SOUTH DAKOTA HISTORY SD HISTORY SAMPLE POWERPOINT PRESENTATION

SMITH FAMILY HOMESTEAD My grandfather, Matt Smith, spent his youth working for different ranches in the Rapid City area, where he grew up. While helping a local rancher move a bunch of cattle from Rapid City to an area north of Philip, they camped along Deep Creek in eastern Pennington County. Matt was so impressed with the scenery that he thought it was a good enough place to spend a lifetime. He filed the necessary work and homesteaded there.

Horses Grandpa raised and sold horses. They were worth more than cattle at the time. He built the shed and corrals with the help of hired men.

BUNKHOUSE He built a sod bunkhouse that the hired men slept in.

Family Home They built this home in 1928 after their previous home burned. My grandmother, Mary, had a homestead of her own not far away from this place.

Later Years The homestead was sold when my father went to the Navy During WWII. My grandparents were not in good health and could not manage it on their own. Kirk Cordes purchased the place and his son lives there today.

MY FAMILY Grandparents

Kovarik

KOVARIK My great-grandparents Vaglav and Maria Kovarik immigrated to the United States from Czechoslovakia in the 1880’s. At Ellis Island their name was changed to Smith. My grandfather, Matthew Smith, was a baby when they came.

O’Neill

My grandmother, Mary O’Neill Smith, who is second from the right in the previous picture, moved to South Dakota with her mother. They came from Plattsmouth, Nebraska, after her father died. Mary homesteaded on Rainy Creek, in Eastern Pennington County She met my grandfather there.

SMITH

GUETHLEIN

Guethlein My Guethlein great-grandparents immigrated from Germany in the 1870’s. They settled in Ohio. My grandfather was born in Ohio, but heard of good land in South Dakota, so he came to Dakota to homestead. He also filed on a relinquishment so had to parcels of land.

Guethlein Homestead

PETERSON

Peterson My Peterson great-grandparents immigrated from Norway in the 1870’s. They first settled in Minnesota. My grandmother, Emma, (on the right of the three girls) was born here, but most of her brothers were born in Norway. She moved with her brothers to the Quinn area, where she met my grandfather, John Guethlein.

My Parents

Tom and Maxine Smith My parents were married in They bought a place on Elk Creek, in Southeastern Meade County. I have a brother and a sister. We attended a country school through the eighth grade.

Childhood My brother was born in I was born in Our house did not have running water, but it did have electricity and a telephone.

My sister was born in We had moved to a new house by that time that had running water.

BROWN FAMILY

Troy and Leslie Brown Troy and I were married in Our son, Boe, was born in Brittany was born in We live south of Harrold, SD.