Snoma Finnish Cemetery, Fruitdale South Dakota

Date added: October 03, 2024

Categories:
South Dakota
Cemetery

Do you have an update on the current status of this structure? Please tell us about it in the comments below.

The Snoma Cemetery is the only surviving site associated with the community of Snoma and therefore it is the only site to reveal the history of this small village.

In 1887 (although another source indicates that the date was 1885, 1887 is the more commonly accepted date) the community of Snoma was established by a group of Scandinavians, most of whom belonged to a sect of the Finnish Apostolic Lutheran Church which had splintered from the church in Lead. These Finns, Danes and Norwegians came to this area of Butte County in 1887 looking for farm land. Most had been miners in Lead and would return to the mines during the winter months for seasonal employment. The congregation was led by Benjamin Hasti, Solomon Johnson and Isaac Fardig; Fardig and Johnson were preachers for the congregation.

An interesting aspect of this congregation was its inter-ethnic make-up. Sermans were preached in Finnish and immediately translated into English for non-Finnish members. The Apostolic Lutheran Church movement was founded in northern Finland and the Finnish areas of northern Sweden and Norway. As the state church of Finland maintained control over all religious activities and congregations, the Apostolic or Lastaedian movement represented only one element within the church in Finland. In America, however, the group founded their own religious denomination. which emphasized simple piety and the use of lay preachers. Over time there was a splintering of the group into separate sects, which interpreted doctrine in a manner unique to the group.

In Snoma the first business to be established was Harrington and Hargroves Store, which opened in c. 1887. Soon, it was followed by Hall's Hotel Klemp's barbershop, Blackwell's general store, a lumberyard and five residences. Residents of the community included the Karinens, who later established the community of Karinen in Harding County, the Weisners, Dahlbergs, the Erick Ericksons, the Haivalas and the Aaron Johnsons.

Snoma was made a post office in 1890. Until that time the community was called Suomi, the Finnish name for Finland. However, a misreading on the part of the post office left the community with the name Snoma.

Between 1885 and 1892 children from Snoma traveled to school to one of the two area schools, but in 1892, Snoma erected its own building. However, in 1907 the Grimbo and Snoma schools were combined and children once again had a short commute. Soon after this date the community began to decline.

In 1911 the Chicago, North Western Railroad passed to the north and through the town of Fruitdale. The post office was moved to this new town and Snoma suffered an out-migration of business. By 1918 the town had died and today all that remains is a Danish cemetery to the north and the Finnish cemetery which carries the name of this vanished community.

Site Description

The Snoma Finnish Cemetery is situated on a hill in the area that was once the community of Snoma. Presently the site is sheltered by scrub oak and pine. The lane leading to the cemetery turns to the east off the road and is unpaved.

The cemetery is comprised of 203 graves, most of which have headstones that face west. A large number of the markers are grey granite and were made by a local manufacturer, the Deadwood Granite and Marble Works in Deadwood. The gravestones are categorized into four groups. One stone, the Ernest Eamil stone, illustrates the first category. This light probably sandstone marker has a lamb motif commonly used for children and a curvilinear outline with block lettering; the stone dates from 1906. A second category includes those markers which have a rectangular face. These labs date between 1900 and 1918 and often have a Bible carved into the slanted top. The third group is comprised of obelisks. Manufactured between 1903 and 1923, these markers have a cross "gable" motif at the top. Finally, the fourth group employs a rusticated tree motif. The markers resemble a stack of logs or a vertical trunk and date from 1904 to 1913.

The cemetery is-well maintained and is still in use today.