Tales of Lookout Mountain

Veteran educator Paul Dingeman was in front of a class again – but this time it was an eager group of history buffs chomping at the bit to learn more about Lookout Mountain on the northeast edge of Spearfish.

“It’s not much of a mountain,” Dingeman told members of the Spearfish Area Historical Society. “Its elevation is 4,452 feet, only about 800 feet higher than Spearfish.”

But the northern Black Hills landmark has a rich history, and Dingeman shared much of it with a packed house last night (2/2/10) at the Spearfish Senior Citizen’s Center.

Dingeman, who was born in Deadwood and raised in Spearfish, recalled hiking up the mountain numerous times as a youngster – even collecting a jar full of rattles from rattlesnakes that he’d encountered along the way over the years.

“Growing up, everyone thought Lead was the highest town in the Hills, but it’s not. Custer is 5,318 feet and Lead is 4,960. Spearfish is just 3,643 feet.”

He recalled as a 6th grader, he had to write a paper on Lookout Mountain, so he enlisted the aid of two older ladies – the “Massey girls” – who ably shared several yarns with the lad and later came to school to address the students.

The Masseys told of the early days when settlers would send lookouts to the mountain from a stockade – located about where Roma’s restaurant is situated today. They would use mirrors and smoke signals to communicate with folks back at the stockade, warning of Indians or other perceived dangers.

The mountain was referred to as a “she,” and because of its shape, “she” was deemed our “protector” and referred to as the “queen of the valley.” Thus came the origin of “Queen City” when referring to Spearfish.

Dingeman spent considerable time relating the mystery of the Thoen Stone. Discovered by Louis Thoen in 1887, the block of sandstone was found concealed near some oak trees on Lookout Mountain. On it was etched a message by one Ezra Kind, saying that he and his group had found “all the gold we could carry” in 1834. Alas, the message went on to report that all but he were killed by Indians, and that he had nothing to eat, no horse, and the Indians were hunting him.

Over the years, the validity of the story has been challenged, but researcher Frank Thomson, in his 1966 book “Thoen Stone: A Saga of the Black Hills,” defended the Thoen story.

And so it is that the stone (shown at right) has remained something of an historical controversy, and its authenticity may forever remain a mystery. It is among the many wonderful exhibits in the Adams Museum in Deadwood.

In the 1950s, Dingeman was scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 17 and Explorer Post 254. At the request of Frank Thomson, Dingeman shepherded his lads up the mountain where they roped off sections and commenced to dig nearly a foot deep in search of artifacts – and they came up with plenty – a pistol, a dutch oven, buttons, shovels, spent rifle casings and “all kinds of stuff.” Thomson took pictures of the findings, which were reportedly delivered to the Adams Museum in Deadwood, but Dingeman says they’re no longer to be found.

Dingeman said his mother-in-law, years ago, bought a “high-powered” metal detector and convinced him and a brother-in-law to search atop Lookout Mountain for any "Thoen gold." Alas, several long weekends of searching netted no booty!

While Deadwood would seem to have the corner on colorful wild west stories in Black Hills, Spearfish is not without a few of its own stories. Dingeman shared the story of two cattle thieves, caught at the foot of Lookout Mountain and dragged to a couple of nearby oak trees, where swift justice was exercised.

Perhaps less colorful – but just as contentious – were the struggles for routing the new Interstate Highway through Spearfish. Early plans had called for routing the superhighway to the east of Lookout Mountain – headed for Belle Fourche – before swinging back to the west toward Wyoming. After much local advocacy, highway officials changed the route to the west, but taking a route through the heart of the valley, near the site of the hospital today. Homestake Mine intervened, reminding officials that they’d have to guarantee safe delivery of all water in some 87 irrigation ditches that snaked through town. Government officials relented and moved the highway back up to its present track on the west side of Lookout Mountain.

More photos and a bit more information can be found in our History Gallery of the Spearfish Area Historical Society.

