Lois Paine Widmark lives in Ivanhoe, but her story begins in Meade County, South Dakota. Her life journey brought her to Lincoln County and a career teaching kindergarten at Lake Benton Public School.

Lois explained that both sides of her family came to Meade County, South Dakota.

“Somewhere between 1900 and 1911 Dad and other Paines acquired land grants of 160 acres southeast of White Owl. Edward and Antonia Grimm (Lois’ maternal grandparents) and daughters Rosie, Minnie, and Helen (Lois’ mother) came to the area about 1910. Grandpa Grimm built a sod house on his 160 acre homestead.”

Lois’ father, Drew Paine, raised horses on his homestead and trained horses at nearby Fort Meade, outside Sturgis. He met Helen Grimm and they married. Lois’ parents were a “Spring and Summer” romance.

“He was 22 years older than Mom. You married who was handy (Lois chuckled) because they didn’t have people for every age group.”

Lois was Helen and Drew Paine’s first child.

“I was born January 1st 1922, in my grandparent’s sod house. Dad and Grandmother Grimm delivered me. We lived by a place called The Springs, close to the Cheyenne River. I suppose Dad didn’t want to be alone with this baby coming. So, they went to live with Grandma and Grandpa until after my birth.”

The Paines welcomed two more girls to their family during their time at The Springs and Drew continued raising horses. Then they made a change.

“I was 4 years old in 1926 when we moved to the ranch, 9 miles southeast of White Owl. It had a rectangular house and a homesteader’s one-room building attached on the north side. They cut an entrance between the two houses. Mom arranged moveable walls to make rooms in the main building. Mom papered one side of that moveable wall that formed our bedroom with funny papers from Aunt Minnie. (Lois laughed) We learned to read by reading the Popeye and Katzenjammer Kids comics. The kitchen was in the back with a wood-burning stove. There were no bathrooms. We had an outhouse out back and used wash tubs for bathing.”

The ranch had rattlesnakes, so Lois and her siblings were on the lookout, but they didn’t expect snakes indoors.

“One time they built up straw between the inside and outside door on one side of the house in winter to make it warmer. Mom opened that inside door while my little brother was playing there and there was a rattlesnake coiled up in that space. Maybe he hibernated there because that door wasn’t opened all winter. Mom made us get up on a table, grabbed my little brother, and ran out to get Dad to kill the snake.”

The ranch was equipped for another type of danger.

“Dug into the side of a hill was what they called the Storm Cave. I remember Mom taking us down there when my little sister was about a year old because a tornado was coming.”

Lois recalled their second year on the ranch was big.

“1927 was a great year. Dad got a brand new, Case tractor; Mom got a gas-powered Maytag washing machine; and we got our first baby brother.”

The ranch had many kinds of livestock, but Lois’ dad focused on his horses.

“We had all kinds of animals. Dad raised horses for riding. His prize horse was an Arabian stallion. I remember Dad riding him in races at social events. A few times I rode with Dad as he was training horses. One day he let me ride Peaches with him. We got off and Peaches stepped on my bare foot. Ouch!”

Horses were a constant on the Paine ranch, but they also raised turkeys, chickens, pigs, mules, milk cows, and goats. This meant livestock chores, but Drew Paine’s other responsibilities often left livestock chores to Lois and her mom.

“He could milk the cows; feed the pig; and do things while there, but when he was gone, Mom had to step into that role. In 1921 before I was born, Dad was made a deputy sheriff in eastern Meade County. I remember them coming and getting Dad when there was a death or anytime somebody got injured. A couple times I recall Dad coming home and saying so-and-so had a baby. I believe he helped deliver those babies. Mom did more of the outdoor chores as Dad was called away a lot. I took care of the ‘little kids.’ I could also milk the cows and the nanny goats and herd the cattle on foot.”

Lois and her younger siblings grew attached to some of the livestock.

“We had a pet pig for a while. The sow had laid on and killed all her babies except that one. Mom took it to the house and raised that little pig. We called her ‘Pig Wig’ and had her for a few years. Dad finally sold her when she couldn’t have babies anymore. He sold it so we didn’t have to eat our pet.”

The Paine kids also loved their milk cows.

“We had milk cows for our own milk and had a separator to divide the cream from the milk. The windmill pumped water for the livestock into a covered cistern. The pipes passed through a little cooler space where Mom kept milk products. We’d take cream to the White Owl creamery for money we could use for groceries.”

Lois’ parents held her out of school until her younger sister, Verna, was old enough. Then the girls could together walk the two miles to their country school.

©2025 William D. Palmer.