In the fall of 1966, a Sturgis couple confined their pet cat after it was injured in a fight with a skunk. Mr. and Mrs. Durward Doering kept the animal penned for two weeks. When it showed no apparent signs of rabies, they released it. The apparent recovery did not last.
The cat later became vicious and reportedly scratched both owners. It was killed and sent to the state laboratory, which confirmed rabies. By October 17, the Doerings were undergoing a series of anti-rabies shots. Around the same period, a rabid skunk had been killed in a downtown residential area. The surviving newspaper account does not establish whether that skunk was involved in the fight with the cat.
These were not the only reported cases. On October 17, 1966, the Sturgis City Council declared a rabies epidemic, authorized nighttime confinement of dogs and cats, and empowered police to destroy dogs, cats, and skunks found running loose after dark. Almost exactly four years later, the council would take nearly the same action again.
The concern predated the emergency
Rabies had occupied city officials long before the fall of 1966. On July 6, 1954, Dr. W. E. Jones appeared before the council to discuss compulsory vaccination of animals. He introduced a second speaker, identified in the minutes as Dr. Bakki, who spoke about rabies in warm-blooded animals. The minutes do not record a resulting ordinance that evening.
Jones returned on February 13, 1961, recommending that dogs be vaccinated every two years and that the city enact a requirement. The council referred the proposal to the city attorney. Ordinance No. 318 passed on March 6, requiring vaccination at least once every two years for dogs kept in Sturgis or within one mile of the city. A veterinarian’s certificate was necessary to obtain a dog license. Violations could carry a fine of up to $100, thirty days in jail, or both.
On August 22, 1966, the council authorized a dog-and-cat rabies vaccination clinic at the police station for August 27. The fee was $2 for dogs and $1 for cats. The timing was close to the cases reported that fall, but the minutes do not say the council organized the clinic in response to those particular cases.
Seven o’clock at the Kozy Kitchen
On Monday, October 17, the council met at 7:00 a.m. in the Kozy Kitchen Cafe. Mayor Francis Langin presided. The resolution before the council stated that enough cases of rabies had been reported in dogs, skunks, and cats to constitute an existing epidemic.
The council declared that “an epidemic of rabies exists in the city of Sturgis” and authorized the mayor to issue a proclamation requiring dogs and cats to be “tied up, penned or caged from the commencement of darkness” until daylight the following day. During those hours, police officers were authorized to destroy dogs, cats, and skunks found running at large.
Councilman Stell moved the resolution, Pfleger seconded it, and all six council members voted yes. The measure was to take effect immediately upon publication. The mayor was directed to publish a warning and could lift the destruction authorization when he judged the emergency over.
The Rapid City Journal reported the decision that day under the headline “Sturgis Council Enforces Ban On All Animals.” That headline should not be mistaken for the legal substance. Sturgis did not ban pet ownership. The council authorized nighttime confinement and destruction of specified animals roaming during those hours. The resolution also does not state how many animals, if any, were subsequently destroyed.
The timing was striking: Halloween was only two weeks away. But no evidence shows the holiday influenced the council’s decision or that any Halloween-related incident occurred.
The city continued vaccinating
After the October emergency, the council continued to support vaccination. On April 17, 1967, it approved a clinic for April 22 at the City Fire Station, with Dr. James Martin and Dr. Gene Wheeler in charge. The fees remained $2 for dogs and $1 for cats. The available minutes do not identify when the 1966 emergency restrictions ended.
Another declaration in 1970
On October 5, 1970, the council met at City Hall at 7:30 p.m. under Mayor Joe Egger. It again declared an epidemic, citing several cases of rabies in dogs, cats, and skunks. This resolution added a pointed explanation: the epidemic threatened the lives and health of residents, “particularly children.”
The operative measures closely followed those of 1966. The mayor was authorized to proclaim nighttime confinement of dogs and cats; police were authorized to destroy dogs, cats, and skunks roaming during those hours; and the mayor could lift the order when he judged the emergency over. Printz introduced the resolution, Doeden seconded it, and the six council members voted unanimously.
The reference to children shows what the council chose to emphasize. It does not prove that a child had been bitten or infected. Unlike the 1966 episode, the surviving research has not identified the specific incidents behind the 1970 resolution.
What remains unknown
The city council minutes tell us when both emergencies were declared and what the council authorized. The Rapid City Journal adds the human story of the Doerings and their cat. But the record does not give a total case count, an animal-destruction tally, or a date when either emergency ended. The resolutions left the decision to lift the measures to the mayor; another council vote was not required.
The story nevertheless has a clear place in local history. Years of discussion about vaccination preceded the 1966 emergency, and a second declaration followed in 1970. Behind the council language was a frightening household incident, and behind the restrictions was a community confronting a potentially deadly disease. The history of Sturgis is not only its most celebrated events. It is also found in the decisions made when an ordinary problem became an emergency.
Sources and research note
Sturgis City Council Minutes: July 6, 1954, p. 1; February 13, 1961, p. 3; March 6, 1961, p. 3 (Ordinance No. 318); August 22, 1966, p. 2; October 17, 1966, p. 2; April 17, 1967, p. 1; October 5, 1970, p. 4.
Rapid City Journal, October 17, 1966, p. 13, “Sturgis Council Enforces Ban On All Animals.”