In the Heart of Spearfish, South Dakota
by Susan Rissi Tregoning
Title
In the Heart of Spearfish, South Dakota
Artist
Susan Rissi Tregoning
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
The Termesphere Clock Tower, a striking globe-topped clock, stands prominently in the foreground of this quaint urban street scene. In the background is the 1906 Matthews Opera House, the historic centerpiece of the Spearfish, South Dakota’s downtown area.
Thomas Matthews, a Texan, drove 3,000 head of cattle to the Wyoming grasslands in 1881 to start a ranch there, but he moved his home to Spearfish when his wife became ill. Attracted by Spearfish's emerging reputation for advanced medical care, the couple settled there.
They quickly became enamored with the town, and in 1900, Matthews erected a building on Main Street using local sandstone and brick. It was designed with retail spaces on the ground floor, while the upper level was to house offices and living quarters. Upon suggestion from local business leaders, Matthews incorporated an opera house into the design. The theater opened its doors on December 3, 1906, with a touring group's performance of The Lion and the Mouse. It served as a hub for plays and operas for over ten years, becoming one of the area’s leading entertainment spots by 1912. It also occasionally doubled as a dance hall and basketball court in subsequent years. Transitioning to film, it began showing silent movies on a new screen by 1919 but faced a decline after 1930 when competition arose from Vita Theater, which offered larger screens and sound films. The opera house saw reduced use, at times being repurposed for war efforts, packaging parachutes, serving as a shooting gallery or storage space, and even briefly extending as part of a mortuary.
In the 1940s, Bud and Margaret Kelley acquired it from the Matthews family, initiating its preservation journey. This journey continued through the late '60s into the '80s, with support from actors, hotels, and businesses along Main Street, reviving this cherished landmark. It hosts live performances, including theater and music, alongside talks by historians, artists, and authors, maintaining its cultural significance within Spearfish.
The Termespheres Clock Tower was created in 2017 by Dick Termes, an internationally-known Spearfish artist, as a tribute to his hometown of Spearfish.
Copyright 2024 Susan Rissi Tregoning
Uploaded
March 21st, 2024
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