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The
questions raised about a lack of a Lewis & Clark marker in
Heritage Park prompted two Elk Point area cousins to build one.
UCHS members, Roland Rosenbaum, of rural Elk Point, (Left) and Glenn
Rosenbaum of Elk Point, took the job upon themselves. Glenn is an
experienced wood carver and was of great assistance to Roland in this
project. The sturdy It comes as no surprise that it was Roland who took up the task of creating this sign. Roland, when not volunteering his time as secretary of the historical society and museum volunteer, has diligently pursued the local Lewis and Clark history. Late last year, he constructed a sizeable diorama depicting Lewis and Clark's stop along the Missouri near Elk Point. This is still on display in the Union County Museum. He has also written a paper on the chronological events during that historic time. Most important, it was Roland who discovered the E.E. Collin's thesis on the internet that led us to the exact Lewis & Clark campsite in Heritage Park. Roland's knowledge and love of our local history is such an immense asset to our entire area, not just the Union County Historical Society and Museum. The Historical Society is proud of the efforts of all of these gentlemen! THANK YOU!
Known as the Brusseau Cabin,
this timber frame structure was donated to the
The Nature Preserve intends to include the cabin in its new "Homestead Site", which will feature a seven and one half acre plot that will be broken, planted and harvested with period techniques. The size of the plot demonstrates the amount of sod that had to be broken in order for a homesteader to "prove up" his claim under the Homestead Act of 1863, signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln. The cabin will be spotlighted in the Historic Farming Operation of the annual Adam's Celebration set for August 12, 2000. The home was originally built
by Tophield Brusseau. The family lived in a cave or The cabin, measuring 18'8" x 26', is constructed of 14" square timbers which were acquired on the Missouri River between Elk Point and Jefferson, in a settlement known as Texas. Texas featured a sawmill and was the stopping point for steamers bound up the Missouri. This was one of the few mills nearby where lumber could be purchased. The cabin may have been designed with a flat roof, with the vertical siding and peaked roof as later additions. The building has two doors and four windows, complete with shutters. Square nails used in the construction are visible throughout the cabin. The home will retain its originality at its new setting, with no structural alterations or furnishings. Vertical siding was removed from an old barn at the Truhe farm for use in repairing the exterior of the cabin. Mary Adam's, of the Adam's Homestead and Nature Preserve, was elated with this addition, and mused that the cabin is similar to the one that her parents had lived in on the Preserve area. She stated that, even though her mother would probably have disapproved, she plans to plant hollyhocks around the cabin. In Mary's words, "The cabin was heaven sent." A marker will also be placed near the cabin providing additional information. The UCHS is grateful for
Mary's foresight in preserving this important piece of our county's
heritage. The cabin now rests peacefully in a native prairie setting at
the Preserve, just behind the visitor's center. It can now serve as a permanent
reminder to all, how simply the first pioneers lived in Dakota Territory.
The cabin will be ready for its first visitors by mid April.
Congratulations, to everyone involved, on a job well done!
Original Midi Composition by Bruce DeBoer Compositions are copyright 1999 by Bruce DeBoer "Kathy's Smile" from Earth Tones
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Lewis &
Clark Sign 
sign
is supported by two legs, forming an "A" shape, which
symbolizes the Indian heritage of the area. Glenn hand-carved
the lettering. The Union County Historical Society endorsed the
project. While the Rosenbaums were constructing the sign,
another UCHS member, Don Lane secured permission to erect the
sign. The new sign was installed in Heritage Park on Tuesday,
August 8, 2000. 
March
28, 2000 will be remembered as moving day for the Brusseau Cabin. The 135
year-old cabin made a successful twelve mile journey, along the back roads
on the river bottom, to its new home at the Adam's Homestead and Nature Preserve
in McCook Lake, South Dakota. The move was under the supervision of Tommy
Hummel of Hummel Structural Moving of Jefferson, South Dakota.
Historical Society by Don and Brenda Truhe. The cabin was on land
located on County Road 1B, just across the road from Southeast Farmers
Coop, midway between Elk Point and Jefferson. The Truhe's purchased the
land last year and, after closely inspecting the cabin, Don realized it was
deserving of preservation. Roland Rosenbaum, secretary of the UCHS,
was contacted and plans began to take form. After considering several
options, the Board of Directors voted unanimously, on December 13, 1999, to send
the cabin to Adam's Homestead and Nature Preserve.
After
subsequent meeting with Ranger Dan Grewing, the directors and staff at Adam's
Homestead and Nature Preserve, SD Game, Fish and Parks Department and the SD
State Historical Society, it was decided that the cabin would be moved to its
new home as soon as possible.
dugout when first arriving in Dakota Territory in 1859 with their one-year old
son, Peter. Bernard Brusseau, of Spearfish, South Dakota, a great-grandson
of Tophield, believes this more permanent structure was built in 1865.
Bernard's son, Doug and, and his wife, Janet, live in Elk Point.