Decatur

In the Spearfish Lake Universe Decatur is a large town about 500 miles from Spearfish Lake.^AF26

In Chapter 1 of the book Susan it states that Decatur is 400 miles south of Spearfish Lake. Chapter 2 states that it's about eight hours of driving. Starting Late makes it clear that it is in a different state from Spearfish Lake -- i.e., not in Michigan.^SL13

Either way, this makes Decatur too far from Spearfish Lake for shopping or as an airport link or other occasion for a frequent mention, when compared to Camden. Decatur is most often referred to because of the name of the Decatur and Overland Railroad, which originally operated the rails in and around Spearfish Lake.

Decatur happened to be the home for John and Candice Archer from around 1995 until 2000. They owned a "too-expensive suburban tract house outside Decatur" while she worked for First Decatur Savings and Loan and he worked with Rotunda Systems. The story of how their jobs simultaneously went bad resulting in their move to Spearfish Lake is covered in the book Facing the Storm .

Decatur has one suburb town, Woodland Park, which was on the far side of town from the Archers'.

Henry McMahon and Cindy deLine were living in Decatur in 2007. Henry was working as a field reporter for an un-named local television station.^SL1

Shannon Gravengood lived in Decatur with her daughters Rebecca (Becca) and Brianna (Bree) at the time of her death. Her daughters spent a couple of nights with Henry and Cindy before Mark and Jackie Gravengood took them to Spearfish Lake to live.^SL1

Joe Krebsbach was a Spearfish Lake Vietnam Vet "until Joe got a job offer down in Decatur that was just too good to pass up."^AF14 Joe drove back to town when Henry Toivo was finally laid to rest.^AF52

In 2017 Becca Gravengood was teaching English at the school she had previously attended in Decatur.^RFW42

Schools

• Shelby Elementary School where Shay and Cody Archer attended.^FtS20
• Valley Christian Academy: an expensive religious school.^FtS4
• County Day School: a very expensive private school.^FtS12
• Hopkins Middle School: a public school in a rough neighborhood.^FtS11

Health

One hospital known in the town is Decatur Metropolitan.^HP30

News

A major paper in town was the Decatur News, which did carry stories of the Spearfish Lake Girl's Basketball reaching the State Semi-finals.^SQ15

Real World Notes

There are over 45 communities in the United States named "Decatur", most of which are named for Stephen Decatur, a U.S. Naval officer at the turn of the 19th century. One of the best known of these is in Alabama, near Huntsville, plus Georgia has a county as well as a city named Decatur. Five different U.S. Navy ships have been named the USS Decatur in his honor. Also, Stephen Decatur's home in Washington, D.C. is now a museum owned by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.