The Historic Meeker Ranch nestled in the Black Hills near Custer has been vandalized. Michael Engelhart is a District Archeologist with the Black Hills National Forest. He says the damage came earlier this summer.
“Virtually every window on the lower end upper floor had been damaged to some extent. Several of the panes been knocked out, windows have been damaged, the interiors been rooted around in. You could tell there was somebody in there looking for some stuff that they didn’t really find. We didn’t really have any artifacts stored out there of any monetary value, but we do have all that window damage is quite extensive and it’s pretty much every single window on the structure now needs repair,” says Engelhart.
Engelhart says the damage came to the Meeker house and not the cabin. He says they were close to ending their restoration efforts on the cabin. He adds the estimated damages are $12,000. The Black Hills Historical Preservation Trust Fund is issuing a $500 reward for information on those responsible.