2009-2010 Spearfish Area Historical Society

Meetings of the Spearfish Area Historical Society are the first Tuesday of every month, September through May, at the Spearfish Senior Citizens Center. Sessions begin at 7:30 p.m. While our 2009-10 season concluded on May 4th, we'll soon be posting the tentative schedule for 2010-11, which begins in September. Check back for a sneak preview of what promises to be another year of outstanding programs!

More than 100 people braved the windy weather Tuesday (5/4/10) to hear about "Raiding the Bad Lands: The Illegal Brothels and Gaming Halls of Deadwood" presented by Michael Trump. An attorney from Belle Fourche, Trump has a BS in History from Black Hills State and a Master's degree from the University of Wyoming. He earned his law degree at USD in Vermillion.

Trump said his curiosity about Deadwood was piqued when -- shortly after his father became president of Black Hills State University -- he visited Deadwood. While there, he noticed a sign on a building that was once a brothel. It stated that the house of ill repute was closed down in 1980. Like many others, young Trump was intrigued that legalized prostitution had existed so recently.

Following his well-prepared program, Trump invited questions from the audience. That's when the crowd got a bonus. Retired South Dakota Highway Patrolman Jim Shrader (at right in this photo) shared an anecdote about the final days of the brothel. He was among law enforcement officials who canvassed the brothels following a raid. He also shared the story of a trucker, who -- not knowing he was talking to a highway patrolman -- used his CB radio to inquire about where he might go to transact some business with prostitutes in Deadwood. Shrader responded with some directions and was on hand to nab the customer when he showed up!

Trump provided great detail about the numerous legal efforts to close Deadwood brothels. Particularly, he cited local maneuvers in 1951-52, state efforts in 1959, and federal actions in 1980. He also provided significant detail about Pam Holliday, who was the proprietor and madam of Pam's Purple Door. Illustrative of the quandary many community members had about the brothels, it was rumored that she once bought a fire truck for the Deadwood Fire Department. The brothels and their girls were reportedly very generous in tipping for local services -- and in donating to a range of community civic activities.

The author took time following his presentation to autograph a fair number of books. Here, Trump visits with a couple of society members.

Spearfish Area Historical Society president Rand Williams paraphrased member Ray Telkamp when he said "It's amazing the kind of a turnout you get when the subject is brothels!"

A bit of conversation following Trumps' presentation.

You're right. This WASN'T taken at the historical society meeting. This is an unidentified "lady of the night" in a photo from turn-of-the-century Deadwood. Photo courtesy of Deadwood Illustrated.

Cheryl Miller and Linfred Schuttler swap information about an old Spearfish photograph. Such discussions and fellowship are an important part of the SAHS gatherings. For more information about the society -- including a membership form -- visit our Spearfish Area Historical Society web site.

THE TOWN OF SPEARFISH, BORN 1876 AND BORN AGAIN....AND AGAIN 6 April 2010 Linfred Schuttler returned Tuesday, April 6, 2010, for another great program, this time talking about the several "re-births" of the Spearfish community. As noted by Spearfish Area Historical Society president Rand Williams, Linfred always seems to fill the house -- and this time was no exception!

Linfred advocates May 29, 1876 as the day Spearfish was "born." He concedes that welcome signs to the city cite 1888 as its beginning. 1888 was a tough year for the city, since the local government ran out of money, and there was a divisive election surrounding a move to initiate an alderman form of government. Linfred cited earlier historical research done by Father Eugene Szalay, who wrote about some of the early Spearfish pioneers. Among them was John Johnston, who helped organize the "Centennial" party that forged their way from Ames, Iowa, to the Black Hills in search of gold in 1876. Fourteen men with two loaded wagons fought blizzard-like storms on their trek through Sioux City and over the old Elkhorn route. Johnston was also recognized as having the "distinction of establishing, in connection with one Captain Gardner, the first newspaper published in Spearfish city...."

A bit of background now on our presenter for the April 2010 program. Pictured here is a very young Linfred LeRoy Schuttler. A store clerk before World War II, Linfred was drafted in 1943 and completed basic training at Camp Wolters, Texas. He was part of a 60mm mortar squad of the 103rd Division when he shipped out to Marseilles, France in October 1944. His unit was part of the US Seventh Army and was sent to the Alsace-Lorraine area of eastern France. During the Battle of the Bulge, they were re-assigned to the US Third Army. The division ended the war in the Brenner Pass area of Austria and Italy. Linfred was hospitalized for two months in early 1945 with hepatitis. He left the Army in 1946 with the Bronze Star, European Theater Ribbon with three Battle Stars and the Combat Infantry Badge.

