Eden
Eden Township, Marshall County, South Dakota, USA
Old Eden or Eden Park
from "Wagon Wheels: Volume IV"
by Norma Johnson
©1985
pages 69 - 71
The history of Old Eden or Eden Park goes back to about 1890 when
John and Karolina Kotschavor set up a small store in their farm
home in Eden Township in Marshall County.
In 1895, John built a small store on the northeast corner of his
land. He then sold lots for the town then called Eden (now known
as Old Eden). He donated ten acres of land on April 9, 1901 for
the church and cemetery with the stipulation that it would revert
back to him if and when the church ceased to exist.
The building of the St. Joseph's Catholic Church was slow due to
the lack of money. Then in 1902, a tornado moved the incomplete
building off the foundation. Again a series of fund-raising
activities were needed to start rebuilding.
Around 1917, after the town ceased to exist, the church was torn
down and the lumber was sold to Fred Wilgers and used to build a
hunter's clubhouse on his farm. The interior furnishings became a
part of the St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Lake City.
Around 70 people are interred in the cemetery, the only visible
remains of the early day village. Diptheria claimed the lives of
at least four of those people in the winter of 1901-02.
Balthauser Janisch operated a small general store, feed mill and
post office in the store. This was one of the three early-day post
offices set up in this area with service out of Webster. A few
years later Balt Janisch moved to Canada. His former home is now
on the Joe Henry Streier farm.
The saloon and dance hall was owned by Mike Koenig and Tonny Koppy.
Later this was moved to Chinatown, east of New Eden. Since no liquor
was to be sold in Eden or Chinatown, Koenig quit and moved to Canada.
Mike Koenig's home is part of the house Mrs. Elizabeth Jasper lives
in across the road from the cemetery.
Area farmers Louis Deutsch, Math Tcherne, Frank Steiner Sr., and
Balt Janisch bought the Kromes Blacksmith Shop located in the
southwest part of Red Iron Township. George Wurzinger was hired
as blacksmith. Later this building was moved to Chinatown and
later to Eden.
In 1909, the area people renamed the town Eden Park because of the
scenic beauty of the site. The 1910 Marshall County Atlas shows
that name on the town plat. Then in 1917 the Eden Township was
split and the north part was named Lake Township.
A large schoolhouse was built between the church and the Janisch
Store. Some of the teachers that Mrs. Jaspers remembers were Delia
and Agnes Denery, who boarded at the Koenig farm ; Ed Cunningham,
Einer Robinson, Jack Freed and a Mr. Williams were also teachers.
Some of these boarded at the Leonard Cordie home.
In 1921, this school was split - one part moved a mile and a half
east to Red Iron Lake Township. The other part was moved west to
Eden Township and was known as Eden No. 6. Now it is on the Ray
Janisch farm.
When the railroads entered the picture numerous villages had to
literally move to that site to exist. Such was the case of Eden
Park. The new town retained the name Eden. After the town folded
a man named Miller from Webster came to Eden Park and sold beer.
He couldn't sell any at New Eden or Chinatown.
Today all that remains is an old cemetery where the tombstones
silently list some of the early day residents of Old Eden or
Eden Park.
E-mail: dwagner2@isd.net
©2003 DJW
Last Modified:
January 26, 2003