6-19-24 Watertown, SD cont'd

 It was another cold, rainy day, yesterday.  Since I don’t like posing as a lightning rod out on a lake, this was another good day for indoor activities. 

Swimming in the pond by our campsite

 

Sandra offers a tour of the Mellette House.  Arthur C. Mellette was third generation Mellette who immigrated to the US from France.  He was a lawyer and a newspaper man with a successful enterprise in Indiana but for his wife’s health reasons, he moved to the fresh air of the Dakota territory in 1878.  President Benjamin Harrison appointed him the governor of the Dakota Territory and Arthur was instrumental in bringing the territory to statehood.  So he was the last governor of the Dakota Territory and the first governor of South Dakota.  It was unclear which state came first, North or South Dakota because Harrison had the papers shuffled so that nobody would know which one he signed first.  It is generally accepted that North Dakota is state # 39 and South Dakota is state # 40.  The plaque on the Mellette House says, “39^th Star.”  Apparently the argument lingers on. 

Mellette House built in 1885

 

Pictures were not allowed in the house and descriptions don’t do it justice but it is a beautiful, fully-restored home and speaks of wealth.  Dark, rich wood defines doorways and a winding staircase up to three stories where the four sons and Mom and Dad had bedrooms.  There were also quarters for the help, a kitchen with a pass-through in the wall to the formal dining room and crystal chandeliers.  When Arthur’s terms expired, the family located to Kansas and the house fell into disrepair.  A restoration project was taken up by five women who did much of the work themselves.  Son Charles Mellette shipped many original furnishings back to the home from Kansas.  Arthur, due to financial and severe health issues, died at a young 53.  His wife, originally the sickly one, lived to be 95.

 

Terry Redlin was an artist at heart from the time he was born and couldn’t stop sketching.  His teachers would always seat him at the inside wall of the classroom, otherwise he stared out the windows, daydreaming and sketching whatever might be out there.  His dream was to be a forest ranger or outdoorsman of some sort but a motorcycle accident when he was 15 years old resulted in the loss of his leg.  He didn’t know what to do with himself.  When SD offered him a scholarship to the college of his choice, his Mom piped up and said, “He wants to be an artist,” which came as a surprise to Terry.  But he studied and graduated from the School of Associated Arts in St Paul.  He worked at a calendar firm, an architectural engineering firm and finally, at a company formatting magazines.  In the end, he and his wife Helene decided to strike out on their own.  He became an independent wildlife artist, had one of his paintings featured on the cover of Ducks Unlimited and in 1983 was voted International Artist of the Year.  She worked the books, Terry painted.

Terry's chair and easel

Terry Redlin Art Center

 

Terry sold much of his art and finally, his son, an architect, asked him to stop because he had other ideas.  He designed and supervised the construction of the Terry Redlin Art Center in Terry’s home town of Watertown.  His phenomenal art covers the walls at this magnificent place and is a tribute to the life of Terry Redlin.   His talent is breath-taking and the art center is a visit that deserves several days. 

A typical winter scene

One of the many galleries

Barn Dance

 

Now, we arrive in St. Paul to attend the classic car display, Back to the 50s, with many family members and friends.  Taking a bit of time off!  I’ll be back!