Cleve Barry Family History
By Jan (Berry) Rasmussen
(transcribed by RB, with permission from the Mellette County Historical Society, from "Mellette County 1911-1961" published by the Mellette County Centennial Committee)
Cleve Berry and his bride, the former Jessie Iddings, arrived at their
new homestead in western Mellette county in a covered wagon, with a
buggy and a red milk cow hitched behind. Their destination was a one-
room shack about three miles north and west of the ridge known as
Cedarbutte. A year later they moved to a claim just below Cedarbutte on
the north and this became the permanent ranch site.
Stories handed down about those rugged early ranching days were
primarily concerned with the constant struggle to win out over the
elements, to provide nourishment for family and stock, and to somehow
maintain a satisfying standard of living. Combined with these trials of
existence, however, was a sense of humor and communal desire for fun.
Homesteading nearby were Cleve's two brothers, Tom and Claude. Homes
were quite plentiful in the neighborhood.
Many dances were held in the homes, sometimes for most of the night
to facilitate daylight transportation home with team and buggy. Mrs. Berry
was an accomplished pianist, Cleve contributed drum rhythm occasionally, Jimmy Johns was a regular on the banjo, Mick and Chet Dodds played ukelele and guitar, and George Schuknecht was fiddler.
A favorite Berry family story describes Cleve's hazardous trip home from Belvidere with his wife's new piano balanced precariously in the wagonbox. He was driving a skittish team that slid and skidded over frozen ditches and hills. The piano was very precious cargo, and through some miracle got to the homestead still standing upright.
Four daughters eventually made up the Cleve Berry family. They are: Mrs. Marian Hafnor, who lives with her four children in Aberdeen, South Dakota; Mrs. Phyllis Howie of North Carolina, mother of three children and wife of Lt. Col. R. G. Howie; Mrs. Betty Tesar of Minneapolis, Minn., mother of five children and wife of Dr. C. E. Tesar; and Mrs. Jan Rasmussen, who now lives on the home ranch with her husband, Skee, and two children. Mrs. Hafnor's husband, Eldor, passed away in 1958.
The official ranch brand, "33", was derived from the number of horses Cleve first ran on his homestead and it is still used.
Mrs. Berry taught school several years in the western section of the county, at times finding it necessary to live in the schoolhouse with her small daughters. In 1934, Jessie passed away after a brief illness of pneumonia.
Mr. Berry resided on the ranch until his death in 1956. In 1946 he and Rose Looney were married and she now lives in White River.
Mrs. Howie, Cleve and Jessie's second daughter, remembers with particular interest the role of the Indian neighbors in her early childhood . . . the almost-daily wagons that traveled the badland route
around Cedarbutte that had been the major east-west trail for generations . . . their thin teams with jingling harness that could be heard long before they came into sight . . . and the equally slim dogs that always padded along beneath the wagons in the dusty shade. On quiet summer nights the children often heard muffled drums and mournful Indian singing, and they learned to distinguish between this sad funeral keening and the happy sounding regular powwow. One special Indian couple that were frequent visitors and good friends were Mr. and Mrs. Stands For Them. Although they couldn't communicate with words the two wives enjoyed "visiting"; Mrs. Berry had several attractive quilts and these fascinated Mrs. Stands For Them. When Jessie died the Indian woman asked to see the quilts and sat sadly fingering the pieces for several hours.
A humorous tale Marian Hafnor recalls hearing concerns her first trip "out" as a new baby. Cleve and Jessie planned a buggy trip to brother Tom's to show off their first-born. Trying to cross a creek high with spring runoff, Cleve got down and carried the baby across while his wife drove the team. Back in the buggy they drove the rest of the way with the tightly bundled baby back in her mother's arms. They reached Tom's, Rena reached to uncover the new niece and greet her properly, and found tiny feet, not the little face she expected. Three-weeks-old Marian had ridden head down from the creek on, a distance of several miles.
Mrs. Chloe Refvem, the former Chloe Berry, sister of Tom, Claude and Cleve Berry, recalls with interest her early Mellette county days.
"I filed on a claim in November of 1911 on Black Pipe creek and proved up in 1913. My sister, Elva, had a homestead joining mine and we spent a lot of time together. I left the county in 1913 but the fall of 1914 found me back and I decided to stay in that country and teach.
"Mr. and Mrs. Tom Berry had three children of school age and the pressing need of a school for them to attend. Seven children were required to form a school district and as we had only three, Baxter, Nell and Faye Berry, we got four Indian children released from the government school at Corn Creek. They were Richard Nightchase, Julia and David Yellowcloud and Andrew Ashley. School progressed fine; the Indian children were obedient and quiet.
"I stayed at my brother Tom's, and on week-ends would ride across the badlands to Cleve's. Jessie, Cleve's wife, was a fine pianist; she gave me piano lessons that winter and we had fun playing duets.
"Homestead dances in those small houses were really crowded. All the furniture had to be set outside to make dancing room. Sometimes we went into Belvidere with a team and wagon to dances and there I met Martin Refvem and married him in 1919 at Whitebird, Idaho. We now live in California, where we moved in 1945 from Stanfield, Oregon, and have three sons, Bob, Don and Tom, all residing in California, and 10 grandchildren."
