Claudia Little and her husband, David, still occasionally make the trek back to Jackson County south of Kadoka to visit the old "2-0-2" ranch. That's where Claudia grew up, helping her father and mother on their ranch perched on the edge of the South Dakota badlands.

Many in the audience of the Spearfish Area Historical Society meeting at the Senior Citizen's Center could easily relate to her stories. While her experience was not unique, her effective style of story-telling -- coupled with her authorship of two children's books about the experience -- set her apart from the crowd.

It was the latest in a series of excellent presentations lined up for the 2008-09 program list for the society.

It was a nearly full house for the February meeting.

Many of the attendees are lifetime members of the Spearfish Area Historical Society. For $50, one can become a lifetime member, thus not having to worry about paying annual dues. Lifetime status also entitles each such member to a personalized name tag and a courtesy reminder prior to each monthly session.

To help tell her story, Claudia Little relied upon impressive sketches done by Sharon Follette Grey of Spearfish. This one depicts Claudia and her dad watching a corral full of mustangs.

Once a student in Mrs. Little's 3rd Grade class in Spearfish, Sharon "doodled every chance she got," according to her former teacher.

The sketches shown were included in Claudia Little's first book, "Patches."

Weather is a prime concern for every rancher and farmer.

Claudia Little reminisced about how her father worried about rain falling on fresh cut alfalfa, about no rain coming when it was sorely needed, and about lightning hitting haystacks.

Sledding and skiing were fun activities for kids during the winter time. Summers would find them down at the creek swimming.

"None of my friends had as good a swimming hole as I did, because my daddy put up a diving board!" She recalls that it was also a favorite cooling off place for the men after working in the fields.

"One bad thing about the swimming hole was....bloodsuckers!"

With no electricity until the 1940s, Claudia's family relied upon a windcharger and batteries for very limited lighting and occasional listening to the radio for news and weather reports.

"Dad hired a native American from the reservation to break a bunch of mustangs one year. He was almost a "horse whisperer."

It was from among those mustangs that I picked a favorite paint and named it Patches.

Claudia Little's latest book, Mudpies, go on sale this month (February 2009).

Dedicated to her two grandsons, Little says she wanted them to know what is was like for children "before the days of television, computers and electronic games." Mudpies helps tell that story.

During a January presentation to students at West Elementary School in Spearfish, Mrs. Little described how this latest book was made, noting that the illustrations -- done by Sharon Grey -- were watercolor paintings with real children used as models.

Both Patches and Mudpies were offered for sale following the February meeting.

It's always a great opportunity to visit with presenters following their talks, and enjoy fellowship with other society members.

Snacks and coffee continue to be a bonus, too, and Paul & Joan Dingeman provided the treats for the February meeting.

Here is the back of Claudia Little's latest book, Mudpies.

It offers a bit of background about her early years and how she came to authoring books for children.

Click on the image and you'll be able to read the text.

Claudia Little clearly recalled the Blizzard of '49, which wreaked havoc across the upper plains -- including the 202 Ranch. It was months before they could get off the ranch, Claudia recalled. When her year-old sister became quite sick, the doctor from Kadoka flew over the ranch and "dropped her medication from his airplane in a nylon sock."

To return to other recent Spearfish Area Historical Society topics, simply click Black Hills Journal History Section, or you can continue to scroll down through gallery photographs from previous presentations.

Unless otherwise advertised, regular meeting of the Spearfish Area Historical Society (SAHS) are held at 7:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of the month, September through May at the Spearfish Senior Citizens Center. It is located at 1306 Tenth Street.

Persons desiring more information may contact Laurie Williams-Hayes at 642-9620 in Spearfish.

We try to post a few photographs from each monthly meeting, along with a bit of information. You can scroll down to see photos from the most recent presentation. Photographs from earlier society meetings can be found by clicking on other "Gallery Pages" listed at the top and bottom of each page.