Food pantry gets boost

The campaign to raise $45,000 for the Spearfish Community Food Pantry building fund received a big boost this week with a $5,400 gift from All Angels Episcopal Church in Spearfish.

Rev. Bunker Hill of the All Angels Episcopal Church in Spearfish, at left, presents the $5,400 donation to Spearfish Community Food Pantry board members Marsha Smith (center) and Beth Walker (right). Both Smith and Walker serve on the Board of Directors for the pantry. Additional photos and a bit more information about the Church of All Angels are included in our Food Pantry Gallery. Many of the 175 All Angels church parishioners donated to the food pantry building campaign, and their gifts were matched by the church.

“We deeply appreciate this contribution from All Angels Episcopal Church and the generosity of their congregation,” said pantry president Evonne Welsh. The pantry has now raised $30,390 towards its $45,000 goal.

“It’s heartening to see the enormous support we’re getting from throughout the communities we serve.”

Last fall, the pantry lost its lease for space it occupied on South Colorado Boulevard. Since then, they’ve been working out of temporary quarters in the RamVac building in south Spearfish.

After gaining city approval to occupy a portion of the Spearfish Recreation Center, the pantry launched a fund drive to garner the nearly $45,000 needed to remodel a portion of the building to accommodate food pantry requirements. The pantry hopes to move into its new quarters sometime this spring.

Persons wishing to support the campaign may send their contributions to the Spearfish Community Food Pantry, 3100 First Avenue (Suite #2), Spearfish, SD 57783, or leave their gifts at either Pioneer Bank and Trust or Spearfish City Hall.

The Spearfish Community Food Pantry provides nutritional assistance to individuals and families in the Spearfish and St. Onge, South Dakota communities who identify themselves as in need of food to feed themselves and their families. For more information, call (605) 642-0940.

Dancing into the past

Folks came to learn more about the historic Tretheway Pavilion. What they got was that and a lot more, as writer Paul Higbee teamed up with musician Gary Mule Deer for a rare evening of history and music last night (1/5/10) at the Spearfish Senior Citizen’s Center.

Some 50 people braved freezing temperatures and light snow to attend the January meeting of the Spearfish Area Historical Society.

Spearfish native Paul Higbee – who has presented many society programs over the years – was back to talk about the old Spearfish Park Pavilion, known these days as the Tretheway Pavilion.

Last year, the building was one of the first inductees into the South Dakota Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame.

“I didn’t know that buildings could be members of Halls of Fame,” Higbee quipped, “but it is – along with another building, the Arkota Ballroom in Sioux Falls,”

But the history of the Spearfish Park Pavilion pre-dates even its legendary rock ‘n roll era. Likely built in the 1920’s, the pavilion was a center of much activity – from roller skating to boxing. Of course, it was dancing that increasingly dominated the scene, especially after movies replaced much of the dancing in the old Matthews Opera House.

When Higbee asked how many in the audience had actually gone to dances at the pavilion – about half the crowd raised their hands. One lady volunteered that she’d danced there in the 1930s to Henry Phillips and the Ambassadors, a Lead group that was one of the more popular area bands.

But by the late ‘50s and into the ‘60s, it was rock ‘n roll that launched a new era for the pavilion. Artists like the Everly Brothers (at right), the Shirelles, Chubby Checker, Seals & Croft, Jerry Lee Lewis, and many others, scheduled shows at the pavilion – usually when they were on their way from one city to another, like Denver or Cheyenne to Minneapolis.

“This was music with an edge,” said Higbee, “and it was connected to booze, and fights, and cigarettes, and – yes, sex.” He noted that Gary Mule Deer once told him, while discussing the Spearfish park pavilion, that “rock and roll was about being defiant, and parents hated it!”

For kids growing up in that era, nighttime radio in western North America was dominated by the 50,000-watt powerhouse, “KOMA in Oklahoma.” The Oklahoma City station, at 1520 on the AM dial, would often mention the performers and dances scheduled throughout their wide listening area – including those at the “Spearfish Park Pavilion.” For most KOMA listeners, it was probably the first time they’d ever heard of the little town in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

By the 1970s, the pavilion happened upon hard times. Heating was becoming a big problem for the old white clapboard building, and by the 1980s there was even talk of tearing it down.

