Elm Springs history celebrated

South Dakotans from all over the western part of the state gathered in the Elm Springs Hall Sunday, Sept. 27, for a time of reminiscing and recording the history of Elm Springs and Boneita Springs. 

Organized by DeWayne Hayes, Tom Asheim and Cindy Matt, the day was designed to be a time for sharing the histories and memories of the families who comprised the Elm Springs and Boneita Springs communities.

Though both communities, as well as the neighboring communities of Smithville and Dalzell, have become depopulated in the past 50 years, the neighbors who gathered Sunday recalled a time when the area was broken into 160 acre tracts, and different individuals and families could be found on most of those tracts. One participant at the historical review day, Duane Asheim, noted that it was not the recorded history that emphasized the humanity of the area, but rather the little humorous stories that happened to each family.

Participants recalled dances and meetings at the Elm Springs Hall, including meetings for men and women involved in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the International Association of Rebekah Assemblies, known familiarly as Odd Fellows and Rebekahs. When their parents would meet for the regular meetings of these philanthropic organizations, the children would play until they were tired, then be put to bed in the basement kitchen of the Hall, DeWayne Hayes said.

One longstanding tradition in the area was the holding of dances in the Elm Springs Hall. Some locals remembered attending those dances as children, again playing until they were tired, then being bedded down on the stage while their parents continued to enjoy the dance. For other attendees, the most memorable part of the dances was the fights that frequently occurred. Two area families, the Fenners and the Fishers, were known for their enjoyment of a good fight. If outsiders came to the dances, Hayes said, it was not uncommon for the Fishers and Fenners to get in a fight with them. However, if there were no outsiders to challenge, members of the Fenner and Fisher families would fight each other. The fighting at these dances became so renowned that an FBI agent stationed in Sturgis attended one dance in order to keep the fighting at bay. 

Other stories that surfaced during the time of sharing included tales of how the communities got their names, how various buildings were financed, and the migration of families in and out of the area. Some participants remembered a time when gypsies would travel through the area, driving long black cars and camping along the Belle Fourche River. Some participants told of how several smaller cemeteries in the area were funneled in to the Elm Springs cemetery, with the bodies already buried in those cemeteries being transplanted into Elm Springs. 

Evidence of a cultural shift was also presented when the discussion turned to the existence of a Ku Klux Klan chapter in Elm Springs. According to author Ruby Gabriel, Pedro, who is currently researching for a book on the history of Meade County, the KKK’s involvement in South Dakota had little to do with race relations, and was instead concerned with an altercation between Methodists and Catholics. 

Historic buildings and their current locations were also identified during the historical review, including the former site of a stage coach stop and the building which housed the Elm Springs telephone switchboard.