Following Linfred's presentation on the history of Spearfish, many of the audience members congregated to share stories and discuss different aspects of Spearfish history.

Linfred noted that at one time, there were three flour mills in Spearfish. This 1939 photograph shows the "south side of Spearfish flour mill. The old tramway took the wheat in an open door at top wheat bin. Sacks of wheat were unloaded from wagons into a small car holding 15 sacks and pushed into top of bin and wheat was then unloaded." A veryslow proces. Photo and information is courtesy of the South Dakota State HIstorical Society.

The reach and impace of Homestake Mine were felt everywhere throughout the Black Hills, including Spearfish. This undated photo shows the Spearfish wood mill that was operated by Homestake. Most of Linfred's presentation dealt with the very earliest years of Spearfish, and there was little about Homestake. Nor did Linfred delve into much detail about Spearfish's unusual array of irrigation ditches. He noted that such a topic would likely be yet another separate program.

Folks who don't attend meetings of the Spearfish Area Historical Society miss out on some great history. They also miss out on some really great snacks. Of course, volunteers make it all possible, and many of the spreads are absolutely spectacular -- as evidenced by this buffet of delectable items prepared for the April meeting of the society.

Did we mention that the snacks were top flight? When there's something particularly interesting that we're sharing in a gallery, we always recommend that visitors click on the photograph to see a larger image.....so, go ahead.....click on this shot and take a closer look at a few of these tasty morsels! Of course, the real reason folks attend these meetings is to absorb some good history and enjoy the fellowship. But being able to treat yourself to a few snacks makes it all the more enjoyable!

Our thanks to Linfred Schuttler for yet another fine presentation. We look forward to his next program -- whatever the topic! The final program of the 2009-2010 year is slated for May 4. Raiding the Brothels and Gambling Halls of Deadwood will be presented by Michael Trump of Belle Fourche. See you then! Return to Spearfish History.

Meetings of the Spearfish Area Historical Society are the first Tuesday of every month, September through May, at the Spearfish Senior Citizens Center. Sessions begin at 7:30 p.m.

March 2010 Program VINTAGE HOUSE REBORN For people tired of old man winter and wanting change, this was an uplifting presentation. It really was about change -- a metamorphosis, in fact -- for a two-story frame home in Spearfish. The house is located at 717 East Grant Street.

This was an excellent presentation that offered three key elements: a nifty slide presentation showing the long process of remodeling and adding on to a century-old home; a table display of artifacts that were uncovered during work on the home; and inter-action with the audience during and following the presentation.

The home is owned by Arnie and Zana Hartman. Zana, who has a background in interior decorating and design, opened the program with a brief overview of the project. A native of Sioux Falls, Zana (shown here) and her husband met in Alaska, and that's where they lived for some 28 years. But they returned to the "lower 48" to pursue a dream -- remodeling an old home to Zana's specifications. Here, Zana shows an old hand-drawn, illustrated map of the town of Spearfish. It appears to provide additional evidence that their house -- now at 717 East Grant -- existed on 8th Street in 1885 when the illustration was created.

The man who served as general contractor for the project was Joel Darling, who came from Salt Lake City about 10 years ago. He works for West River Masonry, but has also done considerable other work in construction and remodeling. Joel provided a detailed description of the process for renovating the house, starting with the early discovery that there were no footings to the foundation. "It started out as a basic remodel job, but it ended up snowballing on us...we really worked hard to preserve the character of the old structure," said Darling.

The house itself was once located in the parking lot of what is now the Fidler-Isburg Funeral Chapel near downtown Spearfish. Many in the audience remembered the house at that location. Nadine Fidler noted that the home was owned for many years by Earl and Ruth Simon. Sometime in the 1970s, the house was re-located to its present site at 717 East Grant Street. Early on, it was decided that the remodeling and renovation would include excavation for a basement, and this is a photograph of early work on that aspect of the renovation. Forms for the new foundation footings can be seen in the foreground By the way, most of these photos were provided by Zana Hartman, and we understand that a neighbor also contributed to the collection. Our thanks for their sharing them for this site.

