TAYLOR/BORTZ
by Mona Taggart

The great land rush of 1904, in Gregory County, brought many people with dreams of winning a parcel of land in the Rosebud lottery that they could call their own.

Not all were strangers to the area. One local dreamer was a young man, Leonard E. Taylor, who grew up across the river in Brule County. He was called 'L.E.' or 'Len.' Leonard
needed only to look west from his parents' Bijou Hills farm to see the promised Rosebud land he would one day help settle.

Leonard E. Taylor (L.E.) was born on August 2, 1883 in Pleasant Ridge, in southwestern WI, near Viola, WI.

He was the son of William A. Taylor, who was Irish and Clarinda R. Ambrose, of German/ French ancestry. The family is of Scotch and Irish ancestry.

William and Clarinda emigrated to America from Ireland, in about the mid to late 1840's. This would parallel the 'Great Potato Famine' in Ireland. America was known as the land of
opportunity.

In a letter sent to L.E. from a relative, it states that it was still questionable if the Ambrose's were of German or French decent. They did indeed sail from Rotterdam, Germany, but
the name is French.

"However, they could have lived in a section of Germany or France, that was fought over so often, that first one claimed ownership and then the other. Anyway, after so many
years, we are truly Americans," stated Norma Ahlers (granddaughter of Leonard and Blanche).
When L.E. was a mere two years old, his mother died in childbirth, leaving behind two children for her husband to care for, Gertrude the eldest, and L.E. There is no record of
that child being born, so it is unknown if she passed after the child was born or before.
William followed other Wisconsin families to Bijou Hills, but he returned to Wisconsin long enough to marry Dora E. Todd and bring his new bride to South Dakota.

William married Dora in 1887. Their union added four more children Ralph, Elmer, Sarah J. and Fred.

The girls are known to have attended Ward Academy near Platte, a normal school, but it is unknown what formal education L.E. received as the oldest son.

L.E. came west from Bijou Hills across the Missouri in 1894, before the Homestead Act was incorporated. At an early age, he was herding his father's cattle on the Godager place
on the west side of the Missouri River. The Godagers were also from Wisconsin.

Norma recalls stories of her grandfather, L.E., and his friend, O.B. Shaffer, swimming across the Missouri River in order to reach the Bijou Hills which extended west, on the
other side of the river. They undoubtedly became familiar with the valley which lay between the west side (Little) Bijou Hills and Buffalo Butte, the valley they would one day
settle.

Bijou Hills was located in the northwest corner of the SW 1/4 of section 30, in Brule County, Eagle Township. The township received its name from many large eagles that nested
there.

Bijou Hills was named after Antoine Bijou, a French trader from St. Louis, MO, who erected a trading post in 1812, along the Missouri River at the foot of the hills.

Life dealt L.E. another blow, when he was about eleven years old, his father, William, was killed when he was out coyote hunting, a den collapsed, smothering William and
claiming his life.

In his teens, L.E. worked cattle north of Gregory for the Ham family, before successfully drawing an allotment for 160 acres north of Buffalo Butte.

At the age of twenty, he paid the $14.00 filing fee, and six years later made final payment in return for the U.S. Government patent. The framed patent hangs in the parlor. The
property is located sixteen miles due north of Dallas, on the north side of Buffalo Butte.
L.E. filed on April 23, 1904, and paid the $14.00 filing fee (patent record 245951), and the patent was released on July 5, 1910 or 1911. He received the N 1/2 SE 1/4 and N 1/2
SW 1/4 of Section 20 Township 100 Range 73, north of Highway 44 between Buffalo Buttes and the Little Bijou Hills.

"Amazingly, the Taylor and Shaffer boys, whose families had been together since Wisconsin, filed for allotments at the same time and drew adjacent tracts in the same valley north
of Buffalo Butte," stated Norma.

L.E. started his homestead with one horse and an ox. "His first few acres of sod were broken by pulling a breaking plow with the horse and ox hitched as a team. The sod
was planted to corn with a hand corn planter, my aunt Velma told me," said Norma.

"There were a few trees then, so grandpa planted many cottonwood, plum and apple trees and we continue to do so. Many native plants covered the area, such as clove currant
shrubs, wild plum, Pasque flowers, spiderwort and prairie cord grass and can still be seen," advised Norma.

Fortunately, L.E. recounted his pioneering days to Bart Z. Hall in an interview for the book entitled, 'Round-Up Years.'

