LITTLE FELLERS GRAVE
Clark County South Dakota
This
Grave is
located
one and
one half
miles
west of
Elrod
Send additions or corrections to Gordon C. Meyer gmeyer@itctel.com
Copyrighted
2009 for
Clark
county
South
Dakota and
Gordon
Meyer
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
This
grave is
located
one and
one half
miles west
of what
used to be
the town
of Elrod
along the
Chicago
Northwestern
Railroad
right of
way, in
the Elrod
Township,
Section
six. Each
Memorial
Day, a
wreath of
flowers,
or a
bouquet of
lilacs has
been
placed
there in
living
tribute to
the “Little
Fellow”
In
1889when a
railroad
construction
gang was
working in
the area,
a little
boy whose
parents
were the
cooks for
this crew
would race
from his
home every
time the
train went
by to wave
welcome
and
goodbye to
the
conductor
“Big
Bill”
Chambers.
This went
on every
day for
two years
until one
day when
the Little
Fellow
hadn’t
appeared,
Chambers
stopped
the train
and found
out that
the little
boy had
died and
was buried
along the
tracks.
Shortly
after this
his family
went back
east .
The
railroad
men had
set a
prairie
stone to
mark the
site and
from then
on for
twenty-five
years Bill
Chambers
placed
flowers on
his little
friend’s
grave.
Sometime
during
those
years a
Cross was
set to
replace
the
prairie
stone.
After Chambers retired from service, his friend Conductor Redmond, carried on for him. After Chamber’s death in 1939 the train crew and conductor, John Coon, had a special memorial service there to honor him and his dedication to the love he shared with a little boy, as requested by his sister Miss Lydia Chambers.
************************************************************************************
Little fellers grave
This is some added information that has been sent to me by Karen Ober (thank you Karen)
Big Bill Chambers took care of the
Grave by the Right of Way for 42 years after the young boy's death. Bill
Chambers didn't retire. He became very ill from diabetes. While ill, he told
his friend Conductor Redmond, "I don't know how this illness will go, It's like
an old clock, the pendulum swinging back and forth, who knows when it will
stop. Martin, if it stops, will you care for The Grave by the Right of Way."
Assurred that he would, Martin Redmond left to catch the train at the depot
across the street from Big Bill's house. At the time the train was pulling out
and blowing it's whistle, Big Bill, rolled over on his side and took his last
breath.
Big Bill's daughters, Elizabeth Chambers Benson and Lydia Chambers Ford, and his
wife Mary Catherine Keely Chambers were present at his bedside when this
occurred. This story was told to Susan Benson Ober, daughter of Elizabeth
Chambers Benson. I just received this added information from Karen Ober. There
was another person present bedside. It was Aunt
Lydia, Big Bill's sister. She lived in Watertown and was a midwife
*********************************************************************************
The
Rotary
club
members
now
continue
the custom
and have
also put
up a
permanent
stone
marker, a
tribute to
the mutual
love of a
man and
boy.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________