Ortleyites near and far

Update to this article: Patrick reports that Keith should really be credited for the old Ortley pictures.

I'm happy to say that I've heard from a couple of people with Ortley connections living elsewhere. Keith Christofferson posted a comment at "Letters To The Editor" below, and I also heard from former resident Patrick O'Riley. Here's his email to me:

Hello....my name is Patrick O'Riley and I am a former resident of Ortley
and still (I think) a member of the church...at least I was a member of
the Zion one....

I was absolutely thrilled to stumble upon your most welcome effort to
re-establish the Ortley Optic....GREAT JOB!

I am very interested in the history of Ortley.....my father owned the
building where BJ's is now and my grandfather (St. Elmo Miller) bought
it from him and ran it as a pool hall/beer hall/cafe for many years...I
have a picture of me as a toddler being held up by my father in front
of
that building looking south to the tracks...you can see Bagley's
elevator in the back...

I have heard that ortley was once called Andersonville....in early
maps,
before it was a town, the railroad lists it as "Sand Cut"...probably
because of the sand pit down by the tracks....

My aunt, Louise M, and cousins Susie and Sandra are, I believe,
current members of your church....

I hope we can have a dialogue about Ortley history....I can find very
little...but maybe you know some oldtimers who can give you oral
history...this is my hope...I just wish that I had been more aware when
I lived there and knew those now deceased people who were in on the
beginning.....

Do you know anything about the "great conflagration" that took most of
the town?
when did it happen?...how did it happen?
things like that....

Thanks again for your efforts and God speed....

Patrick O'Riley

To answer a few questions, people who belonged to Zion Lutheran Church of Ortley may be listed as members of Hope Lutheran Church of Summit, as Zion was formally merged with the Summit Church. Ortley Free Lutheran Church technically is an entirely new church founded in 1971, though in the hearts of many oldtimers it's the same Ortley Church as always.

Yes, Ortley was early known as "Sand Cut", and then as "Andersonville." In fact, legal descriptions of property in parts of the West side of Ortley still use the name "Andersonville"!

I've only heard bits and pieces about the "great conflagration." Anyone who knows about it, please let me know.

Below are small versions of his vintage Ortley pictures.

Thanks, Patrick and Keith, for dropping by!

Main Street, Ortley, SD, 1909




Another view of Main Street, 1909




Ortley Elementary School, c. 1911


By the way, Patrick also gives a link to a "sister city" of Ortley, Oregon, with a web page at
www.ghosttowns.com/states/or/ortley.html. He also mentions that there is an Ortley Beach, New Jersey.

1909 Ortley Business Directory

At www.rootsweb.com I found the 1909 Business Directory for Ortley! Notice that the original Ortley Optic is listed! The directory is below:

Oops, it looks like I have to get written permission before publishing it on this site. So, to view the directory, CLICK HERE. I'm hoping soon to be able to post the list directly on this site.

The link to the page where I found this info is ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/sd/roberts/business/ortl1909.txt.

The Ortley Optic is also listed as an "extinct Roberts County newspaper" at www.rootsweb.com/~sdrobert/newspapers.htm. But now it lives again!

Ortley Lutheran Church, then and now

Here is a historic picture of what was then called the "Norwegian Lutheran Church" in Ortley, not long after the building was built in about 1906, looking NE:



In comparison, here is the present church building of what is now Ortley Free Lutheran Church, photographed in 2002, looking SE:



For many years it was known as Zion Lutheran Church of Ortley, affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church, which eventually merged with The American Lutheran Church. It was in a parish with Summit, Lebanon, and Marvin churches. In the late 1960s it was officially merged with the church in Summit, but Ortley Free Lutheran Church was founded in 1971, purchased the church building from Hope Lutheran in Summit, and has been going strong since then.

A personal note - though my relatives belonged to Lebanon Lutheran Church south of Ortley, my grandfather Olaf (Bill) Peterson and his brother Henry were confirmed at Ortley, since it was the earliest of the area Norwegian Lutheran churches to adopt the English language. My uncle Arlo Peterson was also confirmed in Ortley.

Historical pictures, etc., are more than welcome on this site. Let me know if you have a scanned picture, or one I can scan and put on the site.

Clarification: People have asked if the old church picture was the Free Methodist Church building in the SW part of town. Nope, it's the same building as the current Ortley Free Lutheran Church! The annex wing on the North side of the building was built in the early to mid-1970s, along with the current entryway.

Community Calendar

Bingo!
First Saturday of each month, sponsored by Ortley VFW Post # 2733
Third Saturday of each month, sponsored by Ortley Senior Citizens, with bake sale.

7:00 PM, BJ's Hall, 123 Main Street, Ortley, 947-4300

April 10th Potluck
At BJ's Hall, 6:00 PM. Bring a dish to pass. Come one, come all!

Holy Week in Ortley

Easter is coming soon, and Ortley Free Lutheran Church is celebrating, along with its parish partner Egeland Lutheran Church south of Waubay.

Each church hosts a Palm Sunday brunch, Egeland after the 9:00 service on Sunday, March 20, and Ortley before the 11:00 service.

At 7:30 on Maundy Thursday evening, March 24, Egeland hosts a Christian Passover meal, in honor of the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with His disciples, which was a Passover meal.

On Friday at 7:30 PM, Ortley Church hosts the Good Friday service.

On Easter Sunday Morning, March 27, Ortley Free Lutheran has a "Sunrise service" at 8:00 AM, and Egeland Lutheran has their Easter Morning worship service at 10:00 AM.

All are welcome to these celebrations of our Crucified and Risen LORD Jesus Christ!

