June 2021 | www.AgeMedia.pub
Faith / Family / Friends / Farming
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Meet the
ORTMAN FAMILY Will and Sherilyn Ortman with their sons, Solomon, Christian and Liam. Story on page 6. Photo by Lindsey Unruh.
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TURNER COUNTY FAMILY
Will and Sherilyn Ortman with their sons, Liam, Christian and Solomon. All photos by by Lindsey Unruh.
ORTMAN FAMILY DIVERSIFIES AND ADDS VALUE TO FARM PRODUCTS By Bob Fitch
Homemade ice cream is always a treat. And if you appreciate the type of food found at Schmeckfest, the new Pfeffernusse ice cream available in Freeman this summer is sure to be a double-scoop of enjoyment. 6
The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | June 2021
Will and Sherilyn Ortman produce eggs, beef, dry edible beans, row crops, various small grains and forage crops, and fruit at their Turner County farm east of Freeman. In 2018, when they heard about the introduction of the South Dakota Chislic Festival, they decided their farm, Berrybrook Organics, needed to have a presence there. The Chislic Festival is held on the last Saturday of July. See www.sdchislicfestival.com for more information.
“We love homemade ice cream so that’s what we decided to do,” said Sherilyn. “At that time of the year, we have strawberries and sour cherries, plus raspberries are coming into season. We thought this was a way to showcase our farm products. It proved to be a hit and we found we really liked doing it and it was something the whole family could be involved in.” The “whole family” includes their sons Liam, 15, Solomon, 13, and Christian, 11. After success with the ice cream at the 2018 Chislic Festival, it was added to the menu at The Chislic House restaurant in Freeman in 2019. Even after the restaurant closed at the end of 2019, “we kept developing recipes just for ourselves because it was something the whole family enjoyed doing together,” Sherilyn said. “With nothing happening at the restaurant in 2020, we decided to do a pop-up shop on the weekends. Last summer, the five of us went in to sell ice cream for three hours on Saturday and Sunday nights.” The ice cream was prepared in the commercial kitchen facilities of the former Chislic House which is now occupied by Tienda y Restaurante CentroAmerica. The ice cream is also on the menu at Tienda. The pop-up ice cream shop hit the spot with locals and was so much fun that the Ortmans are back at it again this summer. Until Labor Day, every Saturday and SunWill and Sherilyn Ortman run Berrybrook Organics in Turner County near Freeman. day from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., ice cream with fruit grown at Berrybrook Organics will be sold at a shop adjacent to the Tienda location on Highway 81. “We added root beer floats and ice cream sandwiches using cookies from a local baker. We’ve loved playing with different flavor combinations.”
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New ice cream flavors this year will include several rhubarb variations. In addition, for Schmeckfest fans, the big news is the introduction of Pfeffernusse ice cream. Pfeffernusse, also known as peppernuts, are bite-sized German cookies typically flavored with anise, and are a favorite among local Mennonite ethnic groups. Looking forward, Ortmans are exploring the possibility of creating an on-farm creamery to allow them to use even more products from their farm and other organic producers in the area. The creamery will be called the Berrybrook Dairy Nook. “We’ve always been about local foods,” Sherilyn said. “Most farmers are growing corn and soybeans which consumers don’t directly eat. The corn and beans are fed to livestock for meat or used in bio-fuels. We view the mantra ‘farmers feed the world’ a little differently. We’re interested in adding value that translates into food which people can consume directly. Thankfully that’s a trend that’s growing nationally – the whole CSA (community supported agriculture) model and restaurants wanting to source their products locally. For us, we’re raising meat, we’re raising dry goods, we can grind corn into corn meal, or grind the wheat into flour, and we’re roasting the soybeans to feed the chickens.” Will said, “We believe we're here to love our neighbor as
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The Ortman’s puppy Rusty hasn’t learned the command “sit” quite yet. Rusty is joined in the photo by Solomon, Liam and Christian Ortman.