That’s when Mayor Wilbur Tretheway helped save the building. A generation earlier, Tretheway had been a member of the Henry Phillips band that played in the pavilion. The mayor helped lead a successful campaign to save and refurbish the building. Today, it carries his name.

Another fellow who’s no stranger to the pavilion is Gary Mule Deer. A surprise addition to the January program, Mule Deer spent nearly an hour singing and sharing anecdotes about the Spearfish Park Pavilion and the rock ‘n roll era.

Both Mule Deer and the Tretheway Pavilion were named to the South Dakota Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame last year. Higbee noted that another Spearfish resident – Larry Bell – is slated for induction into the Hall of Fame this year.

Our Spearfish History Gallery shares a bit more information and a few additional photos from the Tretheway Pavilion presentation.

Next month, history about "Lookout Mountain" will be shared by long-time resident Paul Dingeman. That program is set for 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, February 2nd. As always, the public is invited, and there’ll be refreshments served after the program.

Tretheway Pavilion...quite a history!

“The Pavilion has always been a popular gathering site for weddings, dances, auctions, and other community events.”

So reads the City of Spearfish description of the Wilbur S. Tretheway Pavilion, located in the main city park in Spearfish, South Dakota. And while that short sentence suggests the array of social events that have taken place in the park building, there is much more to the story.

And it’s a story that will unfold Tuesday evening, January 5, 2010, when writer Paul Higbee presents a fresh perspective of the historic Tretheway Pavilion for the January program of the Spearfish Area Historical Society. His presentation begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Senior Citizens Center at 1306 Tenth Street in Spearfish.

Last year, the pavilion – named for one-time Mayor Wilbur Tretheway – was named to the South Dakota Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame.

Built in the early 20th century, the pavilion was the site for big band dances, roller skating, boxing, scouting activities, weddings, bingo, and a wide variety of school functions.

“Lots of people know about the big dances that drew thousands of young people to Spearfish in the early 1960s,” says Higbee, “but not everyone knows how major the performers were: the Everly Brothers, the Crickets, Jerry Lee Lewis, the Ronettes, Seals and Croft, Chubby Checker, and before they went country-western, Conway Twitty and Waylon Jennings.”

By the 1980s, the pavilion was nearly torn down, but Mayor Wilbur Tretheway led a successful campaign to refurbish it. According to Higbee, Tretheway had been a big band era musician who had played there.

“I always thought that was an interesting twist,” says Higbee, who says he hopes his January presentation will help people understand just how central the pavilion has been in the life of the community for some 90 years.

A Spearfish writer whose work frequently appears in South Dakota Magazine, Higbee has written for several national magazines, too. In 2000, he published a book about Spearfish history, which he says spurred his interest in researching the pavilion. Most recently, Higbee teamed up with photographer Les Voorhis in publishing “Bear Butte – Sentinel of the Plains,” just released this month.

Food Pantry campaign update

An onslaught of generous holiday giving has bolstered community contributions for the new Spearfish Community Food Pantry.

Having lost their lease earlier this year for their long-time location on South Colorado Boulevard, the pantry had been exploring possible new locations. Late in the year, discussions with the City of Spearfish resulted in a tentative agreement to move the facility to the Spearfish Aquatics and Recreation Center on North Main Street.

Individual and organizational contributions now total $20,500 toward the goal of $45,000 for necessary renovation, shelving, and other improvements required at the new location.

Once an agreement with the city is finalized and remodeling is completed, the pantry hopes to open the new facility in early 2010. Until that time, the Spearfish Community Food Pantry is operating out of the RamVac building, located across the street from the Walmart store in south Spearfish.

Four tons of food...and counting!

Spearfish area scouts went door-to-door Saturday (12/12/09) collecting more than 8,342 pounds of food during the annual Boy Scout Food Drive for the Spearfish Community Food Pantry.