Writing from her home in Burlingame, California, Miss Elva Berry cites the following as one of her most vivid recollections of her homesteading days in Mellette County.
"During the winter of that first year (1912) a group of us planned to attend a dance in Belvidere. There were Susie, Cap and Ben Dengler, Bill Haynes, my sister, Chloe, and myself. Our mode of travel was by lumber wagon.
"During the course of the evening a terrific storm struck making it impossible for us to go home. The George Gonors kindly invited the six of us to come to their home for the rest of the night. We were stormed in there for three days, left their home in the early morning and were all day making the 20 miles back home. With horses nigh played out fighting deep drifts and all on board cold and hungry, we were happy to be back on the homestead."
Cleve and Rose Barry
(transcribed by RB, with permission from the Mellette County Historical Society, from "Mellette County 1911-1986" published by the Mellette County Historical Society)
I was born in Moravia, Czechoslovakia on June 18, 1906, and came to the United
States with my parents,Josef and Josefa Topinka, in 1907 when I was fourteen
months old. After we got on the ship, I came down with chicken pox, so Mother and I
spent most of the time in the hospital on the ship. My mother worried when we got
to Ellis Island and had to be examined by the doctors that I might start coughing, and
we could be quarantined in New York or sent back to Czechoslovakia. But I just
looked at the doctors and kept quiet, so we were able to go on to Minnesota where my
father's married sister was living. My brother Joe was born in New Prague in 1908.
My father got a job in the flour mill stoking coal into the furnaces that kept the
mill in operation. In July 1916, he was overcome by heat and passed away July 31,
1916, without regaining consciousness. There was no air conditioning in those days.
In the fall of 1917, my mother married Josef Petr, who was living on his home-
stead sixteen miles southwest of White River, now the Ringthunder Township. So we moved to Mellette County. We shipped our furniture and even a couple crates of chickens by rail to Murdo, and when the train arrived, our new dad and my brother Joe drove the horses and hayrack to get everything. We were living in a one-room sodhouse so some of the furniture had to be stored in a cave near the house.
My brother and I had been attending school in Minnesota before we moved out here. Joe was in the fourth grade and I was in the sixth. There was no schoolhouse in our Mellette County neighborhood. Dad and his brother Frank hauled some lumber from White River, and with the help of some of the neighbors built a one room tar-paper covered shack and some benches and desks out of some of the lumber. This building was used for several years. In January of 1918, four of us started school—Joe Talacek and Josephine Talacek Lolley, son and daughter of Mrs. Frank Petr, my brother Joe and myself.
Mrs. Nell Didier was our first teacher. Her husband Nick taught for a short time and Edna Holmes finished that term. She also taught the next year. My eighth grade teacher was Miss Guthrie. She was from Indiana and lived on a homestead northwest of White River, driving a team of horses from her homestead to our school on Monday morning, and living in a little shack near the schoolhouse during the week.
In the 1929-1930's, the depression years were hard on everyone. No crops due to drought, lots of grasshoppers and no jobs. I decided to go to Omaha where I attended business college for two years. Jobs were scarce there also.
In 1934, I got a job in the W.P.A. relief office in White River and in 1937 I was married to William (Bill) Looney. He was working with the F.H.A. at the time. Bill had two teenaged sons, Douglas and Warren, who
attended high school in White River. After graduation both enlisted in the Army Air Corps. Warren passed
away about three years ago and Douglas and his family live in Oregon.
While we were living in Bison, South Dakota, my husband Bill passed away in 1943. I came back to White River and started working in the post office that fall. Arthur Siegmund was the postmaster.
In the spring of 1946, I was married to Cleve Berry and moved out to his ranch west of White River. Cleve
had four daughters; Jan, the youngest, was the only one still at home. Marian Edwards lives in Aberdeen, South Dakota, Phyllis Howie lives in Broomfield, Colorado, and Betty Tesar lives in Rapid City.
My husband Cleve passed away in 1956 and I moved into the town of White River in 1957. Jan and Odeen
Rasmussen and their son are living on the ranch.
My brother Joe married Mary Postlewaite in 1941. She was born and raised in Meade County. She came
to Mellette County in 1939 to teach school. They have three daughters: Joan Torres lives in New Mexico, Laura Maul lives in Gillette, Wyoming, and Ruth, the youngest, lives in Sturgis. She works at Ft. Meade.
By Jan (Berry) Rasmussen
(transcribed by RB, with permission from the Mellette County Historical Society, from "Mellette County 1911-1961" published by the Mellette County Centennial Committee)
Cleve Berry and his bride, the former Jessie Iddings, arrived at their
new homestead in western Mellette county in a covered wagon, with a
buggy and a red milk cow hitched behind. Their destination was a one-
room shack about three miles north and west of the ridge known as
Cedarbutte. A year later they moved to a claim just below Cedarbutte on
the north and this became the permanent ranch site.
