Shindler, South Dakota
Encyclopedia
Shindler is an unincorporated community
in the northeastern corner of Lincoln County
, South Dakota
, United States
. According to the 2010 Census
, the population was 584.
along South Dakota Highway 11
.
, along the Big Sioux River
. Due to the rapid growth in the southern portions of Sioux Falls, Sioux Falls is getting closer and closer to Shindler.
In 1886 the Cedar Rapids, Iowa Falls & Northwestern Railroad built a railway line from Larchwood, Iowa
, through Granite, Iowa
, Springdale Township in Lincoln County, to Sioux Falls. The Springdale Station depot was established here, and later it became known as Hobsonville. In 1891, two years after South Dakota gained its Statehood, it was renamed Shindler in memory of Charlie Shindler, an early pioneer homesteader.
To serve the needs of the area farmers, tradesmen built stores for their businesses and homes for their families at this site. Businesses included the Shindler State Bank, a General Store, Hardware store and a lumber yard. A Post office, blacksmith shop, grain elevator, garage and service station, stockyards for the shipping of livestock by train and a barber shop were also located here. The Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Line, the successor railroad, provided passenger, freight and mail services on a daily basis.
A town hall opened in 1910 and quickly became the social hub for the small community. The hall hosted a variety of events including square dances, church services, Sunday school, basketball games, school programs, Red Cross meetings, talent shows and a various community parties. An annual diversion for area residents was when the circus train rolled through the town. Parents and their children gathered at the depot and alongside the railroad tracts to wave at the railroad cars carrying the animals and entertainers.
During Prohibition years, three enterprising farmers built and open air dance floor. Dances were held here regularly each summer with band from the area providing the music. The dances were dubbed “Brewery Dances” because it was rumored that a bootlegger that lived nearby provided alcohol for the partygoers. Young people from surrounding towns flocked here for Saturday night dances, and Shindler residents referred to those from Sioux Falls as “the packing house crowd.”
The Great depression of the 1930’s, combined with years of drought and crop failures of area farmers, led to the decline of Shindler. The automobile replaced the horse drawn buggies and wagons. Dirt trails leading to larger towns became graveled roads which later became concrete highways. One by one the businesses closed, the bank failed and residents moved away. The small town had served its purpose. When the post office closed in 1953, Shindler gradually dwindled. The last remaining business in the community, the Shindler Country Store, closed in the 1980s, leaving only a handful of homes along Highway 11 as remnants of the town. Today, new houses are being built in the surrounding area, as Sioux Falls continues to expand outward.
Fond Memories, tales of simpler times, and stories about making do with what one has are all that is left of the town of Shindler.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in the northeastern corner of Lincoln County
Lincoln County, South Dakota
As of the census of 2000, there were 24,131 people, 8,782 households, and 6,665 families residing in the county. The population density was 42 people per square mile . There were 9,131 housing units at an average density of 16 per square mile...
, South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. According to the 2010 Census
United States Census, 2010
The Twenty-third United States Census, known as Census 2010 or the 2010 Census, is the current national census of the United States. National Census Day was April 1, 2010 and is the reference date used in enumerating individuals...
, the population was 584.
Geography
Shindler is located at 43.474976°N 96.648658°W (43.474976, -96.648658). Shindler is about 2.5 miles SE of Sioux FallsSioux Falls, South Dakota
Sioux Falls is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Dakota. Sioux Falls is the county seat of Minnehaha County, and also extends into Lincoln County to the south...
along South Dakota Highway 11
South Dakota Highway 11
South Dakota Highway 11 is a 2-part state route that runs across southeast South Dakota. The longer of the alignments begins at South Dakota Highway 48 east of Spink, and runs northerly through Sioux Falls to the Minnesota border north of Sherman where it continues as Minnesota State Highway 269. ...
.
History
Shindler was named after Charlie Shindler, an early homsteader. The community is close to the historic Blood Run SiteBlood Run Site
The Blood Run Site is an archaeological site on the border of the US states of Iowa and South Dakota. The site was essentially populated for 8,500 years, within which earthworks structures were built by the Oneota Culture and occupied descendant tribes such as the Ioway, Otoe, Missouri, and shared...
, along the Big Sioux River
Big Sioux River
The Big Sioux River is a tributary of the Missouri River, long, in eastern South Dakota and northwestern Iowa in the United States. The United States Board on Geographic Names settled on "Big Sioux River" as the stream's name in 1961....
. Due to the rapid growth in the southern portions of Sioux Falls, Sioux Falls is getting closer and closer to Shindler.
In 1886 the Cedar Rapids, Iowa Falls & Northwestern Railroad built a railway line from Larchwood, Iowa
Larchwood, Iowa
Larchwood is a city in Lyon County, Iowa, United States. The population was 788 at the 2000 census. Its main employer is the Novartis Animal Vaccines plant located southwest of the city.-History:...
, through Granite, Iowa
Granite, Iowa
Granite is an unincorporated community in Lyon County, Iowa, United States, near the historic Blood Run Site and the Gitchie Manitou State Preserve.-Geography:...
, Springdale Township in Lincoln County, to Sioux Falls. The Springdale Station depot was established here, and later it became known as Hobsonville. In 1891, two years after South Dakota gained its Statehood, it was renamed Shindler in memory of Charlie Shindler, an early pioneer homesteader.
To serve the needs of the area farmers, tradesmen built stores for their businesses and homes for their families at this site. Businesses included the Shindler State Bank, a General Store, Hardware store and a lumber yard. A Post office, blacksmith shop, grain elevator, garage and service station, stockyards for the shipping of livestock by train and a barber shop were also located here. The Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Line, the successor railroad, provided passenger, freight and mail services on a daily basis.
A town hall opened in 1910 and quickly became the social hub for the small community. The hall hosted a variety of events including square dances, church services, Sunday school, basketball games, school programs, Red Cross meetings, talent shows and a various community parties. An annual diversion for area residents was when the circus train rolled through the town. Parents and their children gathered at the depot and alongside the railroad tracts to wave at the railroad cars carrying the animals and entertainers.
During Prohibition years, three enterprising farmers built and open air dance floor. Dances were held here regularly each summer with band from the area providing the music. The dances were dubbed “Brewery Dances” because it was rumored that a bootlegger that lived nearby provided alcohol for the partygoers. Young people from surrounding towns flocked here for Saturday night dances, and Shindler residents referred to those from Sioux Falls as “the packing house crowd.”
The Great depression of the 1930’s, combined with years of drought and crop failures of area farmers, led to the decline of Shindler. The automobile replaced the horse drawn buggies and wagons. Dirt trails leading to larger towns became graveled roads which later became concrete highways. One by one the businesses closed, the bank failed and residents moved away. The small town had served its purpose. When the post office closed in 1953, Shindler gradually dwindled. The last remaining business in the community, the Shindler Country Store, closed in the 1980s, leaving only a handful of homes along Highway 11 as remnants of the town. Today, new houses are being built in the surrounding area, as Sioux Falls continues to expand outward.
Fond Memories, tales of simpler times, and stories about making do with what one has are all that is left of the town of Shindler.