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Pioneer Auto Museum at Murdo, SD August 26, 2012

Soapweed

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 11, 2005
Messages
16,264
Location
northern Nebraska Sandhills
This is quite an interesting museum. Peach and I visited there last Sunday, and would highly recommend it.

http://www.pioneerautoshow.com/index.php

Fineoldhorselesscarriage800x600.jpg

Fine old horseless carriage
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With a unique and simple drive set-up
Veryspecialwoodencar800x600.jpg

Very special one-of-a-kind wooden car
Verybeautifullydone800x600.jpg

Very beautifully done
Blastfromthepastgas600x800.jpg

Blast from the past gas
Fancyvehicle800x600.jpg

Fancy vehicle
Fifeonduty600x800.jpg

Fife on duty
Notmanyofthesearound800x600.jpg

Not many of these around
Itgetsreallygoodmileage600x800.jpg

It gets really good gas mileage.
Kidspedaldrivenairplane800x600.jpg

Kids pedal driven airplane
Oldplayerpianothatstillknocksoutagoodtune800x600.jpg

Old player piano that still knocks out a good tune for a quarter
Puppetshow800x600.jpg

Puppet show
LargedemoSwissArmyKnife800x600.jpg

Large demo Swiss Army Knife
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Jackalope rifle
Iremembersomeofthese800x600.jpg

I remember some of these.
Aircooledcar600x800.jpg

Air-cooled car. It didn't sell well, so the manufacturer made a "fake" radiator to boost sales.
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Self-propelled manure spreader
Anotheroneofmymomscousinshadacarlikethis800x600.jpg

One of my mother's cousins had a car like this when I was a kid. I rode in it back in about 1958, when we stopped to visit him in Maryville, Missouri.
Thehardtopwentintothetrunktomakeaconvertible800x600.jpg

The hard top went into the trunk to make a convertible.
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A rancher doesn't need these.
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Old wooden horses
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This one might run away with the blinder on the bridle missing.
ThismightbeKawligaandhisbride600x800.jpg

Kawliga and his bride
 
I bet that two headed calf could nurse a cow in record time. :wink:

thanks for the pictures always been going to stop but never have, now I think we will for sure.

have a good one

lazy ace
 
Thanks for the pictures...some really neat stuff there!

To save a dime and keep afloat here on the ranch, I'm "linebreedng" :D Dad back to daughters a couple years here....maybe I will actually be even more money ahead because I might be able to sell my two headed calves right off the cow to museum's for more money than a weaned calf at market price??? :shock: :D
 
I always enjoyed going through the Pioneer Auto Musium, but it has been several years since was there. I once knew an old fellow who always talked about his first automobile, I believe it was a Saxony, he thought it was quite a car. There was one of them there the last time I was there. I am not sure but I think it may have been the one with the friction drive. There was lots of other neet stuff there besides automobiles.
 
That is only about 30 miles from us......and it has been YEARS since we have taken time to tour it!

Last time was once long ago when our daughters' June 18 birthday and Fathers' Day were on the same day when she was quite young. Each chose a place they wanted to see, in close enough proximity to do the same day after church. He chose the Car Museum and she chose the Petrified Wood museum near Kadoka.

She was NOT happy with her own choice after seeing it for the first time that day! And even less happy with her Dads' choice. She does not recall it as one of her favorite birthdays even today.

We do get to 1880 Town, which is at Exit 170 on I-90 and closer to home, more often. But still not often enough. It has very good overall history of the earliest towns in the area, that being sort of a composite with buildings original to many of the little towns. The history memorabilia from Casey Tibbs era, Dances With Wolves movie and more is very good.

I belive it was during the SD Centennial Wagon Train events (1990) we and others camped there with our wagons, then loaded some big longhorn cattle onto the old cattle cars sitting on track at 1880 Town.

The cars and corrals were a little the worse for wear after that event! It was fun/interesting, but doubt anyone, from the Town owners to the cowboys wanted to repeat that event.

They have a dining car where meals are served. maybe three times a day this summer, at least noon. Not sure how long that will carry on after Labor Day.