Stories handed down about those rugged early ranching days were
primarily concerned with the constant struggle to win out over the
elements, to provide nourishment for family and stock, and to somehow
maintain a satisfying standard of living. Combined with these trials of
existence, however, was a sense of humor and communal desire for fun.
Homesteading nearby were Cleve's two brothers, Tom and Claude. Homes
were quite plentiful in the neighborhood.
Many dances were held in the homes, sometimes for most of the night
to facilitate daylight transportation home with team and buggy. Mrs. Berry
was an accomplished pianist, Cleve contributed drum rhythm occasionally, Jimmy Johns was a regular on the banjo, Mick and Chet Dodds played ukelele and guitar, and George Schuknecht was fiddler.
A favorite Berry family story describes Cleve's hazardous trip home from Belvidere with his wife's new piano balanced precariously in the wagonbox. He was driving a skittish team that slid and skidded over frozen ditches and hills. The piano was very precious cargo, and through some miracle got to the homestead still standing upright.
Four daughters eventually made up the Cleve Berry family. They are: Mrs. Marian Hafnor, who lives with her four children in Aberdeen, South Dakota; Mrs. Phyllis Howie of North Carolina, mother of three children and wife of Lt. Col. R. G. Howie; Mrs. Betty Tesar of Minneapolis, Minn., mother of five children and wife of Dr. C. E. Tesar; and Mrs. Jan Rasmussen, who now lives on the home ranch with her husband, Skee, and two children. Mrs. Hafnor's husband, Eldor, passed away in 1958.
The official ranch brand, "33", was derived from the number of horses Cleve first ran on his homestead and it is still used.
Mrs. Berry taught school several years in the western section of the county, at times finding it necessary to live in the schoolhouse with her small daughters. In 1934, Jessie passed away after a brief illness of pneumonia.
Mr. Berry resided on the ranch until his death in 1956. In 1946 he and Rose Looney were married and she now lives in White River.
Mrs. Howie, Cleve and Jessie's second daughter, remembers with particular interest the role of the Indian neighbors in her early childhood . . . the almost-daily wagons that traveled the badland route
around Cedarbutte that had been the major east-west trail for generations . . . their thin teams with jingling harness that could be heard long before they came into sight . . . and the equally slim dogs that always padded along beneath the wagons in the dusty shade. On quiet summer nights the children often heard muffled drums and mournful Indian singing, and they learned to distinguish between this sad funeral keening and the happy sounding regular powwow. One special Indian couple that were frequent visitors and good friends were Mr. and Mrs. Stands For Them. Although they couldn't communicate with words the two wives enjoyed "visiting"; Mrs. Berry had several attractive quilts and these fascinated Mrs. Stands For Them. When Jessie died the Indian woman asked to see the quilts and sat sadly fingering the pieces for several hours.
A humorous tale Marian Hafnor recalls hearing concerns her first trip "out" as a new baby. Cleve and Jessie planned a buggy trip to brother Tom's to show off their first-born. Trying to cross a creek high with spring runoff, Cleve got down and carried the baby across while his wife drove the team. Back in the buggy they drove the rest of the way with the tightly bundled baby back in her mother's arms. They reached Tom's, Rena reached to uncover the new niece and greet her properly, and found tiny feet, not the little face she expected. Three-weeks-old Marian had ridden head down from the creek on, a distance of several miles.
Mrs. Chloe Refvem, the former Chloe Berry, sister of Tom, Claude and Cleve Berry, recalls with interest her early Mellette county days.
"I filed on a claim in November of 1911 on Black Pipe creek and proved up in 1913. My sister, Elva, had a homestead joining mine and we spent a lot of time together. I left the county in 1913 but the fall of 1914 found me back and I decided to stay in that country and teach.
"Mr. and Mrs. Tom Berry had three children of school age and the pressing need of a school for them to attend. Seven children were required to form a school district and as we had only three, Baxter, Nell and Faye Berry, we got four Indian children released from the government school at Corn Creek. They were Richard Nightchase, Julia and David Yellowcloud and Andrew Ashley. School progressed fine; the Indian children were obedient and quiet.
"I stayed at my brother Tom's, and on week-ends would ride across the badlands to Cleve's. Jessie, Cleve's wife, was a fine pianist; she gave me piano lessons that winter and we had fun playing duets.
"Homestead dances in those small houses were really crowded. All the furniture had to be set outside to make dancing room. Sometimes we went into Belvidere with a team and wagon to dances and there I met Martin Refvem and married him in 1919 at Whitebird, Idaho. We now live in California, where we moved in 1945 from Stanfield, Oregon, and have three sons, Bob, Don and Tom, all residing in California, and 10 grandchildren."
Writing from her home in Burlingame, California, Miss Elva Berry cites the following as one of her most vivid recollections of her homesteading days in Mellette County.
"During the winter of that first year (1912) a group of us planned to attend a dance in Belvidere. There were Susie, Cap and Ben Dengler, Bill Haynes, my sister, Chloe, and myself. Our mode of travel was by lumber wagon.
