After working on this book, Maxine whose roots are in Bon Homme
County started work on preserving the history of prairie churches
of Bon Homme County. She focused on history and heritage in this
book and wanted to save as much information as she could as a lot
of it was being lost due to churches moving or crumbling. “It seemed
like the right thing to do,” she tells me. Roots in Dakota Soil - Prairie
Cemeteries of Bon Homme County was published in 2007. It is
a history but also a directory of 16 abandoned and 31 established
pioneer cemeteries. It also covers traditions, tombstones, epitaphs, and
stories.
The work that Maxine is the most proud of is her work on the book
The Sioux City to Fort Randall Military Road 1856-1892, Revisited
which was self-published in 2010. Maxine and a companion worked on
preserving the history of the military road for a paper they presented
in 1996 at the Dakota History Conference, Center for Western Studies,
Augustana College. Her companion knew a lot about the military and
enjoyed learning more about it so with Maxine they traced the road
from Sioux City to the Fort Randall Dam. It required a lot of effort but
Maxine loved every moment of it. When Maxine decided to revisit
the book and then self-publish in 2010, she decided to supplement
some with new photos and additional history of the trail, both as it was
and how it is now. The book has photos and copy to show the history
of the trail that once loosely followed the Missouri River between
government supply warehouses. The book covers how the road began,
how the military became involved, the evolution of the road, and after
the road wasn’t used anymore. It also looks at the counties it passed
through then and now.
Maxine has also written some books for her family. She wrote an
autobiography and then a memoir about her mom. She put together
that family history for her children and family so it wasn’t lost;
preserving it for them the way she preserves the history of our region
for others. She also wrote a book on rural schools in Bon Homme
County but this book is more strictly to Bon Homme County.
After living in Yankton for 10+ years, Maxine felt like “such a
Yankton person” and decided to publish a book focusing on our early
pioneer churches and cemeteries. Pioneer Churches and Cemeteries
of Yankton County was published in 2013. She compiled this book
with 50 known pioneer rural cemeteries and offers brief histories of
these churches which have mostly been abandoned. The book looks at
the denominations that existed as well the different kind of cemeteries
that existed. At one point, Yankton County had 45 or more churches
functioning. Maxine
wanted to make sure that
history wasn’t lost.
Maxine Schuurmans
Kinsley has written
several books to help
people of this area keep
parts of their history alive
Martinus Cemetery
and be able to pass them
on to future generations.
The books are also a big
help to those who are
working on genealogy.
She is a very humble
person who doesn’t like
to have the focus on
her. Her favorite part of
writing is the research and
learning all of this history
St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Tabor
that would be otherwise
lost. Focusing on history
that lies in this area is
what is most important
to Maxine; saving history
and heritage before it’s
lost to future generations.
If there is one thing
Maxine hopes people
pull away from this is the
Crucifix, Benedictine Cemetery, Yankton
encouragement to visit
local places - study heritage
- learn your own heritage - and most of all, preserve the history you
find.
“History is informative. It reminds the reader of who we were and
when. History is necessary. Because of its fleeting nature, it must be
captured. History is challenging. To understand the “why” of human
behavior requires thoughtful contemplation.” - Maxine Schuurmans
Kinsley; Pioneer Churches and Cemeteries of Yankton County.
vBy Brandi Bue
Varicose veins are not always a cosmetic issue.
Varicose veins and heavy, painful legs can now be treated with the Venefit Closure® procedure.
•Outpatient Therapy •Minimally Invasive •Fast and Mild Recovery
•Covered by Most Insurance & Medicare
For your total vein care, call now...
Kynan C.Trail, MD, FACS
2525 Fox Run Parkway, Suite 204, Yankton • www.yanktonsurgical.com •
605.668.9670
NO REFERRAL NECESSARY
Independently Owned
HERVOICEvMARCH/APRIL 2018v19