Prairie Memories

About the Book

The following stories were written by Gail Cunningham Scheele and tell of her life growing up on the prairie of South Dakota. The story-telling started when a friend’s daughter asked if she had any good stories about her and her mother growing up together. Her mother had just passed away, and any story would be a comfort to her. After writing a few stories for her, Gail thought maybe she would write a few more to hand down to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She didn’t know if they would be interested but thought it would be good for them to know what life was like when she was growing up and how different it was from their lives today. Gail spent the last few years of her life writing and rewriting her stories even though her eye sight was failing due to macular degeneration.

About the Author

Gail Cunningham Scheele was born December 4, 1916, in Castlewood, South Dakota, to Ida Johnson and Clinton Cunningham. When she was six years old, the family, now including a brother, Clayton, moved to a farm near Onida, South Dakota. She graduated from Onida High School and went on to attend Northern State Teachers College in Aberdeen, South Dakota. Although art was her real passion, she graduated with a two year teaching degree. She taught for two years at a one-room country school. She was married to her college sweetheart, Henry Scheele, for sixty-eight years. They had four children and lived in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She was known for her garage sales, both as a buyer and seller, her collections, especially dolls, and her love of family history. Prairie Memories reflects this interest and Gail’s desire to keep the stories “alive” for all of us.