“Remember way back when—?” and, “When I was a boy I used to walk five
miles every day to a one room school back in—!” Here are reminders for
those who have made these statements or heard them from the folks. A
true turn-of-the-century main street. How different and complex are
these same things today!
[Illustration: Two young ladies stand in front of the completely
equipped barber shop. The other businesses appear to be closed for
the day so one might guess father is still in the chair doing his
part in a bit of close harmony.]
[Illustration: A bank is a bank—unless it’s the one you have done
business with for years and it is to be dismantled. It could be Mr.
Geisler “rescued his rescuer” when he bought the old Murdo State
Bank, teller windows, equipment, safe and all. This was the local
world of finance fifty years ago.]
[Illustration: Funerals, weddings and fancy occasions saw this
“hack” put to use. This is only one of the many interesting things
to see in the Livery Barn at PIONEER AUTO MUSEUM.]
Everything from barbed wire to groceries to clothing were on the shelves
at the old General Store. The coffee grinder, the cracker barrel and the
glowing pot-bellied stove are there to help your imagination run back
over the years.
[Illustration: General store]
[Illustration: General store shelves]
[Illustration: General store shelves]
[Illustration: Many a pioneer worshipped his Maker in this small
country church rescued from abandonment and ultimate destruction. It
is complete with hymnals, prayer books, altar and other original
furnishings.]
[Illustration: This authentic one-room school house is complete with
books, desks, and Regulator wall clock.]
[Illustration: Note the double desk and the old stove. Children of
pioneer days walked or rode horseback for many miles each day to
attend classes.]
[Illustration: Made by Wurlitzer about 40 years ago, this is the
world’s largest Concert Band Organ.]
[Illustration: All visitors seem to enjoy climbing up to the cab of
the old C.M & St. P. R.R. caboose. This old veteran of steam-driven
railroad days was used when South Dakota was first homesteaded. It
is completely furnished with authentic pot-bellied stove and other
equipment of its day.]
The PIONEER AUTO MUSEUM opened in May of 1954 with 25 cars and a single
building. As time went on a collection of old farm machinery and
tractors blossomed in back. And as old original buildings such as jails,
schools, churches, banks and many others were doomed to replacement in
the community, Mr. Geisler added yet another facet of olden day
preservation to the museum. China, toys, glassware, lamps, musical
antiquities and other things too numerous to mention here were added. So
many things, in fact, that many buildings such as the general store, the
church, and the school house are fully stocked and equipped with
authentic original trappings. Today the museum boasts 25 buildings with
over 200 vehicles plus thousands of other memorabilia. Because of Mr.
Geisler’s fondness for Ford automobiles, a special building in the
museum, Henry’s Ford Garage, contains only Fords. In 1956 Mr. Geisler
sold the Chevrolet-John Deere Agency and purchased the Ford Agency in
Murdo, which is managed by another son, Dave.
PIONEER AUTO MUSEUM is more than a mere tourist attraction. It is a
tribute to a man and woman and their family who have had the foresight
to preserve the past. The thousands of items to be seen in a fine state
of preservation would have doubtless been lost to the dumps and junk
piles. Instead posterity can visit and maybe “live a little” in the days
of their forefathers in authentic surroundings.
Visit with Dick and John. They will be happy to give you interesting and
expert information on anything in the PIONEER AUTO MUSEUM. They might
even relate a few of the interesting and amusing tales of how the cars
were found and moved from over 40 states to the PIONEER AUTO MUSEUM in
Murdo, South Dakota.
[Illustration: 1931 Packard Touring Car
This rare classic was the personal pride of its original owner, Tom
Mix, hard-riding cowboy of movie fame. The classic features of this
phaeton included wire wheels, side-mounted twin spares topped by
rear-view mirrors, dual windshields and dual cowls.]