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What Lemmon is known for
Lemmon is a South Dakota railroad town of 1,160 people at the 2020 census, and it is known for Petrified Wood Park: about 100 towers, cones and pyramids of petrified wood and petrified grass, the largest 32 feet tall. Ole Quammen and his son David built it from 1930 to 1933 with material gathered from within 25 miles of town.
Beside the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation
The Standing Rock Sioux Reservation borders Lemmon to the east. It is home to the Hunkpapa and Sihasapa Lakota, the Ihunktuwona and Pabaksa Dakota, and the Hunkpatina, or Lower Yanktonai, Dakota. The town’s history began in 1902, when the United States government forced a lease of about 800,000 acres of Standing Rock Sioux Reservation land to cattleman George Ed Lemmon, who enclosed the leased land with three-wire fence as his L-7 ranch.
A railroad town named for the cattleman
Lemmon helped choose a railroad route from Mobridge through the reservation, and in 1906 he founded a town on its west side, which railroad director R. M. Calkins named in his honor. Homesteaders settled after Lemmon sold his interest in the L-7. The town counted 1,255 people at the 1910 census and peaked at 2,760 in 1950.
A park built through the Depression
Ole Quammen settled in Lemmon in 1907, later served as mayor and studied geology as an amateur. His son David began helping plan a park in 1926. Through the Depression Quammen employed up to 40 men in two teams to gather the fossils and set them in place, about 4,100 tons of petrified wood and 300 tons of petrified grass in all. The park was dedicated in 1932, and the museum building was finished late in 1933.
Both Quammens died in 1934. Alice Quammen ran the park until 1954, then transferred it to the City of Lemmon on condition that it not be altered. It joined the National Register of Historic Places in 1977, and repairs and renovations in 2002 restored it to its original condition.
The park today
The museum now counts 3,200 tons of wood and 100 tons of grass, a difference attributed to theft and damage over the years. The park drew 17,000 visitors in 1971. The park and museum, at 500 Main Ave, open daily from Memorial Day to Labor Day, and nearby Boss Cowman Square shows bronze sculptures by local artist John Lopez. The attraction is made of the ground around Lemmon. The town’s history began with a lease forced on the Standing Rock Sioux, whose reservation is still its neighbor.
Questions people ask about Lemmon
Why is Lemmon, South Dakota famous?
Lemmon is known for Petrified Wood Park, about 100 towers, cones and pyramids built from petrified wood and petrified grass gathered within 25 miles of town. Ole Quammen and his son David built it from 1930 to 1933, and Alice Quammen transferred it to the City of Lemmon in 1954.
Who built the Petrified Wood Park in Lemmon?
Ole Quammen, an amateur geologist who later served as mayor, planned it with his son David. Through the Depression Quammen employed up to 40 men in two teams to gather the petrified wood and grass and set it in place. Both Quammens died in 1934.
How much petrified wood is in the park?
The park originally used about 4,100 tons of petrified wood and 300 tons of petrified grass. The museum now counts 3,200 tons of wood and 100 tons of grass, a difference attributed to theft and damage over the years.
What is Lemmon's connection to the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation?
The reservation, home to Hunkpapa and Sihasapa Lakota and Ihunktuwona, Pabaksa and Hunkpatina Dakota, borders the city to the east. Settlement of the area began in 1902, when the United States government forced a lease of about 800,000 acres of reservation land to cattleman George Ed Lemmon, who founded the town in 1906.
When is Petrified Wood Park open?
The park and museum, at 500 Main Ave in Lemmon, are open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Memorial Day to Labor Day, and admission is free. The museum also accepts donated items for its collection.