JERAULD COUNTY HAS ENTERED into a four-county cooperative agreement to provide staffing at the county 4-H office in the courthouse. Audra Scheel (right) will be in the office on a part-time basis, providing 4-H services. She also will serve in the same capacity at the offices in Plankinton, Woonsocket and Fr. Thompson. She is shown above with Julie Barber (left), who is a part-time administrative assistant/4-H program assistant at the Jerauld County Courthouse SDSU Extension office. Local hours for Barber are Monday and Wednesdays, from 8:00-5:00 and Thursdays from 8:00-noon. Scheel’s office hours are still being worked out.

TRUE DAKOTAN

While growing up on the family farm, Roger Carlson would hear stories of a 15-year old great uncle who saved the life of his grandmother during the massive blizzard of January 12, 1888.

Carlson and his parents, Merle and Gertrude Carlson lived on the farm west of Wessington Springs, where the heroic story unfolded.

Roger, who is now fighting cancer at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, went to visit the grave of his uncle Guy V. Stearns a few years ago in a small cemetery at Erwin, SD, a little east of DeSmet.

You normally see a car or pickup truck at a body shop, but J&M Specialties in Wessington Springs has also added tractor restoration to its list of service.

The business, owned by Jeff Reider and Mike Brunsen, recently finished the complete restoration of a classic 1957 John Deere 720 diesel tractor. The machine was originally purchased new for around $3,400 by the late Fester Von Eye. The machine is now in the hands of his children, Tom Von Eye and his sister Sandy Von Eye, who farm west of Wessington Springs.

TRUE DAKOTAN PHOTO/DUKE -

The early day Walter and May Grieve homestead in Harmony Township is stilled owned by their descendants. Walter and Mary settled there in 1896 and raised a family of four: Jessie, Zida, Lawrence and Loletta. On June 2, 1926, Lawrence married Jennie Elder and the couple raised a second generation. Their children were Hollis, Alexa, LeRoy, Dennis, Vonna, Verletta, Verald and Marcille. As the family grew, it became necessary to build the big two-story eight room house on the left. The house survived the storm of June 12, 1924 with just a little damage. Several other buildings didn’t do as well. The big barn in the background was built new in 1924 as well as the blacksmith shop and chicken houses. The hog house and granary survived the storm. The old farmstead holds a lot of history including those who were born and raised there, most of them staying in Jerauld County and leading successful lives.

TRUE DAKOTAN PHOTO/DUKE WENZEL

Gold-lined clouds sit on the horizon with a silhouette of the century-old Spring Valley School in a photograph taken last week. The school is about two miles north/northeast of Wessington Springs. The school was in use for many decades, beginning well over 100 years ago. The school operated under different names over the years, first Shryock, then Sheppard. It eventually was called Spring Valley, named after a valley southwest of the school which has a spring-fed creek running through it.

BY DUKE WENZEL

TRUE DAKOTAN EDITOR

WALT AND MARIANNA Borkowski stand in front of the old August Bender barn that displays one of their many projects, a brightly painted plywood quilt block. They got the idea from a book about a county in Iowa that features them on barns all over the area.