117 years ago
March 1909 marked a period of notable growth and development in Huron. The Dakota Huronite reported on several new construction projects underway. John Sauer was constructing a two-story brick building that would house three storefronts on the ground floor and offices on the second. On the northeast corner of Fourth and Dakota, the Masonic fraternity planned to build an impressive three-story building crafted from brick, stone, and marble. This new facility was designed to include a department store on the first floor, office suites on the second, and a lodge room with a banquet hall on the third. The estimated cost for this ambitious project was between $30,000 and $35,000. The community also looked forward to additional city enhancements, such as a new post office building directly across from the Masonic building, a new sewer system, and the possibility of a new depot for the Chicago & North Western (C&NW) railroad.
Unfortunately, Cavour did not fare as well. At the end of February 1909, a disastrous fire spread through four downtown businesses. The fire was caused by an explosion at Mr. Costello’s general store. The store was destroyed along with the dance hall, the post office, the telephone exchange, and a residence located above the store. The fire spread next door to the printing office of the Cavour Clarion, the Cavour State Bank, and the home of E.O. Duesler. Ten members of the Huron fire department and their equipment were taken by train to Cavour, but the fire had been extinguished by the time they arrived.
60 years ago
Sixty years ago, on March 2, 1966, South Dakota experienced one of the worst blizzards in its history. The storm began on a Thursday night, with heavy snow, winds reaching 67 mph, and whiteout conditions. By Saturday, the storm had moved east, leaving behind nearly 14 inches of snow and a trail of destruction across the Dakotas, Nebraska, and Iowa. Hardest hit were the counties in the western part of the state. The South Dakota State University Extension Service estimated 95,000 head of livestock were lost due to the storm. In Huron, schools and businesses were closed, power and telephone lines were down, and roads were impassable. Hundreds of basketball players and fans attending the Region 4 tournament were stranded in town. They filled all of the hotels in Huron, and many others spent the night in private homes. Buses carrying the Doland basketball team left Huron but only traveled 18 miles before blowing snow closed the roads, forcing them to spend the night at a gas station and nearby farms. Downtown high winds caused the Farmers and Merchants Bank sign to crash into the building. Windows at both the Ben Franklin and J.C. Penney stores were broken, resulting in damage to their interiors as well. Larry Rogers was slowly driving along Third Street when he felt his car hit something. He continued to a nearby gas station, and when he looked under his car, he was shocked to see a woman’s head and part of her body. Fortunately, it turned out that these were parts of a mannequin that had been blown out of the J.C. Penney store window.
On Sunday, the blizzard had moved east. Temperatures rose above freezing, and the snow began to melt. City crews, assisted by the National Guard, began plowing the streets. Telephone and power lines were restored, businesses reopened, and many events were rescheduled. The blizzard of 1966 would be recorded as one of the worst in South Dakota’s history.
Historical Happenings was written by Jennifer Littlefield, Reference Librarian at the Huron Public Library. The information was taken from past editions of the Huron Daily Plainsman. For more information about Huron’s history, visit the library or search the library’s digital archive.
Leave a Reply