Dell Rapids Public School

From Dell Rapids' Attic - History

Table of Contents

• Chapter 1
  Byson Crisp Relates Interesting Story of Early Days in South Dakota Byson Crisp and a party of homesteaders arrived in Dell Rapids in 1873.
• Chapter 2
  Breathtaking Landscape Draws Settlers to the Area In June, 1871, Peter Morse came to Dell City – the home of only a handful of residents.
• Chapter 3
  Founding Fathers Wrangle Over Business District Site Dell Rapids business district struggled to grow during its first 15 years.
• Chapter 4
  Rising Sun Encouragement to the Early Day Settlers Despite hardships, James Hart and other early pioneers faced a challenging environment as they worked to homestead the land during the 1870s and 1880s.
• Chapter 5
  Interesting Experiences of a Pioneer Family of Dell Rapids John Anderson and his family arrived in the area in 1869. They were just one of many families of the time who struggled to survive the winter of 1880-1881.
• Chapter 6
  The Village Blacksmith John Huntimer was one of Dell Rapids early blacksmith. In 1925 he reflected on his early days in the growing community.
• Chapter 7
  The Old Mill In 1872, Dennis and Frank Rice built a mill that was located along the Sioux River.
• Chapter 8
  Quarry: Important to History of Town Mining the native quarry rock has been a major part of Dell Rapids’ economy since the settlement first began.
• Chapter 9
  Early Residents Enjoyed Life’s Simple Pleasure Social activities were an important part of life for the early residents of Dell Rapids. The early churches become the most important institution for many of the early settlers.
• Chapter 10
  A History of Our Public Schools A group of concerned citizens met in 1873 to lay the groundwork that became the Dell Rapids Public Schools.
• Chapter 11
  Schools Have Undergone Remarkable Change In 1975, the Dell Rapids’ Tribune reflected on the changes and the costs in operating the public and private schools during the first 100 years.
• Chapter 12
  A View of Dell Rapids in 1878 A rare 1878 photo of Dell Rapids describes the community in its early days.
• Chapter 13
  Government In 1879, a group of citizens decided it was time for a more structured form of government, and the first Board of Trustees met.
• Chapter 14
  Early Transportation A ferry, the Territorial Road, stagecoaches, and railroads all had a major impact in the growth of the early settlement.
• Chapter 15
  Automobiles and the Need for Better Roads The arrival of the automobiles in 1908 brought new challenges and changes for early Dell Rapids residents.
• Chapter 16
  Garfield Avenue Settler’s Bridge By the 1920s, Highway 15 became the major route leading into and out of Dell Rapids. A new bridge was built in 1929 to handle the increasing traffic.
• Chapter 17
  Gravel Roads Expensive The expense of maintaining gravel roads became a burden to taxpayers by 1929. Residents believed that a paved road from Dell Rapids to Sioux Falls would be better.
• Chapter 18
  Early Disasters Grasshopper plagues, blizzards, windstorms, and fire created hardships for early Dell Rapids’ residents.
• Chapter 19
  Furious Tornado Swooped in on City 1884 One of the worst wind storms ever experienced hit Dell Rapids in July, 1884.
• Chapter 20
  Fire! A Hot Time in the Old Town In 1888, a disastrous fire burned a block of businesses in downtown Dell Rapids.
• Chapter 21
  Dust Storm Hits This Community Dell Rapids experienced a series of dust storms during the dry “Dirty Thirties.”
• Chapter 22
  Grand Opera House is Main Street Jewel The Grand Opera House was built in 1888. This building became the site of many social events for many years.
• Chapter 23
  The Dieson Building In 1902, M.A. Dieson built the Dieson building and sold dry goods to the community’s residents.
• Chapter 24
  Old Soldiers Monument Honors Civil War Veterans A statute was built and dedicated in 1908 on the corner of Seventh Street and Orleans Avenue to honor the Civil War veterans who settled in the area.
• Chapter 25
  The Dell Rapids Park and Bathing Beach In 1913, the city purchased 20 acres of land that became the city park and bathing beach. This site attracted visitors from miles around for many years.
• Chapter 26
  The Dells Recreational Area Around 1914, M.E. Kenefick presented the dells to the city as a free gift. It continues to be a popular, natural site for the community.
• Chapter 27
  Summer-time Events The Grand Army of the Republic and the Old Settlers both held a number of reunions and picnics during the late 1800s and early 1900s.
• Chapter 28
  Cootie Days A group of veterans began a yearly celebration that became known as “Cootie Days” in 1921. By 1925, it had grown into a major community event with free acts by famous artists, baseball games, bands, and a carnival.
• Chapter 29
  The Dell Rapids Carnegie Library In the early 1900s, the Women’s Club worked to raise funds for the building of a library. The Dell Rapids Carnegie Library was dedicated in 1910.
• Chapter 30
  Historic Odd Fellows Home A building that became known as the “Odd Fellows Home” was built and dedicated in Dell Rapids in 1911. This building was a “home” for many orphans and retired members of the IOOF for many years
• Chapter 31
  New Dell Rapids Hospital Now Nearing Completion The first Dell Rapids Hospital was located in the upstairs floor of the Granite City Bank. By 1915, the community saw the need to build a new facility – the best of its kind.
• Chapter 32
  Law Busts Up A Growing Business Prohibition was a period of history that prohibited the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol in the 1920’s. But, the law didn’t stop some local “moon shiners” from distilling their product.
• Chapter 33
  Frank Lickteig Shot Although crime was not a common occurrence, Dell Rapids had experienced an occasional robbery, theft, and even a shooting or two.
• Chapter 34
  The New First National Bank is Robbed Yesterday A local bank was robbed of over $5000 in 1934.
• Chapter 35
  Mrs. Henry Patzer Murdered by Her Enraged Brother-in-law Tragedy struck the community with a murder southwest of Dell Rapids in 1950.
• Chapter 36
  National Corn Husking Contest Dell Rapids became the home of 125,000 people one cold day in November, 1938. People from miles around attended the National Corn Husking Contest held at the Jim and Nellie Jensen’s farm north of Dell Rapids.
• Chapter 37
  Nemmers Reflects on 1938 Corn Husking Contest In 1999 DRSHP dedicated a plaque at the site of the 1938 corn husking contest. Fern Nemmers was a keynote speaker at this dedication.
• Chapter 38
  Electricity In 1920, Dell Rapids turned on its first electric street lights, thus lighting up downtown Dell Rapids. The gas lights were no longer needed.
• Chapter 39
  Dell Rapids Lights up Downtown A nighttime ceremony was held in downtown Dell Rapids in 1954 to celebrate the installation of its "modern" street lights.
• Chapter 40
  Local Newspapers Records History in the Making Dell Rapids’ first newspaper was the Journal – published in 1872. Other newspapers have followed.
• Chapter 41
  Pretty Dell Rapids Prospers A Sioux Falls Argus Leader reporter came to town in December, 1965. His mission: to write a story about the "little city with the big attractions."
• Chapter 42
  Progress Continues its March with Local History In 1976, the United States celebrated its Bi-centennial. The Tribune wrote an article highlighting some of the major events of Dell Rapids from 1870s to the 1970s
• Chapter 43
  The Need to Document and Preserve Local History A few history minded individuals and other civic-minded groups have worked hard to preserve the history of Dell Rapids over the years. In 1994, the Dell Rapids Society for Historic Preservation (DRSHP) opened the Dell Rapids Museum located in the historic business district of downtown Dell Rapids.