THE UPPER KEYA PAHA TRADING CO.
1310 East Old US 18 - P. O. Box 785
Antelope Community - Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation
Mission, South Dakota, U.S.A.  57555-0785
THE UPPER KEYA PAHA
VIRTUAL TRADING POST

- Beaded Jewelry -
- Beaded Caps -
- Quillwork -
- Scrimshaw -
- Earrings -
- Necklaces -
- Other Stuff -
 

Fred Einspahr   1896 - 1971

Who was Fred Einspahr?

   The first born of second generations German immigrants, Union CountyNebraska, to Henry Peter Jergan Einspahr and Matilda Gurhing.  He lived near Brewster, Nebraska until 1923.  He answered a hand bill that offered land for lease on the Rosebud Reservation of South Dakota.  The land was part of the Rosebud Agency Boarding School Reserve (now referred to as Range Unit 55).  He and his brother built a sod house on the NE 1/4 of Section 12 Township 38 North, Range 28 West, 6th PM, Todd County (I now live in the SW 1/4 of Section 35, Township 39 North, Range 28 West, which is with in a couple miles of his site and also in Range Unit 55).  In 1925 he moved the rest of his family to the Rosebud Reservation.
   They lived in the sod house for thirteen years until 1936 when he purchased three quarters of land in the NW 1/4 of Section 8, Township 38 North, Range 28 West.  He also rented 320 acres of church land, the S 1/2 of Section 5, Township 38 North, Range 28 West, from the Episcopal Church on verbal contract until he retired in the early 60’s.
   A map has been created of the area and can be linked for a better understanding of the relationship between these tracts of land mentioned in the text.

The Story Behind
“National Soil Conservation
Farmer of the Year.”

   After my grandfather moved to his farm, he planted trees on the land he owned and rented.  The major shelterbelt consisted of approximately a dozen rows of chinese elm trees with red cedar planted between them.  On the north side some pine , honeysuckle, russian olive and plum trees.  These rows of trees from east to west were a half mile longand located on the land he rented.  They were planted by hand.  On his tract of lands where the building were located he planted another grove of trees from north to south about an eighth of a mile long.  These trees were also planted by hand.  To the southeast of these shelter belts was the location of his farm headquarters (see linked drawing).
   The land he rented was the land that was a major factor in the award.  Typically, renters tend to improve their own land and just use rented land.  The farm ground he rented made up the majority of the land he farmed at this site.  The rented ground was terraced with tree rows planted on them.  The land was divided up into usable tracts of farm ground with other tree rows.
   He designed and built a tree planter for the Todd County Soil Conservation District.  It was used to plant all of the additional tree rows that were planted on his land.  That tree planter planted most of the existing tree shelterbelts in Todd County.  Many conserviation districts in western South Dakota came and took pictures of this tree planter and had copies made of it. 
   He also hosted a site for the conservation district to “heel” in their annual allotment of trees they were to plant each year for as long as I can remember.  His well pumphouse because of the cool dark damp environment  was used to store the evergreen trees until they could be planted.  He also performed maintenance on the tree planter for the county.
   When he retired he moved a home and remodeled it.  It was located on the southeast corner of the SW 1/4 of Section 8.  He planted trees which included some apple trees.  He also built a small shop for his hobbies.  At a later date he traded his prototype home built garden tractor for a two car garage which he moved to this site.  He needed additional storage to store his car at which time another stall was built between these two buildings (he didn’t like the welding haze left on his car that was parked in the shop). 
   During the early sixties a group of 36 individuals decided to start a golf course.  They formed a incorporated group, Mission Golf Club, Inc. of which they were all equal share holders.  They constructed a building in a hill side for a club house and designed and constructed a sand green golf course on land he donated.  At this time he also donated 30 acres to Todd County which was to be used to headquarter the county 4-H program.  He used the county tree planter to plant trees around the fairways of the course.  For the first two years he maintained the golf course at his expense.  At that time the board of the incorporation at his request decided to start paying for his gas expense and give him $2.00 per hour for the time he spent working on the golf course.  
   After about ten years the course was reversed and grass greens were planted