The town of St. Mary's was surveyed and platted on the homestead of Dr. Louis Gotthelf on October 6, 1886, by A.K. Gault of the Western Town Lot company.
Dr. Gotthelf was born in Berlin, Prussia, on May 5, 1821. He graduated from a medical college in Berlin in 1843 and served in the 14th Infantry Regiment of the Prussian Army during the Revolutions of 1848. He was later brevetted by King Wilhelm IV of Prussia for outstanding military service.
Gotthelf immigrated the the United States in the early 1850's and practiced medicine in New York, Ohio, and Minnesota before staking claim on what would become the town of Argonne in Miner County in 1881.
Following the establishment of the town site on the Northwestern Railway line in 1886, Gotthelf named it St. Mary's, after his daughter Mary Gotthelf.
Sadly, population and business growth in St. Mary's never really took off and the Gotthelf's became the first family to leave St. Mary's. They moved to Parker, SD, in 1889, where Dr. Gotthelf practiced medicine until his death in 1905.
The name of St. Mary's was changed to St. Mary's, with an apostrophe, sometime during the 1890's or early 1900's.
It was not until a land boom in 1919 that St. Mary's began to thrive. In 1919 alone, a railway depot, lumber yard, farmer's cooperative, and general store were built in St. Mary's.
In 1920, the citizens of St. Mary's voted to change the name of the community to Argonne, in honor of the battle of Meuse-Argonne in World War 1. During the same year, a consolidated school was constructed in Argonne at a cost of $100,000 and was dedicated in February of that year. A post office for Argonne was constructed in 1920. L. H. Canfield, a local store manager, served as postmaster.
A bank, blacksmith shop, and several other businesses were built during the early 1920's in the booming town of Argonne. At its height during the 1920's, Argonne had around 100 residents.
On January 17, 1933, a fire completely destroyed the Argonne Consolidated School. The blaze was discovered around 2 a.m. but, by the time firemen arrived, it had already been destroyed. Only the walls of the two-story structure were left standing and it was declared a total loss. It was general opinion among local residents that the fire was caused by faulty electrical wiring.
The enrollment of the school at the time consisted of 50 high school and 66 grade school students. Following the fire, the Argonne Farmer's Cooperative and a former pool hall building were remodeled to serve as makeshift classrooms until a new school could be built.
James Robertson, a contractor from Madison, was given the general contact for the construction of the new school in May 1933. The new school was completed in the fall of 1933, at a cost of roughly $14,000.
The Argonne Arrows basketball team had a star player during the 1951 to 1954 seasons. Delbert Gillam, also known as the Argonne Ace, led the Arrows to a 10-1 start in his junior year. On February 10, 1953, in a game against the Canova Eagles, Gillam shattered the state record for the most points scored by a player in a single game. That night, Gillam made 31 field goals and 10 free throws, scoring a whopping 72 points. The Arrows defeated the Eagles with an impressive 126-81 win.
Gillam's record has been disputed with Frederick High School, where supporters claim Bob Wolff scored 72 points in a game in 1952. But it is a disputed record, with some stats from the game showing that Wolff scored 70 points, not 72. Delbert Gillam's record still stands to this day with his iconic 72 points.
The Argonne High School closed in 1956 but the grade school remained open until 1970. The Northwestern Railway stopped serving the town at around the same period.
The population of Argonne fell from around 100 residents in 1920, to 65 in 1930, 8 in 1970, and finally became a ghost town sometime during the 1970's.
Nearly nothing remains of the former town of Argonne, located roughly seven miles northeast of Howard. Today, Argonne is nothing more than a memory to some Miner County residents, even though Argonne was an important part of the founding and history of the Miner County area.
To help preserve the important history of this area, the Miner County Historical Society is collecting Argonne stories for the archives. The MCHS is also collecting donations to fund a historical marker for the Argonne location. Donation can be sent to the Miner County Historical Society at P. O. Box 245 in Howard. The Miner County Historical Society will also have a booth at the Farm and Home Show in February at the Miner County 4-H grounds to collect input and answer questions.
