PHOTO OF THE DAY: OLD MAIN

This historic photo was shared by Heritage Hall Museum & Archives on its Facebook page Monday morning, with the following information:

This photo of a snow-filled Main Street in Freeman documents the legendary winter storm of 1968-69. The photo, from our archives, shows the middle of the west side of the 300 block (looking south) after a major snowstorm that began Dec. 21, 1968.

This is how the Freeman Courier reported it in its Dec. 26 issue.

“It began to snow again Saturday afternoon and it snowed heavy. Saturday evening it started to blow and the wind was high all day Sunday. Sioux Falls recorded 23 inches of snow by last Sunday and we were not far behind in Freeman. Main Street on Monday was blocked completely. The street was cleared for one-way traffic – by noon cars could travel both ways. Drifts as high as a car were still in evidence Monday noon. After working during the night Main Street was entirely cleared of snow by Tuesday afternoon.”

The Ben Franklin Store opened in 1963. It moved to the Schamber Building in 1975 and this location became home to a new Merchants State Bank (today the southern portion). K&K, the general merchandise store that included dry goods, clothing and groceries opened in 1910; it closed in 1973. Today that building is home to Jamboree Foods. On the south side of K&K, you can see the barber’s pole in front of Lonnie Graber’s barber shop and signs for Smidt Appliance and Eddie’s Radio and TV. Those businesses were lost or damaged by fire in April 1970. That space eventually became the north portion of Norm’s Thrifty White.

The late December storm was just the beginning. In its Jan. 30, 1969 issue, the Courier reported “With approximately 60 inches of snowfall on the ground since the start of winter … people live in fear of additional snow and wind.”

According to the National Weather Service, 94.7″ of snow fell in Sioux Falls during the winter of 1968-69 and similar amounts were reported throughout the region.

Incidentally, the green and white stained-glass K&K sign in the photo is on display in the Kauffman Wing of our museum. We’re open weekdays from noon to 4 and next Saturday from 10 to 2. That includes our mercantile. We will be closed Dec. 25 and 26.