Mellette County, South Dakota
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Raymond (R. H. ) and Maggie Best
By daughter Goldie (Mrs. Alfred Carter)
(Transcribed by RB, with permission from the Mellette County Historical Society, from "Mellette County 1911-1986" published by the Mellette County Historical Society)
One of the early landmarks in Mellette County is the house on the
homestead of Ray and Maggie Best. Originally a log cabin, it was built
by Mr. Best in the year 1909. He first came out by himself, leaving his
wife and two sons waiting near Dixon, South Dakota, while he built
the cabin to provide a shelter for the family.
Mrs. Best relates that in the early years they encountered many
harrowing experiences, but she believes the worst was the time they
were caught in a tornado. They were working in the field and had the
children waiting in the wagon. Upon noticing threatening clouds, they
started for home. They got only as far as a store building in the old
town called "Gate City." While they were inside the store building, the
storm struck and completely leveled the building, shattering the glass
showcases into thousands of pieces and leaving some of the family
with scars to show for it.
For a time the family moved back to eastern South Dakota so the
two older boys could attend school. Except for these few years, the family was raised and schooled completely in Mellette County. Lloyd's first teacher in Mellette County was Etta Navin of White River. Mrs. Best recalls the first years that the children rode five miles on horseback to school with not even a fence to guide them in time of blizzards.
The Bests lived in Mellette County until Mr. Best died in 1950. Mrs. Best continued to live on the farm until 1954 when she moved into Winner, South Dakota and bought a home. — Taken from the book "Mellette
County, S.D. 1911-1961."
Raymond Best was born near Montrose, Missouri, on June 15, 1879, the only son of Edward Harry Best
(London, England) and Ida May Whitney Best of Sheridan, Illinois. Raymond's father left some interesting bits of history, including service in the Army during the Civil War, going in as a substitute for his father and serving as a drummer boy when he was age 18. He was a well-educated man who became an attorney at Lennox, South Dakota, and taught a number of schools in the area of Tripp, South Dakota, as well as in Illinois before his marriage.
Raymond came with his parents to Dakota Territory in March 1882, attended school at Vermillion and later finished his eight years of schooling at Armour, South Dakota, where the family had moved and where Raymond grew to manhood.
Maggie Amanda Christensen was the oldest of ten children born to Soren Christensen and Sena Marie
(Jensen) Christensen, both emigrants at a young age from Copenhagen, Denmark. Maggie was born near Centerville, in extreme eastern South Dakota, then Dakota Territory. She received eight years of schooling plus a term of what was then called a "finishing school," where young women learned the arts of homemaking, sewing, decorating, etc.
Ray and Maggie were married September 14, 1904, at Yankton, South Dakota. They lived near Armour
their first years and here the oldest son, Lloyd Raymond, was born October 30, 1905. The second son, Harry Edward, was born August 12, 1908, on a farm north of Dallas. The family had moved here on or near the year 1907. The Dixon area was often mentioned in conversation, so they likely lived about midway between Dallas and Dixon.
A little daughter, Ida May, was born into the family in 1910 but lived only to the age of five months. By the time Guy Orville was born, November 17, 1912, the family had established a home in Mellette County as has been mentioned earlier. We believe Guy holds the distinction of being the first white boy born in Mellette County.
By 1913 there was not yet schooling available, so the family loaded their possessions once again on the hayrack and wagon, put the boys on a couple of ponies to drive the livestock, and headed east across the
Missouri and into Hutchinson County. Here they settled about four miles south of Olivet, South Dakota, on the banks of the beautiful James River. Lloyd enrolled in Olivet school that fall and brother Harry two years later.
In 1916, a fourth son, Wayne Whitney, was born. But once again sorrow came to the family when Wayne
became ill and passed away. He was buried beside sister Ida May in Pleasant Ridge Cemetery at Armour, South Dakota, on December 19, 1921.
In February of 1918 a second daughter, Goldie Beatrice, was born. Before she was school age, word had come that schools were opening up in Mellette County for homesteader's children, so for one last time the family made the long trek back west.
[This story is being written by Goldie.] I can remember parts of this trip, most vividly when we came to the Wheeler crossing and were to cross by ferry boat. I was a very frightened five-year-old, wondering how all of our things could possibly get across all that water on just that small ferry boat. Guess I couldn't visualize
cattle and horses riding on a ferry boat.
It was the year 1923 when the family arrived back on the homestead. By this time there were many new
neighbors in every direction. Soon Ray set about to build a huge barn with hay mow to store feed for the
livestock. Ray always liked Hereford cattle, and he built up a nice herd, including some registered stock,
before he was forced to retire. Also, he was fond of horses, and being an amateur photographer, he took
many pictures of the boys on the ponies and of Maggie with the faithful old team "Polly and George."
