Lillian Salmo Shea DHS1931 Passes Away at the Age of 100 by Margaret Crary Sager DHS1961

See Obituary = http://dhsclassmates-obits.blogspot.com/2013/12/lillian-salmo-shea-dhs1931-passes-away.html

Irma Klock Famous Black Hills Historian is Dead at the Age of 93, Her Historical Contributions Are Priceless

I did not know Irma Klock personally because I found my interest in Deadwood and Black Hills history to late to seek her friendship and appreciate her intense/exacting research to recapture history that would have otherwise been lost.  A close friend and also amazing historical researcher friend of mine observed " I did so love that persnickety lady . . ."

LEAD SD | Irma Klock, 93, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2013, at the Belle Fourche Healthcare Center. She was the last of her generation.

She was a lifelong South Dakota citizen, born Feb. 1, 1920, on Owl Creek, and living most of her adult life in Lead. Irma attended school in Nisland and graduated from BHSU. She married Earl Klock on August 12, 1944, after a three-month courtship. They remained married for 52 years and had three children.

She was active in several organizations and clubs. These include the Black Hills Historical Society, Lead’s Women Club, and Black Hills Art Association.

She will always be remembered as a local historian writing several books about the Black Hills and its early settlers. Irma was a researcher and writer capturing the early stories and people who first came to the region. Her writing won several awards. She was also a correspondent for the Rapid City Journal.

She was preceded in death by her father, Jacob Neamy, mother, Impi Neamy, husband, Earl Klock, and daughter, Mary Ann Mueller. Her survivors include her son, Steven Klock of Rapid City, daughter, Peggy Hastings of Mason City, Iowa, eight grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Monday, Dec. 9, at the Lead-Deadwood Memorial Chapel in Lead, with visitation one hour before services. Burial will follow at South Lead Cemetery.

As Irma always said when someone passes, “Another book is closed and put on the shelf.”

Irm's story is now complete.

Arrangements are under the care of the Lead-Deadwood Memorial Chapel in Lead. Online condolences may be written at GUEST BOOK

Joy Proctor Krautschum DHS1969 Passed Away November 5, 2013 ; Submitted by Margaret Sager DHS1961

See Obituary => http://dhsclassmates-obits.blogspot.com/2013/11/joy-proctor-krautschum-dhs1962-passed.html

David A. Fierro DHS 1967 Died in Salem OR October 6, 2013 at the Age of 65 by Margaret Sager DHS 1961

See Obituary =>  http://dhsclassmates-obits.blogspot.com/2013/11/david-fierro-dhs-1967-died-in-salem-or.html

Al Veitl DHS1942 Passes Away in Virgina by Margaret Crary Segar

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2013 DHS~~~~~CANCELLED LACK OF INTEREST ~~~~~~~in the Deadwood Park

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

SEPTEMBER 12, 1900

NOVEMBER 2, 1981

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.

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