South Dakota loves its democracy! Following up on discussions last July, the Minnehaha County Historical Society has launched a double-barreled petition drive to right a toponymic wrong. Working under the committee name “People for Veterans Parkway, Powder House Road,” the group is carrying two initiative petitions around Sioux Falls, one to restore the name “Powder House Road” to the east Sioux Falls road the city council renamed “Veterans Parkway” on July 7, the other to paste the name “Veterans Parkway” onto Russell Avenue.
The logic: “Powder House Road” recalls a great historical incident involving robbers, a runaway wife, and a big explosion on New Year’s Eve, 1936. Russell Avenue has a better connection with the history of veterans in Sioux Falls, says MCHS chief Jim Carlson:
Carlson said People for Veterans Parkway and Powder House Road think Russell Street is better suited to pay homage to military veterans. The air base and airfield are just north of the roadway, the city’s Veteran’s Memorial Park sits off Russell Street and the road sees more traffic than Highway 11 and Highway 100, Carlson said.
“And a lot of people don’t even know that the Terrace Park swimming pool, the first one was built by soldiers stationed down at the army technical school,” he said [Joe Sneve, “History Group Circulating Powder House Rd Petitions,” that Sioux Falls paper, 2015.10.01].
Carlson and his history-minded helpers have until January 4 to collect about 5,200 signatures on each petition. If they succeed, Sioux Falls voters will have their say on the road renamings in the April municipal election.
This is truly how sad city politics in Sioux Falls has become. Instead of having one city councilor dictate a street name change (who is not a veteran) several historians who were not consulted (and vets) have to bust their asses in the coldest time of the year to get signatures to right the wrong of an ignoramus named Rex Rolfing. He is truly an example of what happens when you elect people that don’t know their *** from a hole in the ground. I wish the petitioners luck.
I love the old historical designations. They are spurs to more investigation by curious folks who drive the roads. They make history more known and put it in a place.
In St. Paul West 7th is also Fort Road. That designation led me to an afternoon at Historic Fort Snelling. It was very interesting and answered my questions about the Fort Road.
Are there any historic sites remaining for Powder House Road? At least a historical marker with parking space around it? A sign? Getting the name back might provide impetus for some type of commemoration. Best of luck!
you can call it ray, or you call call it jay, but you doesn’t have to call it veteran’s memorial parkway.
Deb, the blast site does appear to have its own state historical marker, 160 yards east of where the powder house stood:
http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMCFB_1936_Powder_House_Blast
This is a messy situation where a previously unknown city employee group at the urging of an out of town veteran worked with a sitting city councilman to change the longtime road name to a name of their choosing without consultation of anyone outside of the group of vested interests. Like so many things in our town of Sioux Falls, there was no notice of this change before the actions started. When the historical and veterans groups found out at the last minute the change was happening, it was too late to reason with the mourning city councilman who seems to be trying to honor his fallen son at the sake of two memorialized young boys killed 70+ years ago. This section of state highway has been known as Power House Road for as long as anyone living can remember.
To ease the transportation issues stemming from our uncontrolled town growth, the city and state made this Powder House Road section of SD11 a divided four lane street for the east side of city of Sioux Falls, renaming it SD100.
The marker mentioned by Cory was removed during the reconstruction of the road and put into storage. The current owners of the explosion ground have not agreed to a spot or location to place the marker. The city decided a place to put the marker is a spot they do not have decision authority in Split Rock township in an attempt to placate the historical society who own the marker.
Just like so many things in our little town on the prairie, we have a book of rules only to be used against the citizens and not to protect them.
What? The marker’s gone? That’s not cool. Put it back!
Bruce, who’s the group, and who’s the out-of-town veteran?
The marker was taken down for the construction and has not been reinstalled anywhere. The group in charge of the renaming is a group of city employees controlled by our mayor.