In 1989, a Brookings County History Book Committee produced a big, red tome about our countys history.
It has 830 pages of history and pictures. I often refer to it, and usually find what Im looking for.
The book contains many photographs, including a beautiful, history-packed picture of Whites Main Street on a cold, busy day in the 1880s. I think it is one of the best taken of Brookings history. Years ago I spent time sifting through aerial photographs of Korea, searching for trenches, machine gun and artillery placements, important bridges, motor pools, troop concentrations and the like that were then used by Navy pilots on bombing runs.
Now my old photo interpretation habit is of more peaceful surroundings.
The White photo has value because it displays so many history lessons. I estimate it was taken in 1885, because White was platted in early 1884 and it took time to put up the buildings you see. That would surely have taken most of the 1884 platting year.
The picture was obviously taken from a second-story window. It is rare to see early pictures taken from a height higher than eye level. The camera that was used had a slow shutter and film speed, shown by the blurred horses and wagons passing by in the middle of the street.
I think the photo was taken from the north side of the street looking east because the buildings across the street are backlit and in shadow. From the sharp shadows of the parked buggy in the foreground, Id guess the time of day to be about 2 p.m.
Most of the men are wearing heavy overcoats. The two women under the store awning are wearing shawls. Interestingly, one of the men, seen above the buggys horses in the foreground, looks comfortable wearing an unbuttoned jacket.
Nearly all of the horses are covered with blankets. The two-passenger buggy in the foreground also has a blanket for the driver and passenger to use on the cold trip home. By the way, a similar buggy is displayed at the Brookings County Museum in Volga.
In the lower far left of the photo are some of the Allison and Burgess Hardware Stores goods, including a large barrel and a wheelbarrow without its front wheel. Note that the missing wheel is fastened to the bottom of the wheelbarrow bucket. It was probably shipped by train to Brookings.
The street lamp by the front center horses nose probably burned kerosene.
The sign under the stores larger one reads Garland Stoves and Ranges. Garland was a Detroit firm established in 1881. In the center of the picture is a steel-staved barrel, similar to the barrel in storage, lower lefthand corner. Their contents arent known, but it was something that could be stored in freezing weather.
In front of the wagon in which the barrel is loaded you can see curved handles of a walking plow the owner must have also just purchased at the hardware store.
In the picture there are at least 40 horses and more than 25 wheeled vehicles, mostly wagons. The first wagon on the photos far right center is loaded with lumber.
The item next to it was called a pung, which was a simple sled with heavy lumber rounded at the front that served as sled runners. This pung owner added a box fastened to those runners.
Im mystified by the tall building at top center. Why the huge doors?
More buggies heading east out of White are seen level with the hardware sign. Interestingly, all of the drivers of those wagons are standing up. Farmers must have preferred standing while driving, especially in cold weather.
This great picture also appears on page 300 in the big red 1989 county history book.
If you have a copy of that book and no longer need it, the museum would love to have it in its archival section.
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