Running Water
South Dakota
The town of Running
Water, South Dakota is located on HWY 37, near Springfield.
Rich and I were fascinated by the amount of history to be found in a tiny town with a population of 20 year round residents. The population swells to about 40 in the summer.
When we arrived we were directed by signs to a large parking area that offered a boat launch, fishing area and outdoor toilet facility.
Running water was a bustling, busy little town around the turn of the last century, when there were approximately 1500 residents. There were two churches, two schools, a general store, a hotel, a barber shop, two grain elevators, a town hall and a number of saloons.
These
businesses all prospered because Running Water sits right on the banks of
the Missouri River.
At it's peak the town prospered because the railroad arrived, bringing freight and passengers who could then transfer to steamboats that ran on the Missouri River, or board a stage coach on their journey to Fort Randall or the black hills.
The railroad eventually pulled out of Running Water and the final business closed in 1939.
Today little is left of the original town. The course the river changed, putting much of the town under water. Most of the original remaining building burned over the years.
What
remains is the town historians, Mary Lou and Ray Livingston. They were instrumental
in moving one of the deserted school houses to property they own and turning
it into a museum. They restored the building and brought it back to it's
ordinal decor. Part of the
school is as it originally looked and the rest has been turned into
a museum. Many ancestors of the original citizens of Running Water have
donated items that are on display.
Mary Lou and Ray told us wonderful stories about steam boats that sunk after hitting large chunks of ice in the river and about the railroad round house that was such an important feature there.
They
shared with us a photo album containing photos of the many of the original
buildings and many of the original residents.
We would like to thank Mary Lou and Ray for sharing all of this information and history with us. We had a delightful afternoon.
Please click on the high lighted words to see more pictures.