ourselves. To us, that means caring about what you eat and doing our part to make sure quality food is available for those who want it. “We’re not a big farm. We’re way more interested in adding value to the land we have versus expanding our footprint. Not everybody can get bigger and there is a tremendous amount you can grow on a small piece of land,” he said. “We’d rather not let a single product leave the driveway of the farm without having added value to it. Instead of sending a semi of grain out the driveway, I’d rather turn it into flour; or combine the beans into soup mix and sell that; or roast the soybeans for custom livestock feed,” Will said. When value is added to commodities on the farm, he said there’s a greater chance a farmer can be a “price-maker instead of being price-taker.” The Ortmans strive for their operation to be regenerative and sustainable. Their definition of those terms not only includes employing ecologically sound practices, but it also means having diversified revenue streams which will create opportunities for future generations. “Our own children are the biggest motivating factors for us doing what we do the way we do it,” Will said. “We have the organic crops. We have the developing ice cream 8
The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | June 2021
business. If one of our sons loves that and wants to take that on, he can pursue that. If one of our sons wants to be in charge of the marketing for our farm enterprises, he can do that. If one boy wants to take over the eggs, he can expand that as much as he wants,” he said. Sherilyn added, “If our boys want to farm, Will is adamant about having made a way for them to do that because he feels like it’s important work.” All three of their sons attend Freeman Academy which the family actively supports. “Our youngest son, Christian, has been interested in trees and fruits and gardening since day one,” she said. “We’re putting in a very small permaculture orchard with new fruit trees. Christian was involved in researching the varieties and helped choose what we would grow. He’s watching videos about permaculture to learn the science behind that. If he wants to be an orchardist some day, the seeds of that are planted.” In addition to eggs, grass-fed/
grass-finished cattle, and dry edible beans, Ortmans are adding a small herd of pigs and meat birds to the mix of protein sources they can sell to consumers. “Those are all small-scale enterprises which any one of our sons could take over or scale it up as much as he would want to,” Will said. “The key to providing opportunities to enable future generations to stay on the farm is rooted in that diversity. Any one of those could be its own offshoot business.”
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Food Co-op, Queen City Bakery, and the Hy-Vee locations on Louise and Minnesota Avenues. Their meat is processed under USDA inspection at Hudson Meats & Sausage in Hudson, S.D. In their online store, Ortmans also sell freshground flour, cornmeal, wheat berries, and grain seed.
Egg sales from Hy-line Brown hens are a significant part of the revenue stream at Berrybrook Organics.
Berrybrook’s products, including various meat bundles, are available for sale in the family’s online shop at www.berrybrookorganics.com and at both Freeman super markets – Freeman Shopping Center and Jamboree Foods. The products are also sold in Sioux Falls at Look’s Marketplace, M.B. Haskett Delicatessen, Pomegranate Market, Sioux Falls
“We also have a partnership with Happy Hydros in Pukwana,” Sherilyn said. “Every Friday, Mark Scholl of Happy Hydros drives to Sioux Falls and drops off his lettuce and tomatoes; then he picks up some beer at a brewery by Renner; drives to Stensland Dairy near Larchwood to pick up milk and ice cream; and then I meet him somewhere with eggs and beef. He takes all that west to Rapid City and Spearfish.”
experienced speaker. Combining personal anecdotes, research and critical analysis, he focuses on issues facing today’s farmers, especially in the realm of food economics and its effect on rural communities. Will and Sherilyn met at Bethel College in North Newton, Kan. Sherilyn is originally from Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, where her parents operated a dairy until 1988, and then had some beef cattle while working in town. Although they were raised 400 miles apart, they discovered in college they both had run strawberry u-picks and sweet corn patches in their youth. Sherilyn’s parents re-located to Freeman about seven years ago. “Will and I both grew up with grandparents right on the same farm site and another set of grandparents in town. And that’s just what our boys have today,” she said.
Will said innovation is in his family genes. His grandfather, William J. Ortman, was the first in the Marion area to plant soybeans. His father, Arlan, experimented with different crops and animals, and was ahead of his time in harnessing wind energy, as the iconic farm tower testifies.
While on a college choir tour before they even started dating, Sherilyn asked Will what he saw himself doing in 10 years. He said he wanted to be married and doing something that allowed him to work beside his wife "from sunup to sundown.” Dreams can come true because that is the life they live today.