In August of 1925 the last child, a daughter, Vivian Ethel, was born. So Maggie was 20 years in bearing
her seven children.
As time passed, Ray acquired more acreage by purchasing and leasing land. He raised a considerable
amount of small grain and had his own threshing machine and grain binder, of course. Come harvest time, Ray would turn to his Indian friends to help shock the grain, load the bundle racks and pitch the grain bundles into the thresher. This likely is very foreign to the young readers of today, but fascinating nostalgia to those who were privileged to live through those times. Usually they would run five to seven bundle racks so it meant hiring a number of men. Because the Indian people did not farm for themselves, they were available and glad for the employment. The family men would bring the families, pitch a tent in the yard and all stay until the work was finished.
Maggie cooked the noon meal for them on her trusty wood-burning cookstove and since there was no separate dining room, they ate in the nice warm kitchen. No air conditioning then and in harvest time many days the temperature would reach the 101o to 105o mark on the thermometer. Each afternoon about 3 o'clock a lunch and refreshing cool drink was taken to the field.
We grew to know the Indian people quite well by having them in our home and could appreciate their customs and ways of life. We lived on the very east edge of the Rosebud Indian Reservation (seven miles
west of Carter). It may now be part of the reservation. More will be mentioned later about the land description. In Ray's retirement years he raised beautiful flowers, as a part of his gardening, and Indian friends would come to get flowers for funerals of their loved ones.
We lived only four miles from Okreek, which was and is home to many Indian families. The government
had built a day school near Okreek so many families lived there that their children might attend the day
school. Another government school in the area was the Little Crow Day School. It was located a few miles
south and east of Mosher, South Dakota. To me, this was a unique school since the school master and house
mother were colored people from the Southland. They were Mr. and Mrs. Solomon Gary and we learned to
know them well. We attended Sunday School in Mosher, and Solomon was the Sunday School teacher.
A relative of Solomon's, namely Bruce Gary, was a rural mail carrier out of Carter. Bruce and his family
lived in the Carter area. I have no recollection of when the day school closed down, but when they did many of the Indian children attended public schools along with the white children.
The Best children attended Schaeffer School. Other families who came were the J. T. Hansens, John
Jansens, Alloways, Frank Weavers, Herman Hattigs, Ben Charamzas, Hans Paulsons and Arvid Schaeffers.
Others also but the names escape me now. Teachers I recall include Bessie Berry (later Mrs. Arvid Schaeffer), Lois Rose, Amelia Landekil, Ardath Sills (later Mrs. Bennie Mills). Not ever a male teacher in
the grades. I was privileged to attend and graduate from Wood High School.
In 1934, government dormitories opened to provide room and board for rural students. If I remember correctly, we paid only $8.00 per month to stay in the dormitories. We, of course, helped wait tables, wash dishes and perform other necessary kitchen and dining room duties. We had a dorm mother who supervised our study periods in evenings in the dining hall. Mrs. Ryno was one of the dorm mothers. A large class enrolled as freshmen in 1934 with approximately 15 graduating in 1938. My sister Vivian also attended and graduated from Wood High School.
Raymond lived to see all of his children married and knew a big share of the grandchildren. Lloyd married
Minnie Horstman of the Carter area in 1927. Their children are daughters Mrs. Earl (Marian) Burt and Mrs. Calvin (Dorothy) Still, both of rural Winner. Harry married Berniece Schmidt of White River. Their children are Mrs. Bob (Glenyce) Stoner of Longmont, Colorado, Mrs. Ted (Mary JoEll) Gassman of Thompson, Iowa, and one son, Raymond Harry of League City, Texas.
Guy has one daughter, Alma Ellen, who lives near Verdigre, Nebraska. Goldie's two living children are Mrs. Richard (Janet) Kolousek of rural Wessington Springs, South Dakota, and Eddy Carter in the U. S. Army at Ft. Carson. Colorado Springs, Colorado. Vivian's four sons are Duane, living in California, Francis, an Air Force career man in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and twin sons. Gale and Dale. Gale serves in the Navy, presently stationed on the Isle of Lajos in the Azores. Dale is an accountant in Tampa, Florida.
Raymond suffered a heart attack in December of 1948 but recovered and enjoyed nearly two years of good health, gardening, ranching and driving his jeep around to see that all was well. On October 4, 1950, he had a massive heart attack at home and passed on to his Eternal Reward. He was laid to rest at Armour beside young Wayne and little Ida May.
