129 years ago
The renowned Ringling Brothers Circus arrived in Huron on June 21, 1897. Their star attraction for that year was a royal white elephant from India named Keddah. White elephants, which result from albinism, have pinkish or light gray skin. The circus arrived by train at the Huron depot in two sections, each consisting of twenty-six cars. The animals and equipment were unloaded and transported to “Capital Square,” which today refers to the area along Dakota Avenue between 5th and 7th Streets. There was a light rain on the day of the performance, but the circus manager assured the public that their grand tents were 100% waterproof. The Daily Plainsman estimated that 10,000 people attended the two days of performances, after which the circus packed up and left for the next location.
76 years ago
The Memorial Park baseball field officially opened on June 7, 1950. The park was named Memorial Park to honor the men and women from Beadle County who served in World War II. It featured 240,000 watts of lighting, making it the brightest baseball field in the state, and had seating for 5,000 spectators. The stands consisted of concrete benches built into the hillside, providing an excellent view of the field as they stepped down toward the playing area.
The opening night festivities included a flag-raising ceremony and a performance by the Huron Municipal Band. After two years of fundraising and construction, fans eagerly anticipated the first game of the season, which was between the Huron Elks and the Aberdeen Preds.
54 years ago
The theme of the library’s summer reading program in 1974 was “Your Future is in the Books.” Assistant librarian Alyce Bates visited local elementary school students to introduce the program. In addition to reading over the summer, students in grades two through eight were invited to participate in special library activities such as writing book reports, watching puppet shows, and viewing filmstrips.
Students were also encouraged to collect old newspapers and cotton rags, which were sold to a recycling center. The money collected from these recyclables went toward purchasing a fish tank for the children’s area. Each week, the group of students who read the highest number of books earned a new fish for the aquarium. By the end of the summer, a total of seven fish had been added to the tank.
Historical Happenings is authored by Jennifer Littlefield, Reference Librarian at the Huron Public Library. The information is sourced from past editions of the Huron Daily Plainsman. For more details about Huron’s history, please visit the library.
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