-Written by George Justice Forster, originally printed in the Miner County Pioneer.
Dr. Gotthelf was born in Berlin, Prussia, on May 5, 1821. He graduated from a medical college in Berlin in 1843 and served in the 14th Infantry Regiment of the Prussian Army during the Revolutions of 1848. He was later brevetted by King Wilhelm IV of Prussia for outstanding military service.
Gotthelf immigrated the the United States in the early 1850's and practiced medicine in New York, Ohio, and Minnesota before staking claim on what would become the town of Argonne in Miner County in 1881.
Following the establishment of the town site on the Northwestern Railway line in 1886, Gotthelf named it St. Mary's, after his daughter Mary Gotthelf.
Sadly, population and business growth in St. Mary's never really took off and the Gotthelf's became the first family to leave St. Mary's. They moved to Parker, SD, in 1889, where Dr. Gotthelf practiced medicine until his death in 1905.
The name of St. Mary's was changed to St. Mary's, with an apostrophe, sometime during the 1890's or early 1900's.
It was not until a land boom in 1919 that St. Mary's began to thrive. In 1919 alone, a railway depot, lumber yard, farmer's cooperative, and general store were built in St. Mary's.
In 1920, the citizens of St. Mary's voted to change the name of the community to Argonne, in honor of the battle of Meuse-Argonne in World War 1. During the same year, a consolidated school was constructed in Argonne at a cost of $100,000 and was dedicated in February of that year. A post office for Argonne was constructed in 1920. L. H. Canfield, a local store manager, served as postmaster.
A bank, blacksmith shop, and several other businesses were built during the early 1920's in the booming town of Argonne. At its height during the 1920's, Argonne had around 100 residents.
On January 17, 1933, a fire completely destroyed the Argonne Consolidated School. The blaze was discovered around 2 a.m. but, by the time firemen arrived, it had already been destroyed. Only the walls of the two-story structure were left standing and it was declared a total loss. It was general opinion among local residents that the fire was caused by faulty electrical wiring.
The enrollment of the school at the time consisted of 50 high school and 66 grade school students. Following the fire, the Argonne Farmer's Cooperative and a former pool hall building were remodeled to serve as makeshift classrooms until a new school could be built.
James Robertson, a contractor from Madison, was given the general contact for the construction of the new school in May 1933. The new school was completed in the fall of 1933, at a cost of roughly $14,000.
The Argonne Arrows basketball team had a star player during the 1951 to 1954 seasons. Delbert Gillam, also known as the Argonne Ace, led the Arrows to a 10-1 start in his junior year. On February 10, 1953, in a game against the Canova Eagles, Gillam shattered the state record for the most points scored by a player in a single game. That night, Gillam made 31 field goals and 10 free throws, scoring a whopping 72 points. The Arrows defeated the Eagles with an impressive 126-81 win.
Gillam's record has been disputed with Frederick High School, where supporters claim Bob Wolff scored 72 points in a game in 1952. But it is a disputed record, with some stats from the game showing that Wolff scored 70 points, not 72. Delbert Gillam's record still stands to this day with his iconic 72 points.
The Argonne High School closed in 1956 but the grade school remained open until 1970. The Northwestern Railway stopped serving the town at around the same period.
The population of Argonne fell from around 100 residents in 1920, to 65 in 1930, 8 in 1970, and finally became a ghost town sometime during the 1970's.
Nearly nothing remains of the former town of Argonne, located roughly seven miles northeast of Howard. Today, Argonne is nothing more than a memory to some Miner County residents, even though Argonne was an important part of the founding and history of the Miner County area.
To help preserve the important history of this area, the Miner County Historical Society is collecting Argonne stories for the archives. The MCHS is also collecting donations to fund a historical marker for the Argonne location. Donation can be sent to the Miner County Historical Society at P. O. Box 245 in Howard. The Miner County Historical Society will also have a booth at the Farm and Home Show in February at the Miner County 4-H grounds to collect input and answer questions.
-Written by George Justice Forster, originally printed in the Miner County Pioneer.