Hidden along Firesteel Creek only about 20 miles south of the state

This rural Episcopal Indian mission church holds a place of special meaning for the people who come from that part of the Standing Rock Reservation.

The building seems to grow out of the soil of the valley. It has a solid organic look, reminiscent of the vernacular country churches that were build in the British Isles over 600 years ago. This may account in part for why many people think the church is much older than it really is.

The church is constructed of the native sandstone, quarried out of the bluff overlooking the valley.

Holy Spirit Church is located on the Buck & Lory Ward Ranch, which is north of the new BIA road linking Highways 63 and 65. The best way to reach the church is to turn north off the BIA road one mile west of the Broken Heart Ranch corner. There is a small sign. You then follow the trail as it proceeds north, then west and then north. Eventually you will find yourself overlooking Firesteel Creek, the valley and the church.

Unless you are familiar with the area, it is recommended that you secure a guide. The BIA road is a good gravel road but the last five miles are on a trail that will not be passable if it rains or snows. And don’t count on your cell phone working.

The Church:

Prior to and at the time the church was built there were quite a few Indian families living along Firesteel Creek and on nearby allotments. As time passed most of these families moved away and the church was nearly abandoned. Most of the remaining members now live in Bullhead(Rock Creek), Isabel, or McLaughlin(Bear Soldier). They trace their ancestry to the Makes Trouble, Thief, Grey Eagle and Frank families.

A cemetery is also part of the property. Recent graves attest to the fact that their is an active church. The congregation bears most of the responsibility for maintaining the Chapel, meeting hall and cemetery. Buck and Lori Ward also do what they can to maintain the grounds and chapel.

The Nomination:

The structure first came to the attention of the State Historical Society in the late 1970s. The site was visited again in 1985 and 1993 by officials of the Preservation Center. No systematic survey of architectural properties in Corson, Dewey and Ziebach counties has ever been done.

Following the organization of the Timber Lake and Area Historical Society in 1982 and the 1985 visit, the State Preservation Office and State Historical Society began urging our organization to nominate the Old Stone Church to the National Register of Historic Places.

The nomination process began in January of 1995. Helen Pederson appointed a committee and invited members of the congregation and the Historic Preservation Officer of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe to a public meeting in Timber Lake. The meeting was well attended and everyone present agreed that our organization should go forward with the nomination as a prerequisite for doing the needed restoration work including the tuck pointing.

Since churches are not normally eligible for the National Register, other rationale had to be used for its nomination.

Rationale #1: Both the church and meeting hall serve as a meeting place for the congregation. In recent years the church is regularly visited by groups from Klein Ranch, a summer church camp operated by Lutheran Outdoor of South Dakota.

Rationale #2: We felt that Holy Spirit Chapel, although small and almost unknown, represented one of the most interesting examples of ecclesiastical architecture in South Dakota. The building was designed by Alfred Githens, a well known architect from New York City and built by Frank Waggoner of Keldron, SD.

The blueprints were found in the Center for Western Studies in Sioux Falls.

Githens was educated in Philadelphia, Paris and Rome and began his career in 1896 and retired in 1955. He was noted for his monumental public buildings such as libraries and museums. He also taught architecture at Columbia and Princeton. This church and possibly another on the Pine Ridge reservation are the only buildings in South Dakota designed by Githens.

Githens was Episcopalian. In 1922 he was approached by the Society of the Double Temple, a fund-raising organization of New York socialites who participated in Episcopal missionary work focusing on Indian Reservations. One of their prominent members, Mrs. George Cabbott Ward, had recently died. She had been a long time friend of Bishop Hobart Hare of the Niobrara Convocation. It is unknown if Githens ever visited the site. Construction began in 1922 with Frank Waggoner as building contractor and stone mason. The Indian church members volunteered their time and raised some of the money.

In our nomination we noted that Frank Waggoner and his wife Josephine were both people of importance in the history of the reservation. Josephine, who was a member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, was a writer and historian.

The dedication and construction of Holy Spirit Chapel was described in the July-August, 1923 South Dakota Churchman. The building was dedicated on July 5, 1923. Joseph White Plume, who for many years had served as catechist at the mission on Firesteel Creek, was ordained as deacon at the dedication. Archdeacon Edward Ashley, the Rev. Joseph Goodteacher, the Rev. Philip Deloria and the Rev. Andrew Whiteface were all present at the dedication.

One of the most distinguishing elements on the church is the seven foot Niobrara cross above the front door. The cross is carved into the native stone. The Niobrara Cross was specially designed by Bishop Hare and is used exclusively by the Indian Episcopal Church of the Dakotas.

Restoration:

After the nomination was completed and the listing on the National Register secured, the State Historical Society stepped up their campaign to have us do the tuck pointing. In 2000 the building was listed on South Dakota’s Places in Peril. This helped pave the way for a matching state grant from the “Deadwood Fund.”

Our biggest problem then was trying to gain the cooperation of the Diocese in handling the restoration and grant money. Since we were unsuccessful in making this a joint effort, the local historical society took full responsibility for the funding and administration of the project.

The restoration project is now complete.

Conclusion:

This has been a partnership between the Timber Lake and Area Historical Society and the following:

• The Indian congregation and Father Les Campbell

• The State of South Dakota (matching grant for tuck pointing)

• DAR–Mary Chilton Foundation (grant for windows, roof and other work)

• Standing Rock Sioux Tribe (endorsement) and Sitting Bull Community College (volunteer labor)

• The descendants of Frank and Josephine Waggoner have provided additional financial encouragement.

We would be remiss if we did not mention the work of Helen Pederson, who after she retired as president of the historical society, stayed on as the main driving force behind this project. She has demonstrated extreme patience in the face of all kinds of obstacles. Without her leadership we would surely have pulled the plug on this project.

Holy Spirit Chapel is a humble yet wonderful example of what public history in a rural area can be. Our local historical society is proud of the role we have played in its nomination and restoration. We have no idea what the future holds for Holy Spirit Chapel, but it is very gratifying for us to be able to give directions to the descendant of the Indian and non-Indian families who so long ago lived along Firesteel Creek and in some way trace their family history to this little church. And if we can in some small way encourage those sometimes stubborn few who remain in the area to hang onto their history and faith a little longer, its probably worth it.

A note on the geology:

Holy Spirit Chapel is located high in the Fox Hills formation. The fossils in the stone are clams and burrows of Cretaceous crustaceans indicate that the rock layer on the bluff was once an estuary along the shoreline of the great saltwater seaway which covered much of central North America during the age of dinosaurs.