2008 PROJECT

AMERICAN ISLAND BOOK
and Memories
This is a joint project between the Chamberlain Area Historical Preservation Association and Cozard Memorial Library, utilizing the resources of both organizations.

Individuals that were fortunate enough to experience the island life are encouraged to submit their memories and photos, and will get a space dedicated to their material. Every memory is important, and we encourage everyone to share theirs.

Please help us save this important part of Chamberlain's history.

Photos and memories from the island can be emailed to cahpa@midstatesd.net.  
(Please scan photos at a resolution of 350).

If you know of individuals that have memories, but they don't have internet access,
please have them mail their memories to:
CAHPA, PO Box 522, Chamberlain, SD 57325

It’s been a question in the minds of many people, "What happened to the other American Island statues?" In an old newspaper article it stated that when the island was being cleared, the statues were removed and placed along the highway. While sitting there they were being vandalized, so they were then taken to the city storage shed for safe keeping.

There were a total of four American Island eagle statues. Two of them are gracing the entrance to the Avenue of Flags, the third is sitting behind the city storage building located beside the new city offices, and on information obtained from Marvin Krebs, I ventured out to find the fourth American Island Eagle.

The hunt for the fourth eagle took me on a trip to the Eagle Preserve located at the Fort Randall Dam. Marvin said he donated it to the preserve when he worked for the city.

On my arrival at the Fort Randall area I asked for directions, which turned out to be bad directions, and a lot of dead ends. I finally located the long lost statue and was thrilled to have my picture taken with it. I was disapointed that there was no mention of the statues original location on its plaque, but that can be fixed.

What about the other statues? As almost everyone knows, the four statues in front of the pool are from the island. For the record, according to Marvin Krebs, the statue on the corner of his yard is a concrete reproduction, not the real thing. If you look closely, you can tell it’s not made the same as the others.

I’ve heard reports that two statues were seen in a shelter belt south of town many years ago, while a individual was attending an auction. I was also told that two statues were in the front yard of a home on main street in Huron. On a trip through Huron I looked for the statues, but couldn’t see any. Shortly after that, my informants notified me that they also looked for the statues, but they were gone.

If anyone has information on other lost American Island statues, please email the Chamberlain Area Historical Preservation Association at cahpa@midstatesd.net. Wouldn’t it be great to bring them home?