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Company, plus many more. One businessman, W.Y. Nelles, who came in on train number 3 one day in February 1909, said, “Kaylor looks better to him than Yankton.” Quite the compliment. With growth comes those looking for easy money. The first attempt at robbing the bank in Kaylor occurred in April 1910. The robbers stole a team of horses, cut the phone lines and took off. One robber was later apprehended in Utica, S.D. Banks in Kaylor seemed to be susceptible to robbery. My great uncle Jacob Dobler was instrumental in starting the first bank (Kaylor State Bank). He recorded how rich the local banks were, - having $13,000 in assets with equal liabilities. Not much for someone to take a risk for it seems.

Yet life was good in small town America. Kaylor had many ball teams and one young man who played for the town team (Spud Grosshuesch) went on to play some semi-pro ball. One of the first teams had a game on July 13,1911, when they played the Red Birds from Blaha, a start-up town from near Scotland. Indeed the town had three known 'field of dreams' that drew the local crowd.

Over time the town was not destined for great things other than in the minds of those who have made it our home. On February 9,1917, the Boston Store moved all its dry goods to its location in Scotland. Over the years that story would be repeated time and again. We find reminders of the old days in Kaylor every now and then at local auctions. Those reminders keep us connected to a town that has not lived long by society's standards, but certainly lived well.

A photo of the Kaylor depot taken in May 1970. Photo courtesy of South Dakota State Historical Society.

A rammed earth house at the Vetter farm. Photo taken in 2012 by South Dakota State Historical Society.

ALWAYS HERE. ALWAYS CARING.

For over 105 years, De Smet Farm Mutual has been helping to protect what we all love about South Dakota.

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To find an agent in your area or to get a quote, visit: www.DeSmetFarmMutual.com

Jamie, Mike, Dolce, Andrew, Bella, Vincent and Cruz.

A RICH LIFE FULL OF PURPOSE

By Bob Fitch

Life is extra satisfying when you capture something special that has eluded you for years.

Mike Willard grew up farming and feeding cattle with his dad and uncles near Colton. He went to South Dakota State University where he studied animal science and agronomy. Before graduation, he started raising his own cow-calf pairs and was fortunate to purchase the farm where he had been pasturing his cows. However, what he really wanted was eluding him. “I spent a lonely 10 years by myself on this farm. I had to turn on the radio in the house to keep me company. I wasn’t a very social or outgoing person. But I kind of forced myself to be, just because I deeply desired to have a wife and children. And Jamie was kind of a godsend when I found her.” Mike met Jamie at Borrowed Buck’s Roadhouse in Sioux Falls in 2006. “She had Bella and Vincent already. My life got pretty full and rich when I found and married her and got her two children.” At the time, daughter Bella was eight and son Vincent was five. What was it like going from being a long-time bachelor to suddenly having a wife and two children? “It was great. You know, it was just the simple things. Before them, after doing chores I’d come down the driveway to a dark house. Now it was all lit up with life inside. It just brought joy to me. Everything changed when I got married and got a family because now my house was full of life and love and conversation and purpose. I used to go