Dear Editor,
My brother Don, his son and family and I stopped in Wessington Springs for a quick visit. Our Mom, Flora Janet Gourley, was born there June 7th, 1922. Her Dad was Archibald Gourley. Archibald’s brother Bob bought property in South Dakota’s Hawkeye Valley in August 1900, from Andrew and Mary Applin, after they purchased it from C.H. Wilcox, Section #32. Uncle Bob purchased the remainder of the 3/4 sections and 80 acres across the road in Section #33. This was all later transferred to Archibald in 1916. Our Mom has part of the letter that her Dad wrote his wife Grace with a printed letterhead, Kuskinook Farm, Gourley Bros., Prop RFD 1.
Mom and our family did come back to Wessington Springs in 1954 for a gathering at the Anina Church. I’m sending a picture of the Church and some family history to the museum.
We drove by the farm ground before we came into town. What a wonderful sign at the town entrance! We stopped to gas up, then found a restaurant, Springs Inn Cafe. It was interesting checking out all the memorabilia in the display cabinets there.
When reading your weekly newspaper, I came across Cuppy’s Corner and her travels. We had that in our local paper as well for several years!
As I was looking for Wessington Springs momentos, I found the Dunham Museum. The ladies there were so helpful and kind! That is a very nice museum! It takes a great deal of volunteer work to put together something like that.
Thank you for a wonderful visit in your community. God Bless.
Gerald Gourley Richardson
Cottonwood, ID