9th Annual Galena Ghost Town Fundraiser June 8th 2013
Poster by Lynn Borsch |
Make your plans to attend this 9th Annual Event:
·
Ghost Town Fundraiser
·
Free Historic Walk
·
Music and BBQ
·
Vinegar Hill Cemetery
Remember DHS1918 Fred
Borsh's "Tootsie" (1947 -1959)? Both Fred and Tootsie made the
Deadwood Wall of Fame!
Award by the Deadwood Historical
Preservation Commission
FRED G. BORSCH
III
Born at the turn of the
century to some of the first pioneers in the Black Hills, Freddie Borsch held a
number of occupations over the years, ranging from prospector and engineer to
pilot and bartender. But it wasn't until his late 40s that Freddie found his
most successful profession: coyote trainer.
Freddie grew up in Galena and attended high school in Deadwood,
where he played baritone in the 1915 Deadwood High School band and basketball on the school team
in 1918. By the 1920s he was working with his brother Chester in the Salt Creek oil fields in Wyoming , but the pair left for California in 1926 with dreams of making the first
flight across the Atlantic . When the pair realized they didn't have
the necessary funding, they joined the team led by Charles Lindberg. Freddie
even helped push the Spirit of Saint Louis out of its hanger in San Diego just before Lindberg's landmark flight.
By the time Freddie returned to Galena , the tiny town was on the brink of
abandonment. He bought up most of the settlement in an effort to preserve it.
In 1947 Freddie adopted Tootsie, an
abandoned coyote that he taught to sing tunes as she howled. Word quickly
spread about the pair, who became regional celebrities. When the coyote was
designated the official animal of South Dakota in 1949, Tootsie began to serve as the
state's mascot. Tootsie recorded an album, South Dakota Tootsie, and went on a
ten-state tour with Freddie.
Freddie and Tootsie remained
active in the local community, regularly making appearances at Deadwood High School football games and homecoming events. On
August 6, 1949 Governor George T. Mickelson declared Tootsie South Dakota's Official
Animal at the Days of '76 - another of the coyote's favorite local events. She
also served as the official symbol of Freddie's Spot Liquor store, which stood
on the corner of Main and Lee Streets in Deadwood. The giant
neon sign he commissioned in Tootsie's honor has been restored and can be seen
today near the original location of the Spot.
Tootsie died in 1959 and was
buried behind Freddie's cabin in Galena . Freddie, who became an expert in Galena 's history, lived in the cabin until he
died in 1981. It is now occupied by his niece.