Strool, South Dakota

Last updated

Strool
Former settlememt
USA South Dakota location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Strool
Location in South Dakota
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Strool
Location in the United States
Coordinates: 45°30′02″N102°48′18″W / 45.50056°N 102.80500°W / 45.50056; -102.80500
CountryUnited States
State South Dakota
County Perkins
Established1908
Dissolved1974
Named for Ben Strool
Area
  Total160 acres (60 ha)
Elevation
[1]
2,854 ft (870 m)
GNIS feature ID1258398 [1]

Strool is a ghost town in Perkins County, in the U.S. state of South Dakota. [1] Founded by homesteader Benjamin Strool in 1908, Strool was noted for its thriving culture and baseball team, Jewish community, and practice of renting land rather than selling it. [2] [3] [4]

Contents

Strool was formally disestablished in 1955, but the settlement was succeeded by Prairie City, located two miles away.

History

Establishment and growth (1908–1946)

Strool was founded in 1908 by Benjamin Strool, a Latvian-Jewish immigrant and homesteader, [5] who opened and operated the town's first general store. [6] The community's initial years were marked by a population boom, [2] with the post office opened the same year the town was founded. [4] [3]

In an unusual act for the time, residents of Strool did not purchase plots of land; instead, they paid a monthly rent to Ben Strool, who retained full ownership of the land. [2] Most of the buildings in Strool were thus not built to be permanent structures: settlers did not want to construct overly-sturdy buildings or basements on land that could be sold by someone other than themselves. [2] Despite this, many settlers established businesses in the area, including hotels, a bank, two schools, and multiple local businesses. [4] [3] [7] The settlement also developed a small community culture, with a dance hall, its own newspaper, and a baseball team that became well-known in the area. [8] [4] [9] Notably, Strool also had a large Jewish community, something uncommon for many homesteading communities (which tended to be Christian or Catholic). [2]

Strool lacks official population data, as the settlement was never formally incorporated. [4] The only official population count was recorded by the Federal Writer's Project in 1940, which placed Strool's population at 50. [6] The settlement's peak population varies between sources: a 1998 feature in the Rapid City Journal claims the population was once as high as 500, [7] while a 1956 edition of the Lead Daily Call placed the peak population at a mere 20 people. [4] Sources have also contradicted themselves, with the Rapid City Journal asserting in 1970 asserting that Strool's population never surpassed 100. [9]

Though Ben Strool became involved in state politics and later moved to Sioux Falls, he continued to manage the settlement for the rest of his life. [2]

Move to Prairie City and disbandment (1946–present)

The fact that Strool consisted entirely of rented land caused difficulties for its settlers as time went on. Mr. Strool refused to sell land to anyone, meaning that none of the settlers held ownership of their property. This meant that Strool could not formally organize itself as a town, thus preventing some businesses from operating (as they could not obtain the necessary licenses outside of an established town). [3] Additionally, when the Rural Electrification Act enabled many residents of rural South Dakota to electrify their properties in the 1950s, quite a few residents of Strool were hesitant to install electricity in buildings they could potentially lose down the line. [2] Further complicating matters, the state Highway 8 was first planned to run through Strool, but its final location turned out to be two miles away—thus bypassing Strool entirely, and also making it difficult for the settlers to access the highway in bad weather. [3]

As early as 1946, The Bison Courier reported plans of some of the settlers to move two miles north, placing the settlement closer to the newly-built highway, and rename the settlement Prairie City. [10] The future of Strool was later called into question only three years later, when Ben Strool died in 1949: his homesteading land was expected to go to one of his children, but a woman named Reizel Hirschfield claimed to have married Mr. Strool shortly before his death, and presented a will that would have given her ownership of the land Strool was built on. Though there was no legal record of Hirschfield's and Strool's marriage, and Strool's son Beryl contested her claim, Hirschfield won ownership of the settlement. [2] Her attempts to have the remaining residents purchase the land were unsuccessful, and most relocated to Prairie City by 1955. Prairie City was dubbed the fastest-growing city of 1955. [8]