"During the course of the evening a terrific storm struck making it impossible for us to go home. The George Gonors kindly invited the six of us to come to their home for the rest of the night. We were stormed in there for three days, left their home in the early morning and were all day making the 20 miles back home. With horses nigh played out fighting deep drifts and all on board cold and hungry, we were happy to be back on the homestead."
Cleve and Rose Barry
(transcribed by RB, with permission from the Mellette County Historical Society, from "Mellette County 1911-1986" published by the Mellette County Historical Society)
I was born in Moravia, Czechoslovakia on June 18, 1906, and came to the United
States with my parents,Josef and Josefa Topinka, in 1907 when I was fourteen
months old. After we got on the ship, I came down with chicken pox, so Mother and I
spent most of the time in the hospital on the ship. My mother worried when we got
to Ellis Island and had to be examined by the doctors that I might start coughing, and
we could be quarantined in New York or sent back to Czechoslovakia. But I just
looked at the doctors and kept quiet, so we were able to go on to Minnesota where my
father's married sister was living. My brother Joe was born in New Prague in 1908.
My father got a job in the flour mill stoking coal into the furnaces that kept the
mill in operation. In July 1916, he was overcome by heat and passed away July 31,
1916, without regaining consciousness. There was no air conditioning in those days.
In the fall of 1917, my mother married Josef Petr, who was living on his home-
stead sixteen miles southwest of White River, now the Ringthunder Township. So we moved to Mellette County. We shipped our furniture and even a couple crates of chickens by rail to Murdo, and when the train arrived, our new dad and my brother Joe drove the horses and hayrack to get everything. We were living in a one-room sodhouse so some of the furniture had to be stored in a cave near the house.
My brother and I had been attending school in Minnesota before we moved out here. Joe was in the fourth grade and I was in the sixth. There was no schoolhouse in our Mellette County neighborhood. Dad and his brother Frank hauled some lumber from White River, and with the help of some of the neighbors built a one room tar-paper covered shack and some benches and desks out of some of the lumber. This building was used for several years. In January of 1918, four of us started school—Joe Talacek and Josephine Talacek Lolley, son and daughter of Mrs. Frank Petr, my brother Joe and myself.
Mrs. Nell Didier was our first teacher. Her husband Nick taught for a short time and Edna Holmes finished that term. She also taught the next year. My eighth grade teacher was Miss Guthrie. She was from Indiana and lived on a homestead northwest of White River, driving a team of horses from her homestead to our school on Monday morning, and living in a little shack near the schoolhouse during the week.
In the 1929-1930's, the depression years were hard on everyone. No crops due to drought, lots of grasshoppers and no jobs. I decided to go to Omaha where I attended business college for two years. Jobs were scarce there also.
In 1934, I got a job in the W.P.A. relief office in White River and in 1937 I was married to William (Bill) Looney. He was working with the F.H.A. at the time. Bill had two teenaged sons, Douglas and Warren, who
attended high school in White River. After graduation both enlisted in the Army Air Corps. Warren passed
away about three years ago and Douglas and his family live in Oregon.
While we were living in Bison, South Dakota, my husband Bill passed away in 1943. I came back to White River and started working in the post office that fall. Arthur Siegmund was the postmaster.
In the spring of 1946, I was married to Cleve Berry and moved out to his ranch west of White River. Cleve
had four daughters; Jan, the youngest, was the only one still at home. Marian Edwards lives in Aberdeen, South Dakota, Phyllis Howie lives in Broomfield, Colorado, and Betty Tesar lives in Rapid City.
My husband Cleve passed away in 1956 and I moved into the town of White River in 1957. Jan and Odeen
Rasmussen and their son are living on the ranch.
My brother Joe married Mary Postlewaite in 1941. She was born and raised in Meade County. She came
to Mellette County in 1939 to teach school. They have three daughters: Joan Torres lives in New Mexico, Laura Maul lives in Gillette, Wyoming, and Ruth, the youngest, lives in Sturgis. She works at Ft. Meade.
Baxter and Lyndall Barry
(Transcribed, with permission from the Mellette County Historical Society, from "Mellette County 1911-1986" published by the Mellette County Historical Society)
My parents, Esli and Edna Woodburn, came from Illinois to Ft. Pierre
in 1907, settling fifteen miles southwest. It was there I was born May 12,
1909. They moved to Interior in 1913. With the exception of a year in
Chicago and Sioux City schools, grade and high school were all at Interior.
There were four years of teaching, interspersed with business college in
Ft. Wayne, Indiana and almost three years at Spearfish.
Baxter's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Tom Berry, settled on Blackpipe in 1913.
I met Baxter the summer of 1932 while visiting his sister Nell. We were
married the following June after my school was out. The years were busy
with ranch work and friends visiting. Chief concerns of all were the
droughts, fires, hard winters and low prices. We all survived, as I am sure
everyone now will.
Social activities were confined to Sunday dinners, card playing and in
later years square dancing.
Baxter was a member, director and vice president of the Stockgrowers. Attending that was a yearly event.
I also was a member for some time, as well as of the Cowbelles. There was also some rodeo activity.