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Our publications are based on families and their stories. Our goal is to build community and connections within the Ag circles of Minnehaha, Lincoln, Turner and Hutchinson Counties and surrounding areas. If you have a fun story or would like to suggest a family to feature, reach out to us at Bob@agemedia.pub.
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MINNEHAHA COUNTY FAMILY
ADOPTING A LEGACY AND PRESERVING FARM HISTORY By Bob Fitch
Many people adopt children. Others adopt pets. Children even adopt surrogate grandparents. In a unique twist on the adoption concept, Mike and Laurel Turner have adopted the legacy of a Minnehaha County farm and its founding family. Just as adoptive parents provide care and nurturing for their child to thrive, so have the Turners provided the care, love and resources for the memory and the historic structures of the Nessan-Eggers homestead to remain vibrant. Mike and Laurel purchased the farm from Curt and Jean Eggers in 1989. The home, built in the 1890s, had sat vacant for many years and was in rough shape. The large barn was beginning to sag. Nonetheless, the couple was ecstatic to take possession of the idyllic farm place. They set to work on the house, both restoring and modernizing it at the same time. Likewise, they shored up the nearly 100-year-old barn. “People have different priorities. Some people have nice cars, some people have cash to go on vacations. For us, this farm is where we put every dollar we can,” Laurel said. Mike and Laurel Turner of Renner with a 1940s era International ‘H’ tractor which Mike still uses on a near-daily basis. Behind them is their barn which is on the National Register of Historic Places. 12
The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | June 2021
As if it were their own ancestors, Mike and Laurel eagerly tell the story of the property’s original
owners. Jonas and Anne Nessan were two of the earliest pioneers in Mapleton Township in Minnehaha County. Jonas was born in 1845 in Norway. He settled in Goodhue County in Minnesota in 1867, but moved to Dakota Territory in 1868. Anne Langness Nessan was born in Norway in 1855. She moved to Yankton, Dakota Territory, in 1868, and worked for a storekeeper there. Jonas and Anne were married in 1872. They had 10 children and 28 grandchildren, and, at the time of Anne’s death, had 32 great-grandchildren. Jonas was a prominent area leader and served in several township officer positions. He died in 1925 and Anne died in 1934. Both are buried at East Nidaros Lutheran Church Cemetery. Jonas proved up on his first Jonas and Anne Nessan were two of the early pioneers in Mapleton Township of Minnehaha County. They founded the farm where the Turners now reside. homestead in 1871. The couple moved their home away from Silver Creek’s floodwaters to the adjoining section and proved up on that homestead in 1878. Nessans donated the property where Renner Lutheran Church now stands. The Renner Lutheran Church building, also known as “Old Nidaros Church,” has been moved several times and is the oldest church building in use in South Dakota. Edwin Nessan and his wife, Julia, were the second generation owners. They lived there until 1947 when their nephew, Curt Eggers, moved to the property and started farming on shares. Curt and his wife, Jean, bought the property in 1958. Curt was returning to his farming roots in the Renner area after serving as a platoon sergeant in the European theatre in World War II. He applied his platoon leadership skills back home and was involved in many causes and organizations including the Soil Conservation Service, Minnehaha Funeral Home, Mapleton Township board, American Legion and VFW, Silver Creek Watershed, Renner Fire Department and many others. At the time Mike and Laurel Turner learned of the property, there was another family ahead of them in line who was considering a purchase. Mike joked, “I don’t think those other folks were Norwegians. That’s why we got the place. I think Curt was waiting for a good Norwegian and Lutheran to sell it to.” Laurel said, “The whole Eggers family has just been so good to us. They really helped make us feel part of the community.”
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The stone used in the foundation of the barn was brought from the quarry at Pipestone, Minn.
Laurel is originally from Trent and Mike has roots in Dell Rapids, so the move to Renner was coming home. Mike started out as a welder and worked for Hale’s Trailer in Sioux Falls in the early 1970s. “But I was only making $100 per week and rent was $75. I had to do something different.” So the family moved to the Redfield area, where Mike became a farm hand. They got free rent on the farm place where they lived, all the meat they could eat, plus had a paycheck. So it was a step up from the $100 a week. Later they moved to Watertown where Mike worked making boom trucks for the electrical industry. When Laurel got a good job at the
Note the curved corner pillar in the southwest corner of the barn.
from the quarry at Pipestone, Minn., back in the 1890s.
