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| Hank Frawley with Elaine Albrecht's painting of the James Anderson ranch. |
by Larry Miller
Life-long northern Black Hills rancher and civic leader Hank Frawley died April 22 at home on his beloved Centennial Valley ranch.
A third-generation pioneer of Lawrence County, Hank was a gentle man with a passion for preserving and sharing the history of this region. He was particularly proud of of the Frawley ranches that stretched from one end of Centennial Valley to the other just east of Spearfish. One of those was the James Anderson ranch (shown in the photo above).
His grandfather was Henry Frawley, pioneer attorney and rancher who was among the first arrive in the rip-roaring days of early Deadwood. His grandfather was as colorful character as you would find among the cast of characters who contributed to the history of the old west.
It was that story that led Hank to ask me some years ago to create a video about his grandfather. Getting to know Hank and his wife, Molly, while working on that project was a blessing. I know of no one who loved his family and his roots any more than this "gentle giant" of a man, whom I was proud to call a friend.
Tom Griffith wrote this fine story about Hank for the Rapid City Journal:
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