They probably have lost some student workers there, tho they have quite a few 'camper people' who work and live there in summer, and move to warmer climates for winter. Seems to work out well. At least one of whom has bought a home in Midland to make their lives a little easier, taking their trailer elsewhere to live a few of the winter months.

mrj
 
I've stopped at the 1880 town a couple of times too, but that was also some time ago. Isn't there, or wasn't there, a round barn there? I think it was moved in from some place else. Wasn't 1880 town built as a prop for the movie? Our Lt. Governor had something to do with it. Maybe his buffalo.
I have been through Midland too. I knew a guy from there when I was in the service. I rode home with him one time when we were on furlough, then he stoped here again and picked me up when we went back to Ft. Sill. When I asked about him in Midland, I was told he was no longer alive, was told hed had lived several miles to the north east.
The artisan well there interested me. Is there still a bank there? back during the war years in the 1940's some of our neighbors put up hay near Midland. There were two crews from here. They mentioned the artisan well. The hay they put up went to Ft. Robenson for horse feed. Was told much of it was Western Wheatgrass.
 
Clarence, there is a wonderfull round barn at 1880 Town. We think it came from near Draper, SD, one of the oldest towns in the area, dating back to 1890 as does Midland. Missouri river towns generally are older, and the ones along railroads west of river of later origin. Midland was a crossroads for travel between reservations and for earliest settlers in the area, so an enterprising young man of the era set up a general store...and the rest is history!

I don't know about a movie connection, other than many props from Dances With Wolves, which was filmed in various places, including the Roy Houck Buffalo ranch some 100 miles to the north, being in the museums there.

I wonder if your service buddy could have been Raymond 'Bud' Livermore. I know he lived north east of Midland and was in the service. His youngest sister is an active member of the church we attend, and a good friend.

The artisan well is going strong! The old Stropell Hotel has been sold recently and is up and operating without much more than a pause! I have relatives in MO and GA who love to stay there when visiting family in the area.

The bank still is in business with a couple of local employees, and others who come from the 'big' bank several days each week, i believe.

Re. the hay crews, I wonder I know Joy Moyer of Crawford was married to one of the hay crew, Clifford Phillips. Both are deceased. Joy had a brother who worked on my parents ranch for a time. I happened to see his widow, their son, and dau. in law this week at 'Taco Tuesday' in the cafe in Midland.

That was some wonderful hay country north east of Midland where those hay crews worked. They loaded lots of bales on railroad cars at Midland, and hauled them in semi's, too. I think Sammons Trucking of MT got their start doing that. Cliff and Joy farmed in the Midland area for many years on their own land, as well as for others, including my father in law, and later for us before he retired. We sure do miss them.

That hay ground is nearly all farmed now.

mrj

mrj
 
The fellow I knew from Midland was Louis Bonhorst. I believe he was a year or two older then I. We were both in the 13th Hel copter company in Ft Sill OK. The 13th was the second transportation helicopter Co the army had. The first was the 6th. There is a story about the army having aircraft. I didn't know about it until a few years ago. Made me understand why our company had so much trouble getting helecopters. The Airforce was a part of the Army when WWII started a division of the infantry. When the US Airforce was started, it was agreed that the army would have no aircraft larger then 4000 lbs. Of course the H19 Sikorsky was heavier then that. We went to several demonstrations demostrating what could be done with a helecopter.

I think Bonhorst (that's what we called him) was an enlistee, in for 3 years. I was a draftee. I think when our company was finally sent to Korea he went along. I didn't have enough time yet to serve so didn't go. I could have extended my enlistment by six months and gone with them, but I didn't. Bonhort had gone through the helicopter Mechanic training course just before the one I was in. Funny thing, most of the people who were qualified for this course were from the mid-west.

As for the hay crews, One was Ed Hill and some of his family, the other was Glen Hand and Harold Fay. It seems a man named Ernie Carter had a contract to supply hay to Ft. Robinson. Horses were not used much in WWII so were discontinued there, then they had the K9. I think the horse they could not sell were used for dog food. Then there was the WAACS. Then prisioners of war. After they had the PWs ED Hill came here and baled wheat straw out of a stack to be used to make matteress there.

The name Sammons, We had a Melvin Sammons here that was also involved in hauling hay, I think some from Midland.
 

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