Watertower, Hoven, South Dakota
Posted by: 
NGComets
N 45° 14.712 W 099° 46.577
14T E 439078 N 5010482
Watertower in a very nice small town.
Waymark Code: WM8MFY
Location: South Dakota, United States
Date Posted: 04/19/2010
Views: 2
Hoven is a small community located in Potter County, South Dakota, northeast of Gettysburg.
As of July 2008, it had a population of 395, which reflects a 23% drop in population from the 2000 census.
The area was settled by German, Irish, Russian, Norwegian, and Dutch peoples and the town was incorporated in 1927.
The real story of Hoven begins not with the railroad as so many others do, but with the people who came and the dreams they brought with them. It begins with the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, the establishment of the Dakota Territory in 1861, and most importantly with the Homestead Act of 1862.
About 1876, a new tide of immigration into the Dakotas began, as would-be farmers and ranchers from the East Coast and from northern Europe found their way into the rich grasslands of the high plains.
Down to earth prairie influence led our pioneering ancestors down untrodden paths, as they surged ahead with dreams, ideas and ambitions. They were lured by the promise of free land, and they settled where the landing seemed good and all had an equal opportunity to succeed.
Early in 1883, migrating from Adams, Minn., to Ashton, SD by rail and onward in covered wagons, traveled the Arbachs, John and John Peter, and Peter Schneider, in quest of a home. Journeying onward they observed what appeared to be a lake in the distance and viewed it with gladness as they considered it a feasible place for watering their horses. Plodding westward about 10 miles farther, they discovered Swan Lake and there pitched their tents. The trio settled a short distance east of Swan Lake and soon proved up the land.
Within a short time, more of the covered wagons came trudging along until the autumn of 1883. Peter J. Hoven, was located on the land which is now part of the town of Hoven. Shacks and houses began to dot the treeless prairie, and although people were mostly poor in those early days, they were rich in hope and happiness.
On Nov. 2, 1889, President Benjamin Harrison signed a measure making states of both North and South Dakota.
By 1930 the little town of Hoven was already home to nearly 400, but in a few years things began to take on a somber note. The 1930’s marked an era of hot dry summers, dust blizzards, little rain, grasshoppers and not much to eat for the livestock except thistles.
Finally, with the advent of the ‘40s, the tide turned and prosperity seemed possible. Farmers and ranchers thanked the Lord, and things began to look up again for Hoven and all the surrounding towns. With the invention of more modern machinery, farmers developed new tillage methods that protected valuable topsoil.
A high school was built, as was a hospital, and sewer and water were put in. Building was again on the increase.
Hoven lies in the heart of what is called the Blue Blanket Valley. Msgr. Anthony Helmbrecht was once asked how the Blue Blanket Valley came by its name. His reply was, “It originates from Indian legend, and it’s logical, for when the sun’s rays slant just right they cast a beautiful blue blanket over the entire area.”
Courtesy of Website.
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