Renner in Minnehaha County, South Dakota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Christensen 1917 Round Barn
Workers fabricated hundreds of concrete blocks using sand and clay from deposits found on the farmstead. Special forms made blocks that resembled hand-quarried stone. First, an interior silo was built. Then the concrete block walls of the round barn were erected to surround the
silo. A self-supporting, dome-shaped, two-pitch gambrel roof topped the barn.
These unusual barns, where dairy cows stood in a circle facing the silo for milking and feeding, were promoted as being more efficient, stronger, and as much as 58 percent cheaper to build than rectangular barns.
Alfred (1871-1939) was born in a sod house near present-day Renner, S. Dak. Marit (1874-1946), a widow, emigrated from Meraker, Norway, with her three children. Nine more children were born after their 1905 marriage.
Erected 2000 by the Minnehaha County Historical Society and descendants of Alfred & Marit Christensen.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1917.
Location. 43° 38.725′ N, 96° 43.203′ W. Marker is in Renner, South Dakota, in Minnehaha County. Marker is on 258th Street (County Road 130) 0.4 miles west of 475th Avenue (State Route 115), on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Renner SD 57055, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Old Nidaros (approx. 0.2 miles away); Renner Area Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.3 miles away); The Village of Renner (approx. 0.4 miles away); Lindbergh Landing / Renner Field (approx. 0.4 miles away); 1938 Earthquake (approx. 0.9 miles away); John Thompson, Pioneer / Early Settlers' Association (approx. 4.1 miles away); Swedona Evangelical Covenant Church (approx. 4.4 miles away); Amidon Graves Mystery (approx. 4.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Renner.
Credits. This page was last revised on September 9, 2021. It was originally submitted on September 7, 2021. This page has been viewed 196 times since then and 39 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 7, 2021. • Mark Hilton was the editor who published this page.