Sioux Falls Regional Airport in the late 1980s, they moved back to southeast South Dakota and were happy to be closer to family. Mike went to work for De Geest Manufacturing in the Tea-Harrisburg area. At first they were renting in Sioux Falls, but a co-worker told her about the Eggers acreage. “We were so blessed to find this place,” Laurel said.
The two-story house has 13 rooms, plus an entry porch and sun porch. The Nessan family’s original log cabin was used as a summer kitchen for several decades and was on the site until 1990 when Curt and Jean Eggers moved it to a different home site.
The house needed a lot of repairs to make it livable. Mike and Laurel, with help from their two sons, did most of the work. The foundation of the house and part of the barn foundation were professionally tuck-pointed. The pink quartzite used in the foundations was hauled
Mike said, “The barn was sagging when we moved here. Cross members that were part of the original construction had been removed at some point.” While the oldtime remodeling had worked for decades, ultimately, the removal of the cross members had destabilized the barn’s structure. A con-
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Mike Turner welded a cross made from old horseshoes left behind on the farm.
tractor from Arlington who specialized in barn reconstruction worked on repairs and restoration for them. Nonetheless, preserving the barn continues to be a never-ending, expensive endeavor. After a lengthy and rigorous process, Laurel succeeded in having the barn (which was built in 1892) added to the National Register of Historic Places. The structure is a “gable-entry bank barn.” Popular in New England and northern Pennsylvania from 1875-1925, the barn is banked on its gable end, rather than the eaves side. A large, gable-end door on the upper level provided easy access to hay and machinery storage space, while gravity aided feeding hay to the stables below. Typically, access to the lower level was through a gable-end door on the opposite end. The barn built by the Nessans has access to the lower level on both the southern gable end and on the western eaves side. The barn measures 52 x 60 feet and is 37 feet high at the peak. Inside the barn, the exposed structural framework was built with mortised, tenoned and pegged beams. No nails were used. The structure is topped with an ornate wooden cupola and three lightning rods with decorative balls and a wind vane. Donald Nessan, the youngest grandson of Jonas and Anne Nessan, visited the farm after the Turners had done much work on the barn and the house. Laurel said, “He was just so tickled to see this place. He hadn’t been here for 75 years. When he came through the pantry, he said, ‘Oh my gosh, you have my mom’s cupboards in here yet. She was so proud of these cupboards.’”
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They bounced hard on the timber floor, but didn’t break any bones. But we learned our lesson.”
A unique feature of the home are murals painted on three walls of the living room and one on the downstairs ceiling. The murals depict scenes such as the Queen Bee Mill of early Sioux Falls, Norwegian fjords, waterfalls, ships and pastures. The mural on the ceiling of the basement mimics a beautiful rug. The artist is thought to be Ole Runing, who painted the murals in the Old Courthouse Museum in Sioux Falls.
Turner’s efforts at preservation and restoration. Mike said, “Curt and I got along really, really well. We helped each other out. He appreciated me keeping the place clean and fixing it up.” Laurel added, “We’re stay-at-home and take-careof-the-farm type people and he was really grateful for that.”
The late Curt Eggers sold the Renner farm to the Turners.
In their early years on the farm, Mike and Laurel frequently had unexpected visitors. Laurel said, “Because the place had been vacant for so long, kids would go into the barn to swing on the rope without asking. And one time there was a carload of older people in their 70s. They wanted to swing from the rope because they had done it as kids. Like fools, we let them. Not long after that, our son and his cousin were swinging in tandem on the rope when it broke.
