Hermosa

President_Coolidge_Outside_of_Hermosa_Church.jpg

President and Mrs. Coolidge with Rolf Luim (far right) outside  of the Congregational Church in Hermosa.(Rapid City Public Library.)

The President and Mrs. Coolidge attended church services at the Congregational Church in Hermosa. Not only did the congregation get to enjoy the weekly visits from the Coolidge family and to get to know them on a more personal basis, they were also invited out to the State Game Lodge for a social, offering them a rare glimpse into the life of the president.

Of all those who met the president at the little Hermosa church, perhaps the one person who received the biggest impact was the young pastor Rolf Luim, a student from Carleton Seminary in Northfield, Minnesota, who spent the summer preaching to the President and Mrs. Coolidge. The blonde, 6-foot, 3-inches tall seminarian impressed the Coolidges with his sermons. The summer with the Coolidges in the congregation provided the young preacher with newfound prestige and a life-long story to tell. 

Hermosa