He described his first house on the homestead as being a mere shack. The 'shack' sets east of the where the barn now sits and was close to the Native American trail used at
that time.

"Lumber soon became available and a one room home was built, probably in 1905 or 1906. In 1914, a two story house addition and barn were built," according to Norma. "Lumber
was more readily available in the winter months. Loads of lumber would be pulled across the Missouri River when the river was frozen."

A pulley system was installed in the big barn for hay lifting. At smaller barns in the area, workers pitched hay, while bigger barns were outfitted with slings and pulley, remembers Norma.

L.E. met his future wife, Blanche Hoff, at a barn dance during a political election. Blanche was eleven years younger, but they were both independent minded.

Blanche's parents were also allotment pioneers. Edward Mills Hoff, (Blanche's father), homesteaded in the township of North Landing Creek in Gregory County during the 2401
Rosebud Act, on April 23, 1904 and received the transfer on March 23, 1911.

Her family owned a pool hall in Dixon, prior to the 1920's. Blanche was born on April 26, 1894, in Plainview, NE, and resided with her parents in Nebraska until coming to the
Gregory area in 1904. The Hoffs traced their ancestors to German immigrants in 1773.

Dixon was a bustling center during allotment years, with a post office, blacksmith, butcher and barber shops, a doctor's office and of course, saloons and churches. The Dixon
Townhall has since been preserved and moved to Gregory.

L.E. and Blanche were married on September 27, 1911. To this union six children were born into the family, four of whom survived childbirth: Avis Vera (November 4, 1912); Velma Antoinette (1914); Albian William (1917); Cecil (1921); and an infant son (January 15, 1928), and an daughter (December 1926), both died at birth.

The couple purchased their first car, a Model A Coupe, in the 1920's. The new century brought other changes.

"An uncle, Albian Ambrose, from Wisconsin, commented that the land was perfect for raising sheep and loaned L.E. money for that purpose. For several years L.E. herded
sheep and would be absent from the farmstead for months at a time, living at sheep herding camps. They would herd sheep by day and put them in a corral at night to protect them
from the coyotes. Neighbors Rosie LaPoint Good Eagle and Evon (Davis) Soesbe, would take turns staying with Blanche. L.E. also traveled to shear sheep, sometimes as far as
Wyoming," explained Norma.

She added, "When wire became available, he put in a woven wire fence to pasture the sheep. The fence caught thistles and then the fence was covered by dirt, during the dust
storms of the 1930's. It was after the 1930's that L.E. and Blanche stopped raising sheep and began raising cattle."

Wayne Bortz, grandson of L.E., stated, "They later began growing wheat." Cattle and wheat became the mainstays on the Taylor farm.

"Cattle branding was absolutely necessary during the open range days. Now we think of it more as a way to check them when they go to market or if there is a stray cow out. At one time, all the cattle ran together. There was a WT brand (William Taylor), and grandpa's (L.E.) brand was a lazy double S, which was on the right hip. The brand reminds me of the old ice tongs," stated Norma. It is now owned by Jack Bortz (a great grandson), who lives in Texas.

"Speaking of ice tongs...I don't remember the ice box here, but I'm sure they had one. I remember mom's (Avis Vera), south of Gregory. We would go down to the cellar and get
pieces of ice that had been delivered. They would stack them on the bottom of the ice box," Norma recalled.

The cellar was cool enough to keep the ice frozen and was delivered to the homesteads weekly. Norma added, "In the winter time, of course if the roads were bad, we had to cut
ice out of the ponds."

The Taylors found ways to supplement their income. In the early days, Native Americans used the trail near the new farmstead and traded with L.E. The fur pelts he received were sold at the Dixon trading post for monetary compensation.

"They were (Native Americans) always friendly. Kenny Long Crow worked for L.E. for many years on the ranch/farm operation.

The Long Crow family who have passed are buried in the Miniska Cemetery. The Miniska and Bull Creek Native American cemeteries are both located near the Taylor and Shaffer
homesteads. The Bull Creek cemetery is currently cared for by the Iona church women.
The first farm sale remembered occurred in the 1950's. "They sold everything and kept one F20. L.E. and Uncle Bill (L.E.'s brother) went into farming together between 1935 and 1940.

