawny," and "rag-tag" were how he described it.  Upon his return to the state, he contacted the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks department and asked what could be done to rectify the situation, citing "state pride" being on the line.

The department contacted Mary and asked if she might be able to help.  Three hens and three roosters were donated from her flock.  It was initially announced by the GF&P that they had caught these birds in the wild, but local newspapers called it "propaganda" and made sure the true story of the pheasants' origins was known.  Regardless, Senator Mundt predicted, "It will probably pep up the old bird when it sees a real healthy, proud South Dakota pheasant," he said, "and it will start acting like one instead of like the pigeons with which it now apparently associates."

Various newspaper clippings about Mary's pheasant farm

Some of the items Mary made with feathers collected from her flock

Nothing went to waste on the Seeman Pheasant Farm.  Mary collected the beautiful iridescent feathers of all sizes, and created wearables from them - hat bands, ladies' hats, etc.  She worked carefully with small containers and tweezers, separating the feathers by size and color.  While working with some of the delicate, lighter-than-air feathers, one had to be careful of breathing too hard or moving too fast, or the feathers would become airborne.

During hunting season she had a window display in one of the shops in downtown Miller, and the items sold briskly with out-of-state hunters being anxious to return home with a gift for their wives or a remembrance for themselves.

Some of Mary's grandchildren were involved in the pheasant farm operations as well.  In the winter, if snow was deep and the birds could not make it to their attached sheds for shelter, they'd huddle together under the snow, and the grandkids would have to get inside the pens and poke around for them.  They could last awhile in these "snow caves," having both warmth and water in the form of snow but needed to have someone keep an eye out for this situation so they didn't starve.

Grandson Gary helped daily with whatever was needed - gathering eggs, hauling 5-gallon buckets of water, and helping catch birds and pluck feathers when it was time to dress the pheasants.

At processing time, he would help catch the birds with a wire and a hook on the end to get them by their legs, or they'd use gill nets.  In later years, his dog Cerb, who was part blue heeler, would help keep the pheasants rounded up.

Though the Seeman Pheasant Farm is long gone, pheasants are never far from the hearts of Mary's family - from her sons, to her grandsons, and now her great-grandsons.  Annually, they still gather for family hunting.

Maybe It Shouldn't Have Been Surprising After All...

It started with a piece of paper I'd found in the bottom of a box.  It looked like a bill of sale for something that my grandmother, Lisa Klungseth Hammer, had purchased.  It had a date and a location to send it to.  I knew she was near Trondheim in 1946, and this piece of paper documented it. 

But in looking at it more closely, I saw this receipt was for a book - the author's name and the title were listed.  The books a person reads says a lot about them, so I decided to see if I could find this work in the stack of books she'd left behind - and about halfway down the pile, there it was.  "Friheten," by Nordahl Grieg.  It was all in Norwegian, so I decided to see what I could find about this book and the man who wrote it.

Nordahl Grieg was born Nov. 01, 1902 in Bergen and died Dec 2, 1943 in Kleinmachnow (near Berlin).  He is described as a controversial man, a long-time member of the Communist Party, and a "poet, novelist, dramatist, journalist and political activist."  Wait ... what?  My grandmother was buying and reading materials written by a controversial Communist political activist??

Grieg had been a member of the Norwegian Communist Party for a long time, and called a "Stalinist" by his enemies.  It was his empathy for the underprivileged that caused him to join the Party.

Interestingly, he was studying in Oslo the same time my Grandmother, Lisa Klungseth Hammer, was attending the Teacher's College there.  

During World War II when the Germans invaded and occupied Norway, Grieg broke away from his support of Stalin.  Communists were being urged to stay neutral, and this invasion changed things for Grieg.  He was passionately opposed to the Nazis and considered himself a Norwegian patriot, and intended to oppose them every way he could.  Grieg did military service in the Norwegian Army in 1939-1940 in Finnmark (Lisa was also in Finnmark at this time).  He escaped the country in 1940 on the same ship as the Royal family of Norway and the National Gold reserves.

His fight against the Nazis continued from Britain, both on the radio and in his writings.  He traveled, speaking with Norwegian soldiers and getting their experiences in his work as a war correspondent.  He took part in various military missions, which was common for a war correspondent at that time.    He was with the Royal Australian Air Force on an allied raid on Berlin, a very risky and dangerous undertaking.  It was during this night-time mission on Dec. 2-3, 1943, that he was killed along with many others. He was and is considered a hero in Norway for his stance on the Nazis and all he did to oppose them, and his anti-fascist poetry is still popular today.

"Friheten" ("Freedom"), the book Lisa had purchased, was a collection of Grieg's war poetry published in 1945.  She, too, was emotional about the Nazi invasion when she first told me about it 30 years afterward. Now it was all starting to make sense.  Perhaps it wasn't so unusual that she was interested in a controversial, political activist after all.

Information on Nordahl Grieg's life from:
Wikipedia  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nordahl_Grieg
Ally Poetry https://allpoetry.com/Nordahl-Grieg

Home Economists Newsletter - Lisa Hammer's Presentation

South Dakota Home Economics Association Newsletter Volume 5, December 1958, Number 1

HURON BRANCH 
     
The Huron Branch of Home Economists in Homemaking have chosen as their yearly program foods and customs of foreign countries.  By doing this they plan to have guest speakers who have either visited or lived in another country. 

Mrs. Adolph Hammer, a native of Norway spoke at the October meeting.  Wearing a Norwegian dress which is only worn on special occasions, she told of Norwegian customs, displayed table linen and explained table setting for different occasions.

Thursday afternoon during SDEA the Huron Economists in Homemaking entertained at tea the Homemaking teachers in the Huron Homemaking department.  Miss Imogene Van Overschelde, Pierre and Mrs. Ross Davies, Huron, were at the silver services.

In connection with Huron College Career Day, the Huron Home Economists also take an active part.  For the past three years the group has had Mrs. Cleo Treadwell as their representative.  Seniors from Huron high school and towns in the surrounding territoy [sic] are invited to meet various representatives of professions and colleges in the state.

The group is continuing a project begun several years ago.  This is to help furnish materials for the

interest centers in the Homemaking Department of Huron High School. Officers this year are president: Muriel Simmons (Mrs. Irvin) and secretary, Jessie Chaffee (Mrs. George).