We organized and were active in the American Scotch Highland Breeders Ass'n. We both held office and were made Honorary Members of the Highland Cattle Society of Scotland. At one time our Highland herd numbered 400.
More recently, the South Dakota Cowboy and Western Heritage Hall of Fame in Ft. Pierre has been the chief concern. Biographies of both may be found there.
We left the XX Ranch in December of 1969. Baxter's health was failing. He was in and out of the hospital
from that time on and passed away August 10, 1975.
(Transcribed, with permission from the Mellette County Historical Society, from "Mellette County 1911-1986" published by the Mellette County Historical Society)
My parents, Esli and Edna Woodburn, came from Illinois to Ft. Pierre
in 1907, settling fifteen miles southwest. It was there I was born May 12,
1909. They moved to Interior in 1913. With the exception of a year in
Chicago and Sioux City schools, grade and high school were all at Interior.
There were four years of teaching, interspersed with business college in
Ft. Wayne, Indiana and almost three years at Spearfish.
Baxter's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Tom Berry, settled on Blackpipe in 1913.
I met Baxter the summer of 1932 while visiting his sister Nell. We were
married the following June after my school was out. The years were busy
with ranch work and friends visiting. Chief concerns of all were the
droughts, fires, hard winters and low prices. We all survived, as I am sure
everyone now will.
Social activities were confined to Sunday dinners, card playing and in
later years square dancing.
Baxter was a member, director and vice president of the Stockgrowers. Attending that was a yearly event.
I also was a member for some time, as well as of the Cowbelles. There was also some rodeo activity.
We organized and were active in the American Scotch Highland Breeders Ass'n. We both held office and were made Honorary Members of the Highland Cattle Society of Scotland. At one time our Highland herd numbered 400.
More recently, the South Dakota Cowboy and Western Heritage Hall of Fame in Ft. Pierre has been the chief concern. Biographies of both may be found there.
We left the XX Ranch in December of 1969. Baxter's health was failing. He was in and out of the hospital
from that time on and passed away August 10, 1975.
Mellette County, South Dakota
Family Histories & Biographies - Berry Surname
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Berry Surname
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Baxter and Lyndall Berry
Cleve and Rose Berry
Tom Barry
by Mrs. Nell Phipps
(transcribed by RB, with permission from the Mellette County Historical Society, from "Mellette County 1911-1961" published by the Mellette County Centennial Committee)
Tom Berry, the man destined to become the first governor of South Dakota
from west of the Missouri river, and one of Mellette County's early pioneer
settlers, was born in Holt County, Nebraska, April 23, 1879. He was the
second son of Cynthia Ann and James Baxter Berry, the fifth child in a family
of 10 children. His father, highly respected for his honesty and fair dealings,
often told his sons: "Be honest, don't steal, lie or get into debt, and always
keep your word."
Tom worked on a ranch as a cowboy until 1905 when Gregory County in
South Dakota opened for settlement. He registered in the lottery, but was
not fortunate enough to draw a number entitling him to a homestead, so he
borrowed money to buy a relinquishment.
Tom was married to Lorena McLain, a Nebraska school teacher, on March
5, 1905, at her home near Springview, Nebraska, and the young couple moved
to their South Dakota homestead. Tom had borrowed a wagon house for them
to live in.
In 1912, the news came that Mellette county in South Dakota was opened to homesteaders. Many rushed to file claims. This was the opportunity for which Tom had been looking, a location with fine grass, shelter and water to build up a ranch.
Tom and Lorena and their four children started for Mellette county, even as their parents, and grandparents before them had sought new homes and new opportunities in the wave of settlers ever moving
westward. They were pioneers, pushing the wilderness back to make new homes in a virgin land.
Ahead of this cowboy ranged his herd of cattle and several broncs of his riding string. Behind him creaked a covered wagon drawn by four horses. On the wagon seat holding the reins of the four horse team sat his young wife. In the wagon rode the three younger children, and Elva Berry, sister of Tom, who also was settling on a homestead in Mellette County. Baxter, seven, helped drive the cattle.
The day was April 28, 1913, that they arrived at their destination. They chose as their homesite a small flat in a curve of Blackpipe creek, and built a house of large cedar logs. Wood, water and shelter were ample here.
The open range ran on for miles without a fence. Tom and son Baxter, had to ride line on the cattle and horses to hold them. When the Indian roundup wagon came through Tom had to see that his stock was on homestead land or school sections as the wagon boss had been ordered to pick up and bring in all stray stock to the Rosebud agency. The owners had to pay one dollar per head to get them back. As time went on, the young rancher built fences and leased land from the Indians. Tom hired some of them to help with haying and fencing. His herd of cattle had numbered about 50 head when he came to Mellette county but with thrift and foresight he extended his holdings and built up his herd bearing the XX brand. He experimented with cross breeding Herefords and Brahma cattle. He also had a band of fine horses.