Restaurant review - BJ's Cafe

Locals as well as travellers on US Highway 12 should take note: great home-cooked food in a hometown atmosphere is available at BJ's Cafe, which opened in early December. Easy to find, it is located across Main Street from the Ortley Post Office, in a building which was a restaurant many years ago, and for years served as the local VFW post. The "B" and "J" in "BJ's" refer to sisters Barbara Witte and Jannis Palmer, who are partners in this venture.

A large wrap-around lunch counter is surrounded by tables for 2 or more around the perimeter of the dining area. Original paintings and local memorabilia adorn the walls, adding to the home-town feeling. Diners who sit at the lunch counter sit upon interesting stools made of old tractor seats, which are remarkably much more comfortable than they might look.

The menu features a full line of sandwiches, ranging from hamburgers to tuna salad, and some exceptional homemade soups, some including homemade noodles. Two of my favorites are the chicken with rice soup and the chili. The chili is available every day, and three other soup choices will be featured as well on any given day.

The cafe also boasts "breakfast served all day", and the pancakes are large and fluffy. Everyone should have a plate of their home fries, lightly fried potatoes with green peppers and onions.

In addition to the dining room, a spacious room called "BJ's Hall" offers much more space, and is available to rent for special events. It continues to be the home of the local VFW post's memorabilia, which adorns the walls.

Ortley is so small that many have gone by without noticing it, but this is truly a reason to take notice! Aberdonians and others, a dining experience filled with simple homespun goodness is available right on Highway 12, eight miles west of Interstate 29.

Upcoming election

Ortley will be having its first town election in many years on Tuesday, April 12, as two candidates have filed for the trustee position currently held by Darlene Olson. Olson is running for re-election, and her opponent is Barbara Witte.

Ortley voters will also be voting on a $7 million bond issue to build a new jail for Roberts County with a juvenile detention center. The current 32-cell jail was built in 1934.

In the weeks until the election, the Ortley Optic will bring you interviews with the candidates as well as more details on the bond issue. Detailed coverage of the bond issue may also be found at the Sisseton Courier's website at www.sissetoncourier.com.

Letters to the editor

To read letters to the editor, or to submit one of your own, simply click the word "comments" directly underneath this paragraph. You may also submit letters directly to me, or by mail or email.

Support Your Community

We have the United States Post Office where you can buy stamps, money orders, etc.

We have BJ's Cafe. A good meal to be had by all. A community center for potluck and meeting.

We have the Senior Citizen Center. Come and join us if you're 55 and older. Rental available.

A lot of us belong to RS&VP. Come join us, 55 and older. Three stations in Ortley.

Ortley Free Lutheran Church, God's home. Sundays 11:00 AM.

Althoff's Antiques. Buy something old.

Food Pantry for those in need.

We have a lot here. Support your community.

- Willis Palmer

Editor's note: Thanks for this contribution! We have more opportunities in this town than many realize. A reminder - all are welcome to submit news items, articles, etc., for the Ortley Optic. Thanks again for this submission.

Classified ads - March 9, 2005

To read the current classifieds, or to submit one of your own, simply click "comments" directly below, and follow the instructions for leaving a comment. It's totally free!

Community Bulletin Board - March 9, 2005

If you have a "community bulletin board" item, or something else to submit, simply click the word "comments" directly below, and follow the instructions for leaving a comment. You may also read the items on the bulletin board by clicking "comments" or clicking the time directly below this post.

An invitation to participate!

What's the purpose of this publication?
I'm starting this new online publication as a way of bringing our community together, and letting others know what's going on in the Town of Ortley. There are two good reasons why I decided to do this as an internet "blog" site. One is that it's totally free! There's no other way that so many people can read our town's news at such a low price. People near and far who are interested in Ortley can instantly log and and read the latest "news." The other is that this format is ideal for interactive participation. I invite anyone and everyone who would like to contribute articles, columns, pictures, and other news, to contact me by email, or by posting a comment on this site. Below each article entry is the word "comments". Just click the word "comments" to read comments that have been left, or to leave one of your own.
You may also bring items directly to me if you're in town, or mail them to P.O. Box 6, Ortley, SD 57256.

How often will a new "issue" come out?
I will try my utmost to come out with a new "issue" once a week, preferably on Tuesday, possibly on Wednesday. Occasionally there will be "extra" news items posted at other times. If there will be a week without a new "issue", I'll let you know ahead of time. In the meantime, previous "issues" will be available to read indefinitely, by clicking the "archive" links on the sidebar.

What will be the format?

There will be an entry with one or more "headline" news items, and other entries for columns, editorials, community bulletin boards, classifieds, etc. Each entry will have the "comments" link below it, so anyone who wants to comment or add to the story may do so.

What are the rules?

We want to encourage active participation, and give everyone the opportunity to volunteer, help, and voice his or her opinions freely. As the editor I reserve the privilege of editing or deleting any comments which are vulgar or otherwise offensive, entirely at my discretion. But I don't expect to have to do that much. This is the open forum of our community, an opportunity to exercise the privilege of free speech which is ours in this blessed land.

What if someone wants a printed copy?

The Ortley Optic Online will not be sending out any printed copies, as it could become very expensive to do so. But all are welcome to print copies and distribute them freely. If you want to print an individual article, just click the time of posting listed directly below the article. Up-to-date "issues" will occasionally be posted on bulletin boards in public places in the Town of Ortley.

Welcome to the Ortley Optic Online!

For years there was a newspaper in Ortley, South Dakota, called the Ortley Optic. Well, Ortley is still here, after nearly a century, and as we prepare for our town centennial in 2006, we are reviving the Optic as an online blog! Stay tuned for articles, columns, news items, and announcements of upcoming events!