The eldest son, Bill, stayed in farming and purchased land in the valley. The younger son, Cecil, would not get a chance to farm with them. Cecil passed away on September 18,
1941 at the age of 21, due to a pickup racing accident on Highway 47.

Prairie fires were always a concern to the homesteaders. "I remember my grandparents worrying about prairie fires and it still is a concern for farmers and ranchers today. Matter of fact, Wayne's hay stacks were hit by lightening and burned during the summer of 2003," Norma pointed out.
In the earliest days, water was drawn from a shallow well in the bed of a nearby creek. Rural water became available in 1973, but was not connected to the Taylor farm until the 1990's.

"There was a hand pump (at the Taylor homestead) over the kitchen sink that was connected to the cistern buried underneath the back porch. Water came from the downspout or
was hauled by truck," stated Norma.

Kerosene lamps were eventually replaced by gas lights. Gas ran through an attic pipe which is still visible today. The family also had a six volt wind charger and 100 volt light plant which was installed in a shed south of the house. The plant was powered by a gasoline engine. In the 1950's, rural electric lines were strung to the farm. The power plant was no longer needed and the shed was moved to the Wayne Bortz farm south of Gregory.

Both Wayne and Norma recall pork carcasses being hung in the barn and they would take what they needed off for meals. Blanche raised a garden and chickens. She was adept
at canning and butchering.

"Grandma would go to Yankton and buy vegetables and fruits and can them for the winter. She would also go to town (Gregory), but instead of pushing a cart down the aisles, she gave a list to the clerk. The clerk filled the order and then it was paid for. Actually, Mrs. Wiedemann reminded me of that, and about my mom coming into Louie's on Saturday night for groceries, which is another big change," related Norma.

"They ate lots of jack rabbits back then. Grandma made mince meat out of jack rabbits. Lyle Shaffer and uncle Cecil, would go down to the cellar and open jars of the jackrabbit
mince meat and eat it between meals," Norma recalled.

Minced jack rabbit was a reminder that there was an untamed side of Buffalo Butte. "I remember Grandma Blanche always warning us kids, when we went outside.

'Stay on the paths and trails, stay out of the grass and watch for rattlesnakes.' We did see them, sometimes they were on the trails," Norma recalled.

There were indoor dangers, too. One incident happened in the parlor. "Either uncle Bill or uncle Cecil were playing with a shotgun in the closet of the adjoining room, then the gun
went off. The bullet went through the parlor chair that grandma had just got up off of to go the kitchen. It was one of those near misses in life," stated Norma.

In the 1950's a bathroom was added to the house that replaced the old outhouse. Back in the early days, ladies did not ask where the restroom facilities were, but instead asked
where the 'Hollyhock's' were. Each outhouse at this time in history had hollyhocks planted around them.

Farming has changed through the years and the hay operation is what Norma has noticed extreme changes in. "First you had the small haystacks, then the big haystacks, little square bales, which you don't see much of anymore. Now there's the big round bales. I can see in the future, people seeing a square baler and comparing it to an old threshing machine. That's the other change that has occurred, from threshing machines to self propelled combines," said Norma.

The family bought their first T.V. in the 1950's shortly after the T.V. tower was built. The family still has the first color T.V. they ever owned. Prior to television being made available, radio was enjoyed by the families.

The Taylors took time for activities away from the farm. L.E. was a member of the Dallas I.O.O.F. Lodge. Blanche was a member of the progressive literary club in Dixon and the Methodist church in Winner.

By the 1950's, more changes were in the works. L.E. and Blanche began easing out of the farming operations and held equipment and livestock sales. L.E. fully retired in 1958 and
he and Blanche moved to Hot Springs, but returned to the area in the 1960's. Leonard passed away on April 29, 1963, as a result of a stroke. Blanche resided in Winner until her
passing on February 9, 1972, due to a heart attack.

Avis Vera, the eldest, eventually left the home place, but would not forget the lessons and traditions. This is her story and reflects the experience of many second generation
pioneers.

Avis Vera grew up on the homestead and attended the Lincoln Country School in the LaPoint School District, until the eighth grade. She did not move onto high school in order to
help on the family farm.

"She attended rural school and later received her G.E.D. My mother, Avis Vera, continued her education throughout her life, whenever possible," pointed out Norma.

[Go the the Family-B index page on this website to read more of the life of Avis Vera Taylor.]