After enduring some near-record low temperatures earlier in the week, Mother Nature was kind to the Boy Scouts and the Food Pantry, providing a clear and calm day with temperatures "soaring" to about 40 degrees.

“It was a great day and a great turnout,” said Pantry President Evonne Welsh. “It was fun to see the kids and leaders in their scout uniforms.”

Expressing appreciation on behalf of the pantry Board of Directors and the many pantry volunteers, Welsh went on to say, “Every year we have this food drive, it seems the folks of Spearfish hearts get bigger and bigger. What a great place to live!”

The enormous outpouring of support was a great boon to the food pantry, which is housed in a temporary location at 3100 First Avenue (Suite #2) across from the Walmart store in south Spearfish. The pantry lost its lease at its previous location and is in the final throes of finalizing a permanent facility at the Spearfish Recreation Center in north Spearfish.

In addition to the many Boy Scouts canvassing the Spearfish community, dozens of other volunteers -- young and old alike -- pitched in to help make the drive a smashing success.

We snapped a few additional pictures during the receiving and sorting of food at the pantry. Take a peek in our Pantry Gallery.


Of special note is the photograph shown here. Three long-time pantry volunteers -- all members of the Board of Directors -- took a breather at the end of the Boy Scout Food Drive. Shown left-to-right are President Evonne Welsh, Marie Post, and Roberta Engesser. Marie, a Board representative from the United Methodist Church, is stepping down from the Board after 13 years of service to the pantry. Well done, Marie, and thank you!

The Spearfish Community Food Pantry provides nutritional assistance to individuals and families in the Spearfish and St. Onge, South Dakota communities who identify themselves as in need of food to feed themselves and their families. While continuing to provide this valuable assistance, the pantry is in the midst of a fundraising campaign to raise some $45,000 to modify their planned new home at the Spearfish Recreation Center. Thus far, they've raised just over $15,000 towards that goal.

For more information about the Spearfish Community Food Pantry, call 642-0940.

A run for food...

Eleven hardy souls braved the cold late Saturday afternoon (12/5/09) to participate in the Mistletoe Mile Fun Run and Walk in downtown Spearfish and support the Spearfish Community Food Pantry.

Held as part of the Spearfish Downtown Business Association Christmas Stroll, the 11 holiday-clad competitors each contributed at least one non-perishable food item to the Food Pantry, which is in the throes of a drive to raise money for its new quarters at the Recreation Center, while continuing to provide food to needy residents in the Spearfish area.

Entrants gathered at 6th and Main at about 3:30 p.m., hitching a ride to the Spearfish Rec Center, where they donated their food items and hit the starting line for the Mile-Long trek back downtown.

A light wind – blessedly behind them as they ran south toward downtown – the runners were escorted by a squad car of the Spearfish Police Department.

Prizes were given for race winners and “Best Dressed” entries for the holiday event. We don’t yet know the names of all the winners – but you’ll see their faces in our Pantry Gallery. They’re all winners in our book…..helping the Spearfish Food Pantry in its continuing effort to provide food to needy residents in the Spearfish area. You can click on this photo to see a larger image of these good folks.

The Food Pantry was located on South Colorado Boulevard for many years, but lost its lease on that building earlier this year – forcing them to relocate. Thanks to the cooperation and support of local businessman Bob Meyer, the Food Pantry has taken up temporary quarters in a building across from the Walmart store in south Spearfish.

The pantry is now in a campaign to raise some $45,000 to remodel space at the Rec Center in north Spearfish. The City of Spearfish has made space available in the facility, but it’s up to the pantry to pay for necessary work in remodeling the northwest corner of the building.

At last report, some $14,545 had been raised. Persons wishing to support this initiative may mail their tax-deductible contribution to the Spearfish Community Food Pantry Building Fund, 3100 First St. - Suite 2, Spearfish, SD 57783, or leave their donation at Pioneer Bank and Trust or at city hall in Spearfish. For further information, call the pantry at 605-642-0940.