Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-06-18
PRESIDENT TO HEAR
STUDENT PASTOR.
CoIIegian of 20 Serves Black
Hills Church-Herm0Sa
Is Interesting.
By Consolidated Press.

By Consolidated Press.
HERMOSA, S. Oak, June 1S.-
Rolf Lium knows that miracles still
happen. A week ago Rolf was
Junior, ma ;oring in biology at Carleton
College, Mortified, MINI. Today he
is thrilled as never before in his life.
For tomorrow he is to serve as pastor
to the President Of the United States
and Mrs. Coolidge.
Before 1 had heard Of this had
written my sermon on why We
Should Have a Church, he conflded
to the writer still it just doesn't
seem possible that the President can
be coming to the church and 1 can't
help thinking that he will go to the
big Congregational Church at Rapid
City. But if he does come / think
he will understand if l give the
sermon I had planned"
Is Only 20.
Rolf is only 20, and he hopes to
become a doctor and then medicinal
missionary. His father, who was
pastor, is dead. His mother had want
ed him to go into church work this
Summer, so several months ago Rolf
asked the Congregational Missionary
Society for a paStorate, preferably in
the Black Hills. The little mission
church at Hermosa had been without
minister for some time, too small to
maintain a regular worker in the tiny
white building just off the old Dead
wood-Sydney stage road on the way
to the game lodge.
"But is it really true that Mr.. Cool
idge is coming?" he asked. II Just
can't believe it YETI
He was assured that the President
had expressed his intention of at
tending his little frontier mission Con-
gregational Church for his first Sun.
day worship in the Hills.
Smiled at Church.
ct noticed as 1 stood in the church
door Friday watching President and
Mrs. Coolidge pass on their way to
Rapid City, that he waved his hand
at the church and smiled, but YOU
know I've never delivered a sermon
IN my life before, and all this seems
like dream. Still if the President
does come it will be a wonderful
thing for the church and for the COM
munity."
Rolf is pleasant, modest young
man, tall and good looking. Beside
his college work, he has engaged in
debating and played in the school
band. His home has been at North. |
neld and his mother is there now.
. Today he is staying at the Charles |
Saman ranch, a distance out of Her
mosa. He is to remain in the pas |
torate until September l, before re- |
turning to school. And during that |
time, this interesting young man may |
often be honored by the presence of |
the Nations Chief Executive. Such |
an honor, he said, had been farthest |
from his mind when he decided to |
come here months ago.
Hermosa Is Interesting.
Not only is the new pastor interest. |
Ing, but Hermosa itself has a quaint |
frontier history that reads like a |
story book tale.
Before the railroad came here in |
1885, the little hamlet had been
known as Battle Creek, stage sta |
tlon on the Deadwood-Syd trail. |
1t was a frontier cow town-the
meeting place of cowboys from miles
and miles around.
For nearly 40 years the little town
cnurcn mas struggled along with the
aid of the missionary society. The
New Englanders who made up most
OF the original population supported |
their house of worship as best thew |
could, but always the district has
been sparsely inhabited.
:. Here it was, too, that MANY ENG. |
isn dude ranchers" came in the old |
Gays. Pups" they were called bv |
the cowboys. They We're remittance |
men, second and third sons of English |
Iiopllty, OF no use at home, who were
shipped out into the wilderness to he |
showed out of the way.
Pioneer to Attend.
The old Deadwood stage wouId
rumble up daily to change horses for
the last stretch up the hills to the
mining camp. Only a short way down
the trail which the President is
travelling almost daily, the coach was
held up in the old Wild West DAYS.
kennett Harris, well known novelist,
has pictured this frontier settlement
and its characters in his "Mr.
Stegg" stories. Hermosa then was
"Hermosilla."
A distinguished attendant at the
church with President Coolidge to-
morrow will be Mayor George Kimball
of Hermosa, now "A, who was a mem
Der of the original Collins Russell
outfit, the first to enter he hills back
in 1875.
II hope to be able to have Sunday
school soon, and would like to develop
a Bible class, too, before the Summer
IS over" Rolf concluded.
maybe il the President comes that
will help"
1t should help, and young Rolf de-
serves to succeed.