The Strool post office was closed in 1955, having been renamed and moved to Prairie City. [11] According to the South Dakota Historical Society, the land was divided and sold to two separate owners in 1974, and the remaining buildings were razed. [2] Though Prairie City is generally considered Strool's successor, [7] the only remaining structure near the original site of Strool is a fence. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Dakota</span> U.S. state

South Dakota is a U.S. state in the North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Dakota Sioux Native American tribe, which comprises a large portion of the population with nine reservations currently in the state and have historically dominated the territory. South Dakota is the 17th largest by area, but the 5th least populous, and the 5th least densely populated of the 50 United States. As the southern part of the former Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889, simultaneously with North Dakota. They are the 39th and 40th states admitted to the union; President Benjamin Harrison shuffled the statehood papers before signing them so that no one could tell which became a state first. Pierre is the state capital, and Sioux Falls, with a population of about 192,200, is South Dakota's most populous city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Huron, South Dakota</span> City in the United States

Huron is a city in Beadle County, South Dakota, United States. It is the county seat of Beadle County. The population was 14,263 at the 2020 census, and it is the 8th most populous city in South Dakota.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harrisburg, South Dakota</span> City in South Dakota, United States

Harrisburg is a city in Lincoln County, South Dakota, United States and is a suburb of Sioux Falls. The population was 6,732 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sioux Falls, South Dakota</span> City in South Dakota, United States

Sioux Falls is the most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the 121st-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha County and also extends into Lincoln County to the south, which continues up to the Iowa state line. As of 2022, Sioux Falls had an estimated population of 202,078. The Sioux Falls metro area accounts for more than 30% of the state's population. Chartered in 1856 on the banks of the Big Sioux River, the city is situated in the rolling hills at the junction of interstates 29 and 90.

Prairie City is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Perkins County, South Dakota, United States. One of many rural settlements in Perkins County, the town was founded in 1946 by former residents of Strool. The population of the CDP was 25 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lower Sioux Indian Reservation</span> Mdewakanton and Wahpekute bands of the Lower Sioux

The Lower Sioux Indian Community, also known as the Mdewakanton Tribal Reservation, is an Indian reservation located along the southern bank of the Minnesota River in Paxton and Sherman townships in Redwood County, Minnesota. Its administrative headquarters is two miles south of Morton. The reservation is located southeast of Redwood Falls, the county seat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Upper Sioux Indian Reservation</span> In Minnesota Falls Township along the Minnesota River

The Upper Sioux Indian Reservation, or Pezihutazizi in Dakota, is the reservation of the Upper Sioux Community, a federally recognized tribe of the Dakota people, that includes the Mdewakanton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 229 (South Dakota)</span> Auxiliary Interstate Highway in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, US

Interstate 229 (I-229) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway located entirely within Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States. It runs for approximately 11 miles (18 km) around the southern and eastern sides of the city, providing a bypass route and connecting I-29 and I-90. The freeway is generally four-to-six lanes wide and follows the Big Sioux River through parts of the city. I-229 also has a business route that provides access to downtown Sioux Falls from the freeway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KELO-TV</span> CBS/MyNetworkTV affiliate in Sioux Falls, South Dakota

KELO-TV is a television station in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States, affiliated with CBS and MyNetworkTV. The station is owned by Nexstar Media Group, and maintains studios on Phillips Avenue in downtown Sioux Falls; its transmitter is located near Rowena, South Dakota. KELO-TV is broadcast by three high-power semi-satellites—KDLO-TV in Florence, KPLO-TV in Reliance, and KCLO-TV in Rapid City. These transmitters and others, together branded as the KELOLAND Media Group, broadcast KELO programs to all of South Dakota, southwestern Minnesota, and northwestern Iowa, an area the station calls "KELOLAND".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KDLT-TV</span> NBC/Fox affiliate in Sioux Falls, South Dakota

KDLT-TV is a television station in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States, affiliated with NBC and Fox. It is owned by Gray Television alongside ABC/CW+ affiliate KSFY-TV. Both stations share studios in Courthouse Square on 1st Avenue South in Sioux Falls, while KDLT-TV's transmitter is located southeast of the city near Rowena.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strongfield, Saskatchewan</span>

Strongfield is a village in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan within the Rural Municipality of Loreburn No. 254 and Census Division No. 11. It lies approximately 100 km south of the City of Saskatoon on Highway 19 between its sister communities of Hawarden and Loreburn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of South Dakota</span> Aspect of history

The history of South Dakota describes the history of the U.S. state of South Dakota over the course of several millennia, from its first inhabitants to the recent issues facing the state.