Avis Vera married Kermit Albert Bortz on January 30, 1935. Vows were exchanged in the parlor of the Taylor house. To this union three children were born, Wayne Leroy
(August 13, 1937), Robert (January 25, 1943), who did not survive infancy, and Norma Ann (December 25, 1943).

Avis Vera worked in the Gregory hospital briefly as a nurse's aid before she married Kermit. Kermit farmed with his dad, south of Gregory. "They more than likely met in Gregory at
a dance," believes Wayne.

After the couple were wed, Kermit continued to work side-by-side with his dad and Avis Vera became a homemaker, which included raising chickens, tending a large
garden and milking cows.

The family purchased their chicks from Soper's Hatchery, and in turn, Soper's purchased the eggs from them. "The eggs were sold for grocery money," recalled Wayne.

The family attended the Fairmont Church which was located near their farm.

On February 2, 1954, Avis Vera remarried, Franklin Mills a Hill City native. The couple lived for a time in the Gregory area before moving to Wyoming, where she attended the Powell
Junior College in pursuit of her lifelong goal of becoming a nurse.

" It was in 1966, when the Platte/Winner bridge was completed and opened. Everyone was so excited that they did not have to go clear around to get across the river
or use the ferry," recalled Norma.

The homestead was transferred from Leonard and Blanche to Avis Vera after Blanche passed away in 1972.

Following the death of her mother, Avis Vera made a crucial decision. "Mom returned to South Dakota to operate her farms, which she enjoyed along with playing the piano,
crocheting and reading. She raised sheep, goats and cattle," Norma noted.

She added, "She retired from farming in 1983 and moved to Yankton, where she continued to take piano lessons until her stroke in 1991."

She was a member of the Yankton United Church of Christ, a past Noble Grand of Rebekah Lodge #12, a member of the Keystone #33 OES, the T & T dancers, Merry Twirlers and
the Yankton Senior Citizens.

"She used to dance a lot at Carlock, which was close to where my parents lived," noted Norma.
After her health began to fail, Avis Vera moved to Des Moines, IA, with her daughter Norma. Avis Vera passed away in Des Moines, IA, on March 10, 1994, due to complications
following surgery, at the age of eighty-one.

Kermit passed away in Winner in 2000 at the age of eighty-nine. Wayne continues to reside on the place where his father, Kermit Bortz got his start.

Norma Ann married J. Paul Ahlers in Iowa City, IA, on August 14, 1966. The couple has two children, Christopher Paul and John Jay.

Wayne has five children, Lorraine Lee, August Len, Jack Dean, Teresa Marie and Nila Leah.
Norma inherited the Taylor pioneer farm, which is rented and operated by her brother, Wayne.
A corner was turned at the Taylor pioneer farmstead. The pioneering generation was gone. At times, the home was occupied by family members and neighbors, but
eventually fell into despair. However, its spirit and traditions were carried on by Vera, Bill and Velma.

The house was rented to different people through the years and then sat empty. Consequently, the raccoons took over and left the homestead in a disarray. Norma and her
husband, Paul, have restored the house and made it a home once again, where family members come to revisit their past.
Norma continues to work in Des Moines, IA, as a registered nurse, and her husband, Paul, is a retired lawyer, who worked for Wells Fargo.

Norma and Wayne have a special attachment to the Rosebud: All four grandparents homesteaded during the 1904 land rush, L.E. and Blanche Taylor and August Boortz
and Florence Graves. Great grandparents E.M. Hoff and Joseph Graves were also Rosebud settlers.

When August Boortz received his patent for the land, they had inadvertently forgotten one of the 'O's' in his last name. He was advised to just leave it, instead of going through the
hassle of changing it, so he left it as 'Bortz.' The family adopted the shortened spelling thereafter.
Many more acres were eventually acquired from local Native Americans as L.E. expanded the homestead. The land is now owned by L.E.'s grandchildren, Norma Bortz Ahlers,
Wayne Bortz, Pat Scott Finoff, Marsha Scott Gierre, and Delores Taylor Fisher.

Norma and Wayne hope the home place will stay in the family for years to come. Updating the house and the barn is a step in that direction.

The updated house and barn are readily visible from the road which cuts through Buffalo Butte Gap, five miles north of Dixon.

"Taylor Pioneer Farm - 1904" is emblazoned on the barn loft door. The restoration was guided by Dave Meyerink of D & M Construction of Corsica.