Springfield Historical Society - South Dakota

12/20/2025

💚 Thank You, Bon Homme Yankton Electric! 💚

The Springfield Historical Society would like to sincerely thank Bon Homme Yankton Electric and their Operation Round Up® members for their generous grant support.

This funding will go a long way in helping us complete our painting project and make important building repairs, ensuring we can continue preserving and sharing Springfield’s history. We are truly grateful for your commitment to giving back to the communities you serve.

We are incredibly grateful to the members who choose to round up their bills! Those small contributions truly add up to big community change. Thank you for believing in local history, local people, and the power of community. Proof that when neighbors support neighbors, great things happen.

Thank you for making a difference right here at home! 💚

11/20/2025

Throwback to:
…when your meat was VERY fresh.” Like… hanging-behind-you fresh.

…when ‘farm to table’ was
just called ‘Thursday.’

….when the butcher didn’t ask ‘paper or plastic’…he just handed it to you. Eco-friendly before it was cool.

…when your Amazon delivery was a kid with a meat pan.

In all seriousness, what an amazing interior scene of an early Springfield business, showing the Poelstra & Mathews Meat Market, which operated in town during the first decade of the 1900s.

The Poelstras were among the well-known early Dutch families in the Springfield area.
Aaron Poelstra was born in 1874 in the Netherlands. He immigrated to Dakota Territory with family as a child. Poelstras later operated a small dairy with a delivery cart that brought meat, milk, and eggs to Springfield homes.

John Mathews, the Co-owner of the meat market was born in Maine, came to South Dakota in the late 1800s.
He is related to the Mathew family that later became involved in hardware and farm implement sales in Springfield.

This image captures the everyday life of early Springfield: family-run businesses, immigrant tradesmen, community social hubs, and the work ethic that shaped the town’s Main Street.

11/11/2025

Springfield is proud to be home to so many who have served our country with courage and distinction. Their names are too numerous to list, and their sacrifices too great to measure. From every branch, every era, and every battle, our gratitude runs deep.

Thank you, Veterans.
Your service, your medals, and your stories continue to inspire us all.

11/10/2025

On the eve of Veterans Day, we invite you to take a moment to honor and remember the many brave men and women from Springfield who have served our country.

Our museum also holds cherished memorabilia, artifacts, tributes, and photos honoring Springfield’s veterans and their service to our nation. Stop in and see the stories that live on through the items they left behind. ❤️🤍💙

Here is a link where you can view some stories and photos of Springfield’s veterans and their remarkable service.

https://www.springfieldsdveterans.com

Their dedication and sacrifice continue to inspire us all.🇺🇸

springfield south dakota veteran photos and biographies

11/05/2025

Early 1900s snapshots along the Missouri River capture a quieter time when riverbanks were favorite gathering spots for fishing, rowing, and Sunday strolls. Notice the ferry moored at the Springfield landing in the second photo, likely taken just north or south of town before the dam changed the landscape.
Exact locations unknown.
It states on the back of the first picture location was Emmanuel Creek.
Does anyone recognize these stretches of river or have photos from the same areas?

10/30/2025

Throw Back Thursday: 1990 Holiday Meals for employees at CR!

CR Industries (Chicago Rawhide) moved to Springfield in the 1970s and remained until 2006.

When CR Industries opened in Springfield, it brought stable, year-round manufacturing jobs to a small town that had largely depended on agriculture and the University of South Dakota–Springfield.
The plant became one of the largest employers in Bon Homme County, providing steady work for dozens of local residents.
The company also sponsored community events, Little League, and local causes, and its payroll was a major driver for Springfield’s economy.

Do you recognize anyone? Or were you an employee?

We have a few CR memorabilia at the museum along with more pictures.

10/29/2025

Random Photo Post:
We are estimating this photo was taken between 1898-1905 based on the individuals attire.

“Between Depot and Manuel Creek waiting for the train” is written on the back of the photo. We are unsure if that narrative is correct or not….thoughts?

(For those who may not know, the Springfield Depot sat down off the bluff in the “Emanuel Creek Valley” along the Milwaukee Road’s river-bench line—about 2 miles WSW of town on (old) highway 37/ bottom road.)

10/23/2025

Before electric refrigerators, folks in Springfield got their “cold storage” straight from the river. Every winter, men bundled up and headed to the frozen Missouri to saw and haul massive blocks of ice. The blocks were slid up wooden ramps, loaded onto horse-drawn wagons, and packed away in the towns icehouse ready to keep food cool all summer long.

These rare photos show the teamwork, grit, and horsepower behind Springfield’s ice harvest, a real slice of local history that still gives us chills!
We estimate these photos were taken around the 1920s.

10/06/2025

Main Street Monday:

This remarkable photograph captured shortly after the devastating Turner Store (present day Dougs Food Center) fire in April, 1913.
The rubble and charred remains in the foreground are a stark reminder of the destruction, but also provided this rare glimpse of the businesses on the south side of Main Street. Noted signs are:
Sanitary Meat Market,
North Star Shoes,
Victor Talking Machines – selling phonographs and records, the latest in entertainment technology at the time.

But take a closer look at the large two-story building on the far left. The faint outline of a sign is visible, but we haven’t been able to positively identify what business operated there.
Does anyone recognize it or remember what that building once was?

10/01/2025

New tickets for the prizes that were not claimed were drawn today and awarded. The “Drink Up“ prize to Tammy Brunken and the “Mystery Box“ to Judy Ludens.  Thank you to everyone who participated!!!

09/30/2025

Round Two Progress:
Today’s focus was on repair work, priming, and getting a fresh coat of paint on the front and east side of the museum. It’s really starting to come together and looking sharp!

Thank you again to Sandy Stockholm and Marilyn Stone for supervising and to everyone else pitching in to make this project possible. Your time and effort are making a huge difference!

09/29/2025

Today we kicked off an exciting project, giving the outside of our museum a much-needed paint job!
We were able to partner with the SD DOC Yankton Mimimum Unit utilizing their Community Work Project. This program allows non-profit agencies and state government agencies to hire ofenders at a reduced rate to assist with short term projects Through these work experiences, offenders are gaining work ethic, a sense of value, self worth and renewed sense of purpose by giving back to communities.

A tremendous thank you goes out to:
👏 Sandy Stockholm and Marilyn Stone for generously volunteering their time to supervise the project.
👏 Marlyn, Shelly, and Spencer Palsma for bringing their power washer and giving the building a long-overdue bath before the paint could go on.

Your willingness to pitch in reminds us why Springfield is such a special place, a community where neighbors step up, lend a hand, and make a difference together. 💛💙

Stay tuned for more updates as the project continues and the museum gets a fresh new look thanks to this incredible team effort!