Maggie remained on the farm until 1954 with Guy and wife there to help with managing livestock and general chores. She bought a house in Winner where she lived until 1962. She, too, loved flowers and kept a lovely yard and garden, often furnishing flowers for services at her church. She was a faithful member and
for some years deaconess of the First Baptist Church in Winner, South Dakota. Her later years were spent
living near her daughter Goldie and granddaughter Marian Burtz. She had a small mobile home she had purchased when it was felt she should no longer be alone.
Guy and his wife, Elva, moved to Omaha, Nebraska, in 1958 where he took a job as maintenance man at
the First National Bank. He is the only son to survive Maggie. Lloyd passed away in 1958, following a number of years of diabetes and its complications. He was laid to rest in the Winner cemetery. Harry had lived on a farm south and east of White River until his health failed, at which time the family moved into White River. On June 29, 1954, he passed away and is at rest in the White River cemetery. He, too, had diabetes and had lost his eyesight the last years of his life.
So Maggie had many sorrows. But being a strongwilled, full-blood Danish lady, she always sprang back and faced the challenges of what life held in store for her in the future. She lived to be 94 years and five
months old. She passed away July 1, 1980. and was laid to rest beside Raymond in the beautiful Pleasant
Ridge Cemetery at Armour, South Dakota.
One can't help thinking what sturdy folk these early pioneers were—all of them! We owe them a debt of
gratitude for the many sacrifices they made that life might be made easier for us. Also, it is most fitting
that we put into words some of the many deeds they accomplished that our children and grandchildren can
know and appreciate the demands of life in the early days of Mellette County.
How unreal it would have been for the pioneers to believe that one day man would walk on the moon,
sending voice and pictures back to earth, and homes would be heated by energy from the sun, and coffee
made in seconds in the microwave oven.
The time-worn expression, "The Good Old Days," has a real meaning to those of us who were privileged
to have our beginnings back then. Long live the memory of these dedicated and courageous pioneers who blazed the trail and smoothed the way in order that we may enjoy more comfortable lives today.
Footnote: Following is the land description of the homestead quarter of Raymond Best.
NE¼ of Sec. 36, Twp. 40 N. Range No. 26 of W. 6 P.M. in Meyer County, S. Dakota.
By daughter Goldie (Mrs. Alfred Carter)
(Transcribed by RB, with permission from the Mellette County Historical Society, from "Mellette County 1911-1986" published by the Mellette County Historical Society)
One of the early landmarks in Mellette County is the house on the
homestead of Ray and Maggie Best. Originally a log cabin, it was built
by Mr. Best in the year 1909. He first came out by himself, leaving his
wife and two sons waiting near Dixon, South Dakota, while he built
the cabin to provide a shelter for the family.
Mrs. Best relates that in the early years they encountered many
harrowing experiences, but she believes the worst was the time they
were caught in a tornado. They were working in the field and had the
children waiting in the wagon. Upon noticing threatening clouds, they
started for home. They got only as far as a store building in the old
town called "Gate City." While they were inside the store building, the
storm struck and completely leveled the building, shattering the glass
showcases into thousands of pieces and leaving some of the family
with scars to show for it.
For a time the family moved back to eastern South Dakota so the
two older boys could attend school. Except for these few years, the family was raised and schooled completely in Mellette County. Lloyd's first teacher in Mellette County was Etta Navin of White River. Mrs. Best recalls the first years that the children rode five miles on horseback to school with not even a fence to guide them in time of blizzards.
The Bests lived in Mellette County until Mr. Best died in 1950. Mrs. Best continued to live on the farm until 1954 when she moved into Winner, South Dakota and bought a home. — Taken from the book "Mellette
County, S.D. 1911-1961."
Raymond Best was born near Montrose, Missouri, on June 15, 1879, the only son of Edward Harry Best
(London, England) and Ida May Whitney Best of Sheridan, Illinois. Raymond's father left some interesting bits of history, including service in the Army during the Civil War, going in as a substitute for his father and serving as a drummer boy when he was age 18. He was a well-educated man who became an attorney at Lennox, South Dakota, and taught a number of schools in the area of Tripp, South Dakota, as well as in Illinois before his marriage.
Raymond came with his parents to Dakota Territory in March 1882, attended school at Vermillion and later finished his eight years of schooling at Armour, South Dakota, where the family had moved and where Raymond grew to manhood.
