Sioux Pass

This is the history of Sioux Pass, a farming and ranching community half way between Sidney and Culbertson. Because this was the home of the Sioux Indian the pass in the divide was called Sioux Pass.

Sioux Pass at one time consisted of general store, post office, dance hall, school, telephone switchboard, and church, located three miles south of the pass.

The post office was established in 1907 and was located one and one-half miles north and one-half miles east of the pass in the divide.

In 1909 Joe Creech and his nephew, Felix Creech, built a store, located east of the pass in the divide. The post office was moved to this new location.

With the homesteaders and their families moving in there was need of a school. The first school was held over the J.G. Creech store in September 1912 with Mrs. A.M. Malvern as teacher. There were no desks, just a long homemade table with benches on both sides. Those early day building were not built too warm. They were heated with a potbellied stove that was fired with lignite coal. I don't know how much the teacher got for her work. She was not only the teacher, but had to be pretty good at stoking the heater in cold weather.

A new school was built in 1915 at cost of $994.50. The first teacher in the new school was Miss Margaret Davies.

No community is complete without a ladies' organization. In the spring of 1910, a group of ladies got together and formed a club known as the Progressive Sioux Club. Their main purpose was to promote more social life in the community. Their first project was building a dance hall where they could have social gatherings. By this time a homesteader by the name of Bill Eggleston had organized a band and was in need of a place to practice. It was suggested that if the Progressive Sioux Club would buy the lumber the band boys would put up the building. The club ladies went to work-pie socials and basket socials, along with what money they could borrow. The lumber was ordered directly from the mill at Libby Lumber Company. The lumber was shipped to MonDak. The homesteaders hauled the lumber to the site where the hall was to be built. The band boys went to work and December 23, 1910 the opening dance was held. Tickets were 50 cents and the musicians were paid ten dollars. Many a man had a soft spot in his heart for the hall as this was where he met his mate.

With the coming of the plow, there had to be a blacksmith. This shop was built by J.P. Sjostrom and son, Lars. They also had the dealership for John Deere machinery. At that time a one-bottom breaking plow sold for 40 dollars. Horseshoeing kept the blacksmith busy during the winter months.

A man by the name of Harry Ellis operated the real estate office and a barbershop.

Dances were held every two weeks during the summer and ball games on Sundays. With Art Kringen, left-handed pitcher and his brother, Pete, as catcher, Sioux Pass had a team hard to beat.

In 1916 the Sioux Pass Telephone Company was organized and built, connecting Sioux Pass with Fairview. The switchboard was located at the pass and operated by the Ole Paulson family. Later the switchboard was moved to Fairview, and still later to Sidney.

During the homestead days, coal was used for heating the home. This was bought at a mine that was located in the badlands north of Sioux Pass and was operated by Albert Wells. This was an underground mine complete with steel track, dump carts and mule to pull them out of the mine. During the winter months this was a busy place.

When the homesteaders were moving in, some came in covered wagons, some on foot and some on saddle horses. I think the one that took the most courage was a young man by the name of Martin Krokum. He had been working for a farmer about five miles north of Sidney. When he decided to move onto his homestead in 1910, he had no means of transportation. He bought a wheelbarrow, loaded all his belongings on it and pushed it all the way to his homestead at Sioux Pass, a distance of about 25 miles. He also deserved credit for organizing the fair booth.

St. Peter's Church of Sioux Pass, located in a farming and ranching community between Culbertson and Sidney, had its beginning in the year 1914. Homesteaders were increasingly numerous and permanent homes and families made the need of a church important.

In 1914 Reverend Munson came from Wiliston, North Dakota once a month to hold service in the various homes and the schoolhouse. While no permanent house of worship was yet established, this was the beginning of the present church. A ladies Aid was organized the same year and they met on Sunday afternoons.

In 1921 a basement was built on the present site. Church services were held in this basement until the early 1940s when it was no longer usable. We were again forced to use the schoolhouse and homes until the building of the present church in 1948 and 1949.

On October 13, 1948 a large group gathered to pour cement for the new basement. Work progressed throughout the fall and winter and by June of 1949 it was completed enough to be usable. On July 16, 1950 our church and cemetery were officially dedicated.