Over the years, the Turners have raised cows, pigs and chickens on the farm. Laurel said farrowing pigs was a good experience, but she didn’t care to ever do it again. Mike said, “We raised hundreds of chickens to butcher, just to have chicken in the freezer. Our sons and I butchered everything.” Mike and Laurel have two sons. Charles and his wife, Marci, have three children: Alyssa, Charles and Jackson. Son Cory and his wife, Amanda, have four children: Abby, Kayla, Freddie and Christian. The grandchildren often help on the farm. Mike and Laurel are retired now from their off-the-farm careers. Their tillable acres are run on shares with a farmer who handles all the tillage, planting and harvesting. But Mike mows their hay ground and puts up square bales. They use the hay for their own horses plus sell some. They have six horses, four of which are rescue horses. Laurel praised the work of Gentle Spirit Horse Sanctuary & Rescue in Scotland, S.D. Source for information on the historic barn: www.phmc.state.pa.us/portal/communities/ agriculture/field-guide/gable-entry-bankbarn.html
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The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | June 2021
JAMES RIVER BLUFFS
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SPECIAL ISSUE
THE GATHERING SPOTS |
PART TWO: CHURCHES and SCHOOLS: A visit to the community hubs of yesteryear.
Centerville Baptist Church. Photo courtesy South Dakota State Historical Society.
Views from Centerville, including Centerville High School, middle left. Photo courtesy South Dakota State Historical Society.
Salem-Zion Mennonite Church in rural Turner County near Freeman.
The first school buses in the Hurley School District were Internationals. Photo from Hurley Centennial book. 20
TURNER COUNTY
Chancellor Reformed Church. Photo courtesy South Dakota State Historical Society.
Hurley Baptist Church. Photo courtesy South Dakota State Historical Society.
Hurley High School. Photo courtesy South Dakota State Historical Society.
The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | June 2021
Swan Lake School. Photo courtesy South Dakota State Historical Society.
Emmanuel Presbyterian Church in Marion. Photo courtesy South Dakota State Historical Society.
Marion Public School. Photo courtesy South Dakota State Historical Society.
Schartner Country School near Marion. From the Marion Centennial Book.
Daneville Baptist Church at Viborg. Photo courtesy South Dakota State Historical Society.
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First Methodist Episcopal Church in Parker. Photo courtesy South Dakota State Historical Society.
First Baptist Church in Parker. Photo courtesy South Dakota State Historical Society.
The children of Otto Kraemer Sr. at a country school near Parker.
you’re seekin Whether g a skilled, a living comm ssist unity for yo able things urself or for is a sense of a we’re numb love warmth and er one. comfort. Le tT St. Christina Catholic Church and parsonage. Photo courtesy South Dakota State Historical Society.
Parker High School. Photo courtesy South Dakota State Historical Society.
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SPECIAL ISSUE
THE GATHERING SPOTS |
HUTCHINSON COUNTY
PART TWO: CHURCHES and SCHOOLS: A visit to the community hubs of yesteryear.
First Salem Church and school in Menno.
Menno Public School. Photo courtesy South Dakota State Historical Society.
Freeman Lutheran School. Photo courtesy South Dakota State Historical Society.
The Catholic Church building in Dimock which burned down in 1908. Photo courtesy SH/SsPP Parish office. 24
The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | June 2021
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church in Dimock. Photo courtesy SH/SsPP Parish office.
Sacred Heart Catholic School in Parkston, built in 1913. Photo courtesy SH/SsPP Parish office.
From a promotion about the city of Parkston in the Sioux Falls Argus Leader on May 28, 1903.
A cooking class at Parkston Public School. Photo courtesy South Dakota State Historical Society.
Parkston’s Sacred Heart Catholic Church was damaged by a tornado in 1970 and then replaced. Photo courtesy SH/SsPP Parish office.
An architectural line drawing of Parkston Public School published in the Sioux Falls Argus Leader on May 28, 1903.
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Bethany Church in Freeman. Photo courtesy South Dakota State Historical Society.
HARVEST FESTIVAL SEPT. 11-12
IN DELMONT
Church and school at Wolf Creek Hutterite Colony. Photo courtesy South Dakota State Historical Society.