Tom Berry was active in community affairs and helped to promote roads and schools. In 1922, he was elected to the state legislature serving from 1922 to 1928. He worked hard for laws which he felt to be of benefit to the people of the west river area. In 1928, Governor Bulow appointed him to the state park board. In 1932, he was elected Governor of South Dakota on the Democratic ticket.
Knotty problems confronted him when he took over the reins of Government. The depression which had begun in the east leaving thousands unemployed was being felt in the midwest and agricultural states. The forces of nature had dealt cruel blows to these lands. There was severe drouth, which together with grasshoppers and dust storms had ruined crops. In his inaugural address, Tom Berry said, "We must get away from living off the government and live under it."
The state's treasury was empty and it had one million dollars of obligations to meet. Rural credit bonds were due in 10 days. The first act of the legislature was to pass a bill whereby a federal loan could be obtained to meet the payments due. His first major achievement was to restore the state's credit.
Humorous, kindly, but hard headed, Tom brought to the governorship the practical philosophy of the successful cowman. He faced up to South Dakota's difficult situation with a calm frankness and confident ease. This man was a hard worker, enterprising and diligent, a man blessed with unlimited energy. He refused to view even the worst conditions with alarm. He had a strong faith in man's ability to overcome hardship and difficulties. He believed that the state of South Dakota, which he loved so deeply, could be restored to prosperity. His assurance and leadership restored confidence. People, instead of leaving the state, came to grips with their problems.
Farming and ranching were hopelessly down at the heel, not only within the state but over the nation as well. There was no price for cattle, hogs or farm products. Grasshoppers ravished the fields, the pastures were bare of grass, the water was drying up in creeks and dams. Tom, as governor, bent every effort to get help for the people of the state. When President Roosevelt called the governors to Washington, Tom urged the building of dams for South Dakota. This was the beginning of many programs to help the people of the state.
Tom Berry was for many years an active member of the South Dakota Stockgrower's Association, helping to reorganize and serving on the board of directors. In 1948 he was elected president of the Cowboys of 1902 comprised of old riders who had participated in the last big roundup on the prairies of western South Dakota. He also served as a district director of the Federal land bank of Omaha, Nebraska for a number of years.
Tom's son, Baxter, took over management of the home ranch when his father became governor. He married Lyndall Woodburn of Interior whose parents were also pioneers of the west river country.
Baxter Berry introduced the first Highland cattle into South Dakota several years ago and raises them on the ranch at the present time. It was largely through his efforts and his wife's that the American Scotch Highland breeder's association was formed. Headquarters were at the ranch for seven years, with Lyndall as secretary. Nell Berry, now Mrs. Burrell Phipps; and her husband operate the Seven Cross ranch on Blackpipe creek. There may be found good Angus cattle and quarter horses. Faye Berry is Mrs. Ralph Jones of Midland. Paul Berry married Elaine Smith of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He established a ranch north of Norris which his sons, Keith and Baxter now operate. Paul died in 1955 from a heart attack.
In 1951 Mr. and Mrs. Tom Berry built a home in Rapid City where he resided until the time of his death. Tom Berry died suddenly in Rapid City at the age of 72 years on October 30, 1951.
Once there was a man whose neighbors held him to be a great man . . . "We know he is a great man" they said, "because when we are with him, we ourselves feel bigger."
Tom Barry, Cowboy Governor
(Transcribed, with permission from the Mellette County Historical Society, from "Mellette County 1911-1986" published by the Mellette County Historical Society)
Thomas Matthew Berry was born in Holt Co., Nebraska, April 23, 1879, the son of James Baxter and Cynthia Ann Berry. It was a large, happy, hardworking family, who prized honesty and fair dealings.
Tom's dream was to own his own ranch. He married Lorena McLain, a teacher from Springview, Nebraska, March 5, 1905. They went to Tom's homestead about twenty miles east of George Lamoureaux's ranch. George was Tom's brother-in-law and Tom had worked for him previous to his marriage. Their first home was a wagon house, in Gregory County.
When Mellette County was opened for homesteading in 1912, Tom and Lorena decided to push on west. With their four children, ages three through seven, they started for their new land. Tom and the eldest son,
Baxter, drove the small herd of cattle and horses. Lorena drove one four-horse team on a covered wagon, with the other children and Tom's sister Elva riding with her. Another team and wagon carrying supplies was driven by a brother-in-law, Lewis Coburn.
On April 28, 1913, they arrived at their destination. Here, on Blackpipe, they built a log home. This ranch grew and prospered. The Double X brand became known over the west river country. During good times and bad, years of plentiful grass or drought, Tom kept the faith and never relinquished his dream or compromised his principles.
Tom was always interested in improving the community. He helped get better roads, schools and other
community projects. He was boss of the White River Frontier Days celebration for a number of years. Always interested in bringing better government to the people, he served as a State Legislator from 1922 to 1928. In 1932, he was elected Governor. Times were hard. There was both a drought in South Dakota and the Great Depression, as it was later known. The State was badly in debt and many people were abandoning their farms and ranches to go to western states to look for jobs. Tom Berry's first job was to restore the credit of the State and help its people survive. Humorous and kindly, he brought a hard-headed, practical philosophy
to the job of Governor. By the end of his second term, four years later. South Dakotans were able to meet the future with confidence and pride.
