Ruskin Park

Ruskin Park (HM1QT3)

Location: Artesian, SD 57314 Sanborn County
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Country: United States of America
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N 44° 0.702', W 98° 5.538'

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Inscription

1/2 Mile South

Ruskin Park was synonymous with excitement, entertainment and romance from its inception.
The area's first pioneers settled along the James River near here in 1873. The Santee and Rodee families homesteaded south of here near a large grove (Rodee's Grove), where picnics, political rallies and community gatherings were held.
In 1902 Hiram A. Rodee Jr. cleared part of the grove and built a two story hotel, a lunchroom, stables and other buildings; erected a large canvas auditorium; and named the park after poet and naturalist John Ruskin. Special trains brought thousands of people to this site, the park entrance depot. People built or rented cottages and tents for summer camping. Chautauquas, plays, programs, meetings and picnics soon made Ruskin Park the cultural and entertainment center of Sanborn County.
In 1910 Robert E. Dowdell and Ben H. Millard purchased the park and made further improvements, adding a theater, forty cabins and one of the fastest on mile race tracks around, still visible on satellite images. Over the years, many local and nationally famous bands played to hundreds in the glass dance pavilion.
Later park proprietors were Marion C. Dowdell, 1930-1949; Don Shaw, 1949-1954; and Walter and Dagmar Siegenthaler, 1954-1968.
Details
HM NumberHM1QT3
Tags
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Wednesday, February 24th, 2016 at 9:02am PST -08:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)14T E 572759 N 4873572
Decimal Degrees44.01170000, -98.09230000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 44° 0.702', W 98° 5.538'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds44° 0' 42.12" N, 98° 5' 32.28" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)605
Which side of the road?Marker is on the right when traveling East
Closest Postal AddressAt or near SD-37, Artesian SD 57314, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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