The Twin Rivers Old Iron Association will host a Harvest Festival on September 11-12 in Delmont. The association’s mission is to preserve agricultural heritage. The event features old-time farm demonstrations plus displays and parades of vintage tractors, machinery, cars and trucks. In addition, the Harvest Festival includes music, flea market booths, horse and tractor wagon rides, and a kids barrel train ride. For additional information, find Twin Rivers Old Iron Association on Facebook, see www.twinriversoldiron.org, or call Glennis Stern at 605-928-3792 or Austin Miller at 605-933-0597
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SPECIAL ISSUE
THE GATHERING SPOTS |
LINCOLN COUNTY
PART TWO: CHURCHES and SCHOOLS: A visit to the community hubs of yesteryear.
Lennox Public School in 1907. Photo courtesy South Dakota State Historical Society.
German Reformed Church in Lennox. Photo courtesy South Dakota State Historical Society.
Ebenezer Presbyterian Church in Lennox. Photo courtesy South Dakota State Historical Society.
Harrisburg Methodist Church
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Worthing Public School in 1894. Photo courtesy South Dakota State Historical Society.
The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | June 2021
Worthing Congregational Church. Photo courtesy South Dakota State Historical Society.
The Methodist Episcopal Church in Hudson. For many decades, it has served as the Masonic Lodge. Photo courtesy South Dakota State Historical Society.
Hudson Public School built in 1894. Photo courtesy City of Hudson.
Augustana College & Academy in Canton. Photo courtesy South Dakota State Historical Society.
The Catholic Church in Canton. Photo courtesy South Dakota State Historical Society.
Canton Bethel Church. For many years, this has been the Garden of Eat’n Restaurant. Photo courtesy South Dakota State Historical Society.
First Baptist Church in Canton. Photo courtesy South Dakota State Historical Society.
June 2021 | www.agemedia.pub | The Farming Families Magazine
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SPECIAL ISSUE
THE GATHERING SPOTS |
MINNEHAHA COUNTY
PART TWO: CHURCHES and SCHOOLS: A visit to the community hubs of yesteryear.
A country school house between Renner and Baltic. Photo courtesy South Dakota State Historical Society.
A class at Ellis school. Photo from Minnehaha County Rural School Project.
Colton Public School. Photo courtesy South Dakota State Historical Society.
Baltic school under construction. Photo courtesy South Dakota State Historical Society.
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The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | June 2021
First Lutheran Church in Colton. Photo courtesy South Dakota State Historical Society.
The Clear Lake country school operated from 1879-1958. Photo from Minnehaha County Rural School Project.
Brandon Public School in 1916. Photo from Minnehaha County Rural School Project.
Dell Rapids Public School in 1907. From US GenWeb Archives.
Bishop O’Gorman speaking at the dedication of St. Mary’s Academy in Dell Rapids. From US GenWeb Archives. Garretson Public School. Photo from Minnehaha County Rural School Project.
The class at Goodview country school in 1947. Photo from Minnehaha County Rural School Project.
The Grinde country school operated from 1878-1947. Photo from Minnehaha County Rural School Project. June 2021 | www.agemedia.pub | The Farming Families Magazine
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Hartford Public School. Photo from Minnehaha County Rural School Project.
Hilmoe country school operated from 1875-1948. Photo from Minnehaha County Rural School Project.
The Howard country school operated from 1909-1945. Photo from Minnehaha County Rural School Project. 32
The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | June 2021
Hegge country school operated from 1894-1960. Photo from Minnehaha County Rural School Project.
The “old” school (left) and “new” school (right) at Humboldt. Photo courtesy South Dakota State Historical Society.
Thompson country school operated from 18711946. Photo from Minnehaha County Rural School Project.
Kringen country school operated from 18711943. Photo from Minnehaha County Rural School Project.
Lackey country school operated from 18781970. Photo from Minnehaha County Rural School Project.
Sherman Public School. Photo from Minnehaha County Rural School Project.
The Moen country school operated from 1875-1945. Photo from Minnehaha County Rural School Project.
Wall Lake country school operated from 1878-1968. Photo from Minnehaha County Rural School Project.
Clarence Tyler with his horse, Dick, and John Perret with his horse, Buster, at Pleasant View country school. Photo from Minnehaha County Rural School Project.
Dancing around the Maypole at South Sioux country school. Photo from Minnehaha County Rural School Project.
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When the time is right, we invite you to share the story of you and your loved one.
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The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | June 2021
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