It's easy to see the massive scope of this project when you see the great pains taken to ensure a safe and solid structure. Here, preparations were being made to eventually move the house on to the basement. Of course, lots needed to be done before that could happen!

Eventually, the foundation was in place, the blocks were set, and the house finally began to nest on its former perch. Don't forget that you can get a closer look by clicking on the photo and selecting a larger size image from the menu at the top of the page.

Owner Arnie Hartman takes a breather. You can see Hartman's previous home (2000-2008) in the background (it's the two-story house behind the pickup). They remodeled that old "Sears & Roebuck" house, too. It was once owned by Homestake Mining Company. After the house was put back on the new foundation, interior work began in earnest. Removal of wallpaper, plaster, lathes -- everything down to studs -- provided some surprises. They found all kinds of old artifacts: books, newspapers, square nails, bottles, and even human hair. Particularly memorable for Joel Darling was the "Paris Green" incident.

Darling said they were tearing out the ceiling of the old bathroom, when a large chunk of plaster fell and -- instead of normal gray dust -- a huge plume of eerie green dust filled the room. "We knew that wasn't normal, and we hightailed it out of there." They then found a cannister of highly toxic "Paris Green," which was used throughout much of the 19th century as a pigment in paint and wallpaper. "It was 95 percent arsenic. Naturally, we were kind of anxious to know if we were going to live to see another day." The booklet shown here, from the 1880s, described the availability of "galvanic medicine shields and aids." It was one of numerous historic publications tucked away in the walls and ceilings of the old home.

Finally astride a new basement, the house begins to take a new shape as "dormers" are added to increase space on the second floor. Contractor Joel Darling said this immense project had another interesting aspect: friendships. He told of a retired neighbor to the south on Federal Street, Joe Bergheim, who visited the site when construction began. At least weekly, Joe would come over to see what progress had been made. And, of course, there were others in the neighborhood who kept tabs on progress. Darling noted that he was saddened when Joe passed away -- unable to see final completion of the project.

Joel Darling said that the floors in the old house had heaved considerably. While they tried diligently to preserve and re-use the tongue and groove flooring from the old house, their efforts were in vain. New tongue and groove flooring had to be requisitioned for the project.

A splendid view (perhaps taken from the roof of a neighbor's home?) of backside renovation at 717 East Grant Street. You can clearly see that this project was a gargantuan effort, and virtually no part of the house was ignored.

It's clear that more space is being added to the house. The original structure had only one bathroom, and there were only somewhere between 1,600 and 1,700 square feet to the house. There are now more than 2,400 square feet to the house.

The two-car garage is recessed back from the front of the house, helping to create a bit of what Darling called "dimension," and keeping a continuous single-floor continuity that is consistent with an older home. Lighting was an important component in the renovation. Notice both skylights and glass block windows that were added to the structure.

Ah, a familiar site in Spearfish, South Dakota.....snow! New to the Hartman home scene is a two car garage (at right). As you can see, the house is in its final stages of completion.

Here's the dining and kitchen area.

Main floor living area.

Not sure where this is within the house, but I believe it's a simple "sitting area," and very nicely appointed!

The upstairs bathroom with a jet tub. A shower can be seen at the extreme left.

The cozy basement sports a tile floor and a peninsula fireplace that serves to help divide the space.

Another view of the dining area.

"Like so many old houses from the 19th century, the stairwell was really narrow, and it needed a lot of work," Darling said. Both the existing stairwell and a new one to the basement were widened to 42" to help improve access and egress, and to better accommodate moving furniture up and down the stairs. Notice here the new landing added between the main floor and the upstairs. Zana's flair for attractive artwork and accessories complemented the meticulous interior work. You can click on any of these photos to select from a menu of size options at the top of the page.

The house as it appeared on March 2, 2010, the day of the Vintage House Reborn presentation to the Spearfish Area Historical Society.

A summertime view. This angle allows a better view of the transom window added to enhance upstairs lighting. "Installing that window was a bit serendipitous," said Darling, "but it resulted in a spectacular vantage point to see Spearfish Mountain, Crow Peak, and clear up to the Redwater Valley."