Maggie Amanda Christensen was the oldest of ten children born to Soren Christensen and Sena Marie
(Jensen) Christensen, both emigrants at a young age from Copenhagen, Denmark. Maggie was born near Centerville, in extreme eastern South Dakota, then Dakota Territory. She received eight years of schooling plus a term of what was then called a "finishing school," where young women learned the arts of homemaking, sewing, decorating, etc.
Ray and Maggie were married September 14, 1904, at Yankton, South Dakota. They lived near Armour
their first years and here the oldest son, Lloyd Raymond, was born October 30, 1905. The second son, Harry Edward, was born August 12, 1908, on a farm north of Dallas. The family had moved here on or near the year 1907. The Dixon area was often mentioned in conversation, so they likely lived about midway between Dallas and Dixon.
A little daughter, Ida May, was born into the family in 1910 but lived only to the age of five months. By the time Guy Orville was born, November 17, 1912, the family had established a home in Mellette County as has been mentioned earlier. We believe Guy holds the distinction of being the first white boy born in Mellette County.
By 1913 there was not yet schooling available, so the family loaded their possessions once again on the hayrack and wagon, put the boys on a couple of ponies to drive the livestock, and headed east across the
Missouri and into Hutchinson County. Here they settled about four miles south of Olivet, South Dakota, on the banks of the beautiful James River. Lloyd enrolled in Olivet school that fall and brother Harry two years later.
In 1916, a fourth son, Wayne Whitney, was born. But once again sorrow came to the family when Wayne
became ill and passed away. He was buried beside sister Ida May in Pleasant Ridge Cemetery at Armour, South Dakota, on December 19, 1921.
In February of 1918 a second daughter, Goldie Beatrice, was born. Before she was school age, word had come that schools were opening up in Mellette County for homesteader's children, so for one last time the family made the long trek back west.
[This story is being written by Goldie.] I can remember parts of this trip, most vividly when we came to the Wheeler crossing and were to cross by ferry boat. I was a very frightened five-year-old, wondering how all of our things could possibly get across all that water on just that small ferry boat. Guess I couldn't visualize
cattle and horses riding on a ferry boat.
It was the year 1923 when the family arrived back on the homestead. By this time there were many new
neighbors in every direction. Soon Ray set about to build a huge barn with hay mow to store feed for the
livestock. Ray always liked Hereford cattle, and he built up a nice herd, including some registered stock,
before he was forced to retire. Also, he was fond of horses, and being an amateur photographer, he took
many pictures of the boys on the ponies and of Maggie with the faithful old team "Polly and George."
In August of 1925 the last child, a daughter, Vivian Ethel, was born. So Maggie was 20 years in bearing
her seven children.
As time passed, Ray acquired more acreage by purchasing and leasing land. He raised a considerable
amount of small grain and had his own threshing machine and grain binder, of course. Come harvest time, Ray would turn to his Indian friends to help shock the grain, load the bundle racks and pitch the grain bundles into the thresher. This likely is very foreign to the young readers of today, but fascinating nostalgia to those who were privileged to live through those times. Usually they would run five to seven bundle racks so it meant hiring a number of men. Because the Indian people did not farm for themselves, they were available and glad for the employment. The family men would bring the families, pitch a tent in the yard and all stay until the work was finished.
Maggie cooked the noon meal for them on her trusty wood-burning cookstove and since there was no separate dining room, they ate in the nice warm kitchen. No air conditioning then and in harvest time many days the temperature would reach the 101o to 105o mark on the thermometer. Each afternoon about 3 o'clock a lunch and refreshing cool drink was taken to the field.
We grew to know the Indian people quite well by having them in our home and could appreciate their customs and ways of life. We lived on the very east edge of the Rosebud Indian Reservation (seven miles
west of Carter). It may now be part of the reservation. More will be mentioned later about the land description. In Ray's retirement years he raised beautiful flowers, as a part of his gardening, and Indian friends would come to get flowers for funerals of their loved ones.
We lived only four miles from Okreek, which was and is home to many Indian families. The government
had built a day school near Okreek so many families lived there that their children might attend the day
school. Another government school in the area was the Little Crow Day School. It was located a few miles
south and east of Mosher, South Dakota. To me, this was a unique school since the school master and house
mother were colored people from the Southland. They were Mr. and Mrs. Solomon Gary and we learned to
know them well. We attended Sunday School in Mosher, and Solomon was the Sunday School teacher.
A relative of Solomon's, namely Bruce Gary, was a rural mail carrier out of Carter. Bruce and his family
lived in the Carter area. I have no recollection of when the day school closed down, but when they did many of the Indian children attended public schools along with the white children.
