Charles Griffin St. John who was a former resident of the Town of La Fayette came to Sparta now a guest of Mr. Frank Bacon here. Mr. St John lived in La Fayette 47 years ago. His father was Levi St. John who kept the "Half-Way House" near the La Fayette Cemetery. (Believe this was a house that people stopped and stayed awhile while between towns)
Levi St John was the first settler in La Fayette, coming in 1854. The family moved to Clear Lake ,South Dakota 47 years ago. Charles or Griffin, as he was called was a young member of the family of nine children. Some of his schoolmates were Bernard Mulrennin, the Rowan and Barry boys in those days.
Griffin St. John was State Superintendent of Schools in South Dakota for several years. Now in Minneapolis he is working with Carpenter Travel Bureau. Since this was his first visit in nearly 50 years, he found the town had changed a lot.Info from Sparta Herald June 1930--MERI