Church Founder: RY Pollock
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In 1883, Mr. Robert Young Pollock began holding worship services at LaGrace,
Dakota Territory on the Missouri River. Mr. R. Y. Pollock had been ordained an
elder in the Presbyterian Church prior to his coming to Dakota Territory.
The First Presbyterian Church of LaGrace, Dakota Territory, was organized on
May 2, 1886. There were ten charter members of the Church if one includes
the Pastor as one of the ten. This was indeed the day of small things, but
the Lord would richly bless in His good time.
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Just to put the financial picture of those days in perspective, in 1889 the
Church was having difficulty meeting the Pastor’s salary which at that time was
$80.80 annually. $48.23 had been paid, plus a $2 bill paid for firewood, which
left $.81 in the treasury. The members were $32.57 short of their obligations
toward the Pastor’s salary at the close of the financial year.
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During the next decade, the survival of the congregation would require faith
and sacrificial labor. From 1890-1900 there was no regular minister serving the
Church. The other elder at the First Presbyterian Church moved back to Chicago.
The church depended upon R. Y. Pollock to carry out many of the pastoral duties
at this time.
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When the railroad came to this part of the country, the branch line ended
northeast of LaGrace. A new town came into being at that location. This new
town was named Pollock after R.Y. Pollock. The inhabitants of LaGrace came to
Pollock and LaGrace became a ghost town. R.Y. Pollock died January 25, 1911.
In 1925 the name of the First Presbyterian Church was officially changed to
Pollock Memorial Presbyterian Church.
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The town of Pollock was moved to a new site in 1955-1956 when the Oahe Dam was
built on the Missouri River near Pierre, South Dakota. The congregation worships
in a church structure that was built at this time and dedicated in 1956.
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The statistics also tell a story. The church has been served by 26 pastors,
48 elders, and 126 deacons. Over 1000 people have been part of the membership
roll over the past 117 years. The Presbyterian Church is one of two Protestant
churches in this little town of less than 400 people. The congregation has been
affiliated with the Presbyterian Church in America since 1981.
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