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Tiny Town, Gigantic Heart for a Cold Fantastic Friday

Tiny Town, Gigantic Heart for a Cold Fantastic Friday

by | Jan 15, 2016 | Out and About

An article in The Nation's Center News, "Julia Davis Benefit Is An Incredible Event," describes an amazing fundraiser held recently in Camp Crook, SD.

State Highway 20 west of Camp Crook, three miles from the Montana border. State Highway 20 west of Camp Crook, three miles from the Montana border.

Iowa’s been in the deep freeze all week. This week’s Fantastic Friday post warmed hearts 3 years ago when this story of a tiny town with a big heart first went live, and I hope it does the same now.

Tiny Town, Gigantic Heart

Long time readers of this blog have been subjected to posts about Camp Crook, SD where the man of steel and I lived from 1978 after we graduated from college to 1985. This post subjects you to another story about Camp Crook. It boasts a population of about 62 and is not far from the McFarthest Spot in the contiguous United States. It is very remote town in one of the most sparsely populated counties in South Dakota. It’s a town full of cowboys and cowgirls, college and professional rodeo stand-outs, and people with gigantic hearts.

How gigantic?

I’m glad you asked. A recent article in the county newspaper, The Nation’s Center News, gives an idea. The article, Julia Davis Benefit Is An Incredible Event, describes a fundraiser held on Friday, December 28, 2012. Julia and her husband ranch about 10 miles south of Camp Crook. She’s also the secretary in Harding County’s State’s Attorney office. Julia has had surgeries throughout her life for a congenital hip defect. In 2012, surgeons in Denver replaced her hip joint with an artificial one. But Julia developed a stubborn bone infection, and the only course of treatment left was amputation of her leg at the hip.

So her friends organized the Julia Davis Benefit to encourage and support her.

The night of the benefit, the streets of tiny Camp Crook were double-lined with 250–350 vehicles. Over 500 people from South and North Dakota, Montana and Wyoming crowded into the Community Center for the pot luck supper and auction. Over 200 items were donated for the silent auction. During the live auction, ten spotters helped the auctioneers keep up with the bidding. The benefit was a tremendous success.

How successful was it?

I’m glad you asked. The people in this tiny town with a gigantic heart–where many of the same people raised $1500 to defray our son’s medical costs, a substantial sum in 1982–outdid themselves in 2012. The big-hearted people in the town we’re proud to have  called home for 7 years raised over $73,000 for Julia and her family.

You read that right. $73,000.

I read the article in the paper and told the man of steel about it when he got home from work. His eyes grew large. He thought for a moment and then said, “There’s power in that place.” I nodded in agreement. Neither of us could keep the silly grins off our face during supper. And every time I think about the benefit, the silly grin comes back. But when I think of Julia, who’s leg was amputated on January 14, the grin fades and I begin to pray.

Oh Lord, wrap your arms around Julia and her family as she recovers and learns to walk and cope. May the gigantic hearts in that tiny town lift her up in the months and years to come. May your presence be the power in the place. Amen.

Big-Hearted Generosity

Big-Hearted Generosity

by | Oct 6, 2009 | Current Events

When the Harding County newspaper arrived yesterday, I couldn’t believe the headline. Our old friends in the remote, northwest corner of South Dakota had approved a $5 million bond issue for a new K – 12 school.

That may seem ho-hum to you, but the county’s population is only 1,353, which means if you spread the citizen of that vast high-grass prairie evenly across its 2,678 square miles, every single person would have 1,280 acres of elbow room. Those 1,353 people, none of whom live extravagantly and all of whom work hard to eek out a living in untamed and beautiful semi-wilderness, passed a $5 million dollar bond issue.

The new school will cost considerably more than that. But because the proposal passed, the project will receive $5 million federal dollars, thanks to the stimulus package. A sizable amount in their school improvement fund whittled the amount down further, but $5 million is still a sizable amount for the tax payers in Harding County.

Of course, their only other option was to pass a bond for $6.5 million to repair and renovate the old school. Apparently, the fine folks in that county did the math and voted for the cheaper option. Even so, the vote was remarkable. 58% of voters went to the polls and passed the bond issue with an 84% majority. I’m proud to report that our old friends in the small town where we once lived, Camp Crook, voted 76-13 (85%) in favor of the bond issue.

The superintendent of schools said she was surprised the vote passed on the first try. Maybe she wasn’t familiar with the big-hearted generosity of the independent, tough-as-nails townsfolk and ranchers who live so close to the McFarthest Spot in the United States. But Hiram and I are. After Allen was born in 1982, the residents of Camp Crook had a fund raiser for us and raised over $1,500 in one night.

So I wasn’t surprised when the bond issue passed. But I am bursting with pride for a county full of people willing to put the needs of the next generation ahead of their own wants and desires. I’m kinda hoping their attitude is as contagious than the H1N1 virus and spreads all over the country. Our children and their children could use a little of that kind of medicine.