The Fate of the Mail Carrier

The Fate of the Mail Carrier. The Story of our History. On this site, the evening of August 19, 1876, 24-year-old Charles "Red" Nolin, pony mail carrier was shot and scalped. He was asked by members of the Schofeld Freighting Outfit to stay with them for the night because of the presence of Indians in the area. He declined because he had promised his mother that he would return home one he completed his delivery. His body was found the next day and was buried here where it remained until 1889 when it was moved to Bear Butte Cemetery in Sturgis. Nolin was carrying mail from either Ft. Pierre or Sydney, NE to Deadwood. , , Monument Builders A group of Sturgis pioneers and Commercial Club formed a committee and enlisted the help of the Society of Black Hills Pioneers and the City of Sturgis to build the monument in early spring, 1932. The monument was restored and revitalized in 2017 by a group sponsored by the Regional Health Hospital Sturgis. , , Construction The monument which was designed by Roy Erickson, is a heavy square shaft built of rose and milky quartz, and silver ore. A long perpendicular slab with the word "Nolin" cut deep in it was donated by Consolidated Power and Light Co. and a suitable plate carrying dates and data has been supplied by the society of Black Hills Pioneers. Rose quartz used on the project was gathered and donated by the Bow Scouts of Custer, the milky quartz was brought here and donated by the Boy Scouts of Nemo. Silver ore from Galena was obtained by Chris Jordan. , Deadwood Pioneer Time, Tuesday, April 12, 1932 , , The monument was dedicated on Memorial Day, May 30, 1932 with 4000 people in attendance from all parts of the Black Hills, including representatives of Indian tribes. Seated at the monument were Jesse Brown (left) and Mrs. Tom (Cornelia) O'Brien (right) who were both members of the party that found the body. , , Nolin Grave The body of Charles Nolin was moved to Bear Bute Cemetery in Sturgis in June 1889 by local citizens. A new bronze marker by the Sturgis Senior Citizens and Chamber of Commerce Centennial Committee in 1982