South Sioux Falls was an incorporated community located in south-central Minnehaha County, South Dakota, United States. It existed from 1890 until 1955. The community was centered in present-day Sioux Falls along Minnesota Avenue, stretching from 33rd Street in the north to 57th Street in the south.

This timeline of South Dakota is a list of events in the history of South Dakota by year.

Zeona is an extinct town in Perkins County, in the U.S. state of South Dakota. The GNIS classifies it as a populated place.

The 1955 South Dakota Coyotes football team was an American football team that represented the University of South Dakota as a member of the North Central Conference (NCC) during the 1955 college football season. In their 17th season under head coach Harry Gamage, the Coyotes compiled a 4–4 record, tied for fifth place out of seven teams in the NCC, and outscored opponents by a total of 191 to 151. They played their home games at Inman Field in Vermillion, South Dakota.

The 1956 South Dakota Coyotes football team was an American football team that represented the University of South Dakota as a member of the North Central Conference (NCC) during the 1956 NCAA College Division football season. In their first season under head coach Ralph Stewart, the Coyotes compiled a 4–4 record, tied for second place out of seven teams in the NCC, and were outscored by a total of 146 to 140. They played their home games at Inman Field in Vermillion, South Dakota.

The 1957 South Dakota Coyotes football team was an American football team that represented the University of South Dakota as a member of the North Central Conference (NCC) during the 1957 NCAA College Division football season. In their second season under head coach Ralph Stewart, the Coyotes compiled a 4–4–1 record, finished in fourth place out of seven teams in the NCC, and were outscored by a total of 146 to 140. They played their home games at Inman Field in Vermillion, South Dakota.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Presentation Children's Home</span> Historic building in Sioux Falls, South Dakota

The Presentation Children's Home is a historic building at 701 South Western Avenue in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Built to replace an earlier orphanage in Turton that burned down, it functioned not only as an orphanage—one of the few in South Dakota—but also as a school from its opening in 1940 to its closure in 1966. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.

References

  1. 1 2 3 U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Strool, South Dakota
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Rathbun, Janet Dunlap (2006). "All Roads Led to Strool: The Rise and Fall of One Man's Town" (PDF). South Dakota History. South Dakota Historical Society. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 27, 2022. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Quatier, Emmett (December 4, 1955). "Strool Is Disappearing: Will of Homesteader Brings End to a South Dakota Town". Sioux Falls Argus-Leader. p. 41 via Newspapers.com.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Strool Becomes Ghost Town As Prairie City Takes Over". The Lead Daily Call. January 18, 1956. p. 8 via Newspapers.com.
  5. Hosen, Freda (July 15, 1976). "South Dakota Jews Inherit Interesting History". Sioux Falls Argus-Leader. p. 40 via Newspapers.com.
  6. 1 2 Federal Writers' Project (1940). South Dakota place-names, v.1-3. University of South Dakota. p. 62.
  7. 1 2 3 "Rural fade: Progress erases towns | Towns: where did they go?". Rapid City Journal. December 13, 1998. pp. 1–2 via Newspapers.com.
  8. 1 2 Vanished South Dakota: Towns of Yesterday. South Dakota Public Broadcasting. August 15, 2019. Event occurs at 25:44–28:09. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
  9. 1 2 Linder, Don (August 16, 1970). "Linder looks... at sports". Rapid City Journal. p. 36 via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Town of Strool Will Be Moved". Sioux Falls Argus-Leader. January 12, 1946. p. 7 via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Postal Bulletin" (PDF). United States Post Office Department. December 1, 1955. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 2, 2022. Retrieved March 2, 2022.