The Best children attended Schaeffer School. Other families who came were the J. T. Hansens, John
Jansens, Alloways, Frank Weavers, Herman Hattigs, Ben Charamzas, Hans Paulsons and Arvid Schaeffers.
Others also but the names escape me now. Teachers I recall include Bessie Berry (later Mrs. Arvid Schaeffer), Lois Rose, Amelia Landekil, Ardath Sills (later Mrs. Bennie Mills). Not ever a male teacher in
the grades. I was privileged to attend and graduate from Wood High School.
In 1934, government dormitories opened to provide room and board for rural students. If I remember correctly, we paid only $8.00 per month to stay in the dormitories. We, of course, helped wait tables, wash dishes and perform other necessary kitchen and dining room duties. We had a dorm mother who supervised our study periods in evenings in the dining hall. Mrs. Ryno was one of the dorm mothers. A large class enrolled as freshmen in 1934 with approximately 15 graduating in 1938. My sister Vivian also attended and graduated from Wood High School.
Raymond lived to see all of his children married and knew a big share of the grandchildren. Lloyd married
Minnie Horstman of the Carter area in 1927. Their children are daughters Mrs. Earl (Marian) Burt and Mrs. Calvin (Dorothy) Still, both of rural Winner. Harry married Berniece Schmidt of White River. Their children are Mrs. Bob (Glenyce) Stoner of Longmont, Colorado, Mrs. Ted (Mary JoEll) Gassman of Thompson, Iowa, and one son, Raymond Harry of League City, Texas.
Guy has one daughter, Alma Ellen, who lives near Verdigre, Nebraska. Goldie's two living children are Mrs. Richard (Janet) Kolousek of rural Wessington Springs, South Dakota, and Eddy Carter in the U. S. Army at Ft. Carson. Colorado Springs, Colorado. Vivian's four sons are Duane, living in California, Francis, an Air Force career man in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and twin sons. Gale and Dale. Gale serves in the Navy, presently stationed on the Isle of Lajos in the Azores. Dale is an accountant in Tampa, Florida.
Raymond suffered a heart attack in December of 1948 but recovered and enjoyed nearly two years of good health, gardening, ranching and driving his jeep around to see that all was well. On October 4, 1950, he had a massive heart attack at home and passed on to his Eternal Reward. He was laid to rest at Armour beside young Wayne and little Ida May.
Maggie remained on the farm until 1954 with Guy and wife there to help with managing livestock and general chores. She bought a house in Winner where she lived until 1962. She, too, loved flowers and kept a lovely yard and garden, often furnishing flowers for services at her church. She was a faithful member and
for some years deaconess of the First Baptist Church in Winner, South Dakota. Her later years were spent
living near her daughter Goldie and granddaughter Marian Burtz. She had a small mobile home she had purchased when it was felt she should no longer be alone.
Guy and his wife, Elva, moved to Omaha, Nebraska, in 1958 where he took a job as maintenance man at
the First National Bank. He is the only son to survive Maggie. Lloyd passed away in 1958, following a number of years of diabetes and its complications. He was laid to rest in the Winner cemetery. Harry had lived on a farm south and east of White River until his health failed, at which time the family moved into White River. On June 29, 1954, he passed away and is at rest in the White River cemetery. He, too, had diabetes and had lost his eyesight the last years of his life.
So Maggie had many sorrows. But being a strongwilled, full-blood Danish lady, she always sprang back and faced the challenges of what life held in store for her in the future. She lived to be 94 years and five
months old. She passed away July 1, 1980. and was laid to rest beside Raymond in the beautiful Pleasant
Ridge Cemetery at Armour, South Dakota.
One can't help thinking what sturdy folk these early pioneers were—all of them! We owe them a debt of
gratitude for the many sacrifices they made that life might be made easier for us. Also, it is most fitting
that we put into words some of the many deeds they accomplished that our children and grandchildren can
know and appreciate the demands of life in the early days of Mellette County.
How unreal it would have been for the pioneers to believe that one day man would walk on the moon,
sending voice and pictures back to earth, and homes would be heated by energy from the sun, and coffee
made in seconds in the microwave oven.
The time-worn expression, "The Good Old Days," has a real meaning to those of us who were privileged
to have our beginnings back then. Long live the memory of these dedicated and courageous pioneers who blazed the trail and smoothed the way in order that we may enjoy more comfortable lives today.
Footnote: Following is the land description of the homestead quarter of Raymond Best.
NE¼ of Sec. 36, Twp. 40 N. Range No. 26 of W. 6 P.M. in Meyer County, S. Dakota.
Family Histories & Biographies - Best Surname
Best Surname
Raymond Best
Maggie Best
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