His sons Baxter and Paul stayed in the ranching business in Mellette County. Nell married Burrell Phipps and they also ranched in Mellette County. The other daughter, Faye, married Ralph Jones and they
ranched on Brave Bull Creek south of Midland, South Dakota.
Tom Berry was an active member of the South Dakota Stockgrowers Association, and first president of the "Cowboys of 1902," an organization of old-time cowboys who had ridden on the big roundups before the range was fenced.
He is honored by having his name in the National Cowboy Hall of Fame. He is an honoree of the South Dakota Hall of Fame and Heritage Center in Ft. Pierre, South Dakota.
In 1951, Tom and Lorena built a home in the Pines on the western edge of Rapid City. Here they remained the rest of their lives. She was always by Tom's side to help and encourage him. Tom died suddenly October 30, 1951, and Lorena passed away March 22, 1963.
by Mrs. Nell Phipps
(transcribed by RB, with permission from the Mellette County Historical Society, from "Mellette County 1911-1961" published by the Mellette County Centennial Committee)
Tom Berry, the man destined to become the first governor of South Dakota
from west of the Missouri river, and one of Mellette County's early pioneer
settlers, was born in Holt County, Nebraska, April 23, 1879. He was the
second son of Cynthia Ann and James Baxter Berry, the fifth child in a family
of 10 children. His father, highly respected for his honesty and fair dealings,
often told his sons: "Be honest, don't steal, lie or get into debt, and always
keep your word."
Tom worked on a ranch as a cowboy until 1905 when Gregory County in
South Dakota opened for settlement. He registered in the lottery, but was
not fortunate enough to draw a number entitling him to a homestead, so he
borrowed money to buy a relinquishment.
Tom was married to Lorena McLain, a Nebraska school teacher, on March
5, 1905, at her home near Springview, Nebraska, and the young couple moved
to their South Dakota homestead. Tom had borrowed a wagon house for them
to live in.
In 1912, the news came that Mellette county in South Dakota was opened to homesteaders. Many rushed to file claims. This was the opportunity for which Tom had been looking, a location with fine grass, shelter and water to build up a ranch.
Tom and Lorena and their four children started for Mellette county, even as their parents, and grandparents before them had sought new homes and new opportunities in the wave of settlers ever moving
westward. They were pioneers, pushing the wilderness back to make new homes in a virgin land.
Ahead of this cowboy ranged his herd of cattle and several broncs of his riding string. Behind him creaked a covered wagon drawn by four horses. On the wagon seat holding the reins of the four horse team sat his young wife. In the wagon rode the three younger children, and Elva Berry, sister of Tom, who also was settling on a homestead in Mellette County. Baxter, seven, helped drive the cattle.
The day was April 28, 1913, that they arrived at their destination. They chose as their homesite a small flat in a curve of Blackpipe creek, and built a house of large cedar logs. Wood, water and shelter were ample here.
The open range ran on for miles without a fence. Tom and son Baxter, had to ride line on the cattle and horses to hold them. When the Indian roundup wagon came through Tom had to see that his stock was on homestead land or school sections as the wagon boss had been ordered to pick up and bring in all stray stock to the Rosebud agency. The owners had to pay one dollar per head to get them back. As time went on, the young rancher built fences and leased land from the Indians. Tom hired some of them to help with haying and fencing. His herd of cattle had numbered about 50 head when he came to Mellette county but with thrift and foresight he extended his holdings and built up his herd bearing the XX brand. He experimented with cross breeding Herefords and Brahma cattle. He also had a band of fine horses.
Tom Berry was active in community affairs and helped to promote roads and schools. In 1922, he was elected to the state legislature serving from 1922 to 1928. He worked hard for laws which he felt to be of benefit to the people of the west river area. In 1928, Governor Bulow appointed him to the state park board. In 1932, he was elected Governor of South Dakota on the Democratic ticket.
Knotty problems confronted him when he took over the reins of Government. The depression which had begun in the east leaving thousands unemployed was being felt in the midwest and agricultural states. The forces of nature had dealt cruel blows to these lands. There was severe drouth, which together with grasshoppers and dust storms had ruined crops. In his inaugural address, Tom Berry said, "We must get away from living off the government and live under it."
The state's treasury was empty and it had one million dollars of obligations to meet. Rural credit bonds were due in 10 days. The first act of the legislature was to pass a bill whereby a federal loan could be obtained to meet the payments due. His first major achievement was to restore the state's credit.
Humorous, kindly, but hard headed, Tom brought to the governorship the practical philosophy of the successful cowman. He faced up to South Dakota's difficult situation with a calm frankness and confident ease. This man was a hard worker, enterprising and diligent, a man blessed with unlimited energy. He refused to view even the worst conditions with alarm. He had a strong faith in man's ability to overcome hardship and difficulties. He believed that the state of South Dakota, which he loved so deeply, could be restored to prosperity. His assurance and leadership restored confidence. People, instead of leaving the state, came to grips with their problems.
