If you find yourself driving on Highway 212 in eastern South Dakota you may see a sign along the road directing you to "Little Fellow's Grave".  The grave is located about 6 miles east of the town of Clark, SD.  I have driven past it many times and didn't know what the story was behind it.  For years I assumed it was the grave of an Indian.  I had always meant to check it out, but never did for one reason or another.  Finally, my curiousity got the best of me and I did a little research.

As settlers came to South Dakota, railroad tracks sprang up across the state.  A work train would regularly pass by the small village of Elrod.  At a nearby homestead there was a small boy who was facinated by trains.  Each day he would run over by the tracks to watch the train go by.  He would always smile and wave at the workers on the train.  The engineer and others on the train always smiled and returned the greeting heartily.

Then the boy suddenly stopped coming out to meet the train.  The train workers stopped at the homestead one day to inquire about the small smiling boy.  They were told that he had taken ill and had died.  They were shown the tiny grave by the boy's parents.

The boy's parents had to move away.  The men from the train offered to look after the grave and keep it in good order.  The offer of tending the gravesite was passed down from train crew to train crew.  When passenger service began, those on the train would watch as the crew would lay flowers on the grave and say a short prayer.

This was kept up until passenger service was discontinued in 1950.  A freight train crew kept the tradition going for a few years.  In 1953, the Rotary Club of Clark held the first Memorial Day service at Little Fellow's grave.  The ceremony continues to this day.

The sign and grave are located on the north side of Highway 212, 6 miles east of Clark.