About Us
A group of people worked with Louis Lillibridge on a county-wide project to raise money for the Cowboy Hall of Fame being built in Oklahoma City. The same group approached Louis with an idea for a Gregory County Historical Society. Louis enthusiastically responded: “I have just been waiting for someone to come along with the idea of starting a Gregory County Society.”
A temporary set of by-laws were drawn up immediately. Then, in 1972, the group affixed their signatures to Articles of Incorporation and the Gregory County Historical Society was officially born. However, the distance across the County was great and often created different visions for the organization. One part of the County had an older history, and there were strong rivalries between schools, so the Society was set up in different chapters governed by the umbrella County organization.
In 1977, the Catholic diocese, through the efforts of Bob Malone, allowed the organization to purchase the St. Augustine Catholic Church in Dallas for $1,000 to be used as Gregory County Historical Culture Center. It was put on National Historic Registry, and over the years the Society has filled it with different historical artifacts from all over Gregory County.
Now the Society regularly meets as one group in the center of the County. Although geography still plays a role in the dreams for the organization, shared interests bring a diverse group of people together to achieve common goals for collecting and preserving the history of Gregory County and south central South Dakota.
Dorothy Boes, President
Richard Rubel, Vice President
Bev Rubel, Treasurer
Jan Christensen, Secretary
Judy Gies, Director 3 Yr. Term
Clarence Shoemaker, Director 2 Yr. Term
Jerry Peterson, Director 1 Yr. Term
Historic Sites and Event Photos
Support History Projects in Gregory County
Map created by the Gregory County Historical Society
© Gregory County Historical Society
Historical Gregory County Poster
The map is 24” x 36” and displays each original town established in Gregory County, along with a photo and description of the towns.
You get a free map with each $25 donation (in your donation, please include an additional $10 if we are shipping your map to you).
Maps are also available from the following people: Jerry Peterson (Burke) (605) 830-1053, Clark Gies (Fairfax) 605-857-0245, Richard or Bev Rubel (Gregory/Dallas) 605-830-1518.
We've provided the following button for your convenience if you wish to make an online donation.