“Two Brothers”
(Note: any text in italics has been taken from the official SDSHS records.)
Marker Text
A grove of tall, stately pine trees two miles north of this marker whisper the tale of two Dakota Indian brothers, Clarence and Joseph Grey, who died in an early winter snowstorm in November 1958, while trapping along the coteau. Their bodies were found the following spring under snowdrifts in the evergreen trees.
Clarence Grey was born February 10, 1918, and Joseph Grey was born August 31, 1921. Their parents were Andrew and Lilly Grey. Having grown up near Grey Lake, the brothers were expert fisherman, hunters, and trappers, just as their Dakota relatives had been for centuries.
Joseph was also a World War II veteran, having received the Purple Heart for serious battle injuries.
Friends and neighbors of the deceased brothers say that when the winter winds blow through the pine trees, they can hear the Grey brother singing hymns in the Dakota language. Maybe it is a reminder to travelers to be prepared for treacherous blizzards in this area.
Sponsored by the Heritage Museum of Roberts County and the South Dakota Department of Transportation 1998
Location
Roberts County, 6 miles west of Sisseton on Hwy 10