Farming and ranching were hopelessly down at the heel, not only within the state but over the nation as well. There was no price for cattle, hogs or farm products. Grasshoppers ravished the fields, the pastures were bare of grass, the water was drying up in creeks and dams. Tom, as governor, bent every effort to get help for the people of the state. When President Roosevelt called the governors to Washington, Tom urged the building of dams for South Dakota. This was the beginning of many programs to help the people of the state.
Tom Berry was for many years an active member of the South Dakota Stockgrower's Association, helping to reorganize and serving on the board of directors. In 1948 he was elected president of the Cowboys of 1902 comprised of old riders who had participated in the last big roundup on the prairies of western South Dakota. He also served as a district director of the Federal land bank of Omaha, Nebraska for a number of years.
Tom's son, Baxter, took over management of the home ranch when his father became governor. He married Lyndall Woodburn of Interior whose parents were also pioneers of the west river country.
Baxter Berry introduced the first Highland cattle into South Dakota several years ago and raises them on the ranch at the present time. It was largely through his efforts and his wife's that the American Scotch Highland breeder's association was formed. Headquarters were at the ranch for seven years, with Lyndall as secretary. Nell Berry, now Mrs. Burrell Phipps; and her husband operate the Seven Cross ranch on Blackpipe creek. There may be found good Angus cattle and quarter horses. Faye Berry is Mrs. Ralph Jones of Midland. Paul Berry married Elaine Smith of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He established a ranch north of Norris which his sons, Keith and Baxter now operate. Paul died in 1955 from a heart attack.
In 1951 Mr. and Mrs. Tom Berry built a home in Rapid City where he resided until the time of his death. Tom Berry died suddenly in Rapid City at the age of 72 years on October 30, 1951.
Once there was a man whose neighbors held him to be a great man . . . "We know he is a great man" they said, "because when we are with him, we ourselves feel bigger."
Tom Barry, Cowboy Governor
(Transcribed, with permission from the Mellette County Historical Society, from "Mellette County 1911-1986" published by the Mellette County Historical Society)
Thomas Matthew Berry was born in Holt Co., Nebraska, April 23, 1879, the son of James Baxter and Cynthia Ann Berry. It was a large, happy, hardworking family, who prized honesty and fair dealings.
Tom's dream was to own his own ranch. He married Lorena McLain, a teacher from Springview, Nebraska, March 5, 1905. They went to Tom's homestead about twenty miles east of George Lamoureaux's ranch. George was Tom's brother-in-law and Tom had worked for him previous to his marriage. Their first home was a wagon house, in Gregory County.
When Mellette County was opened for homesteading in 1912, Tom and Lorena decided to push on west. With their four children, ages three through seven, they started for their new land. Tom and the eldest son,
Baxter, drove the small herd of cattle and horses. Lorena drove one four-horse team on a covered wagon, with the other children and Tom's sister Elva riding with her. Another team and wagon carrying supplies was driven by a brother-in-law, Lewis Coburn.
On April 28, 1913, they arrived at their destination. Here, on Blackpipe, they built a log home. This ranch grew and prospered. The Double X brand became known over the west river country. During good times and bad, years of plentiful grass or drought, Tom kept the faith and never relinquished his dream or compromised his principles.
Tom was always interested in improving the community. He helped get better roads, schools and other
community projects. He was boss of the White River Frontier Days celebration for a number of years. Always interested in bringing better government to the people, he served as a State Legislator from 1922 to 1928. In 1932, he was elected Governor. Times were hard. There was both a drought in South Dakota and the Great Depression, as it was later known. The State was badly in debt and many people were abandoning their farms and ranches to go to western states to look for jobs. Tom Berry's first job was to restore the credit of the State and help its people survive. Humorous and kindly, he brought a hard-headed, practical philosophy
to the job of Governor. By the end of his second term, four years later. South Dakotans were able to meet the future with confidence and pride.
His sons Baxter and Paul stayed in the ranching business in Mellette County. Nell married Burrell Phipps and they also ranched in Mellette County. The other daughter, Faye, married Ralph Jones and they
ranched on Brave Bull Creek south of Midland, South Dakota.
Tom Berry was an active member of the South Dakota Stockgrowers Association, and first president of the "Cowboys of 1902," an organization of old-time cowboys who had ridden on the big roundups before the range was fenced.
He is honored by having his name in the National Cowboy Hall of Fame. He is an honoree of the South Dakota Hall of Fame and Heritage Center in Ft. Pierre, South Dakota.
In 1951, Tom and Lorena built a home in the Pines on the western edge of Rapid City. Here they remained the rest of their lives. She was always by Tom's side to help and encourage him. Tom died suddenly October 30, 1951, and Lorena passed away March 22, 1963.
Governor Tom Berry
All the data on this web site is © Copyright 2009 by Genealogy Trails' Host with full rights reserved for original submitters.
All the data on this web site is © Copyright 2009 by Genealogy Trails' Host with full rights reserved for original submitters.
Shown here shortly after their marriage in Knoxville, Iowa, are Cleve and Jessie Berry
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