All Posts

Financial struggles between state and federal government are nothing new as both groups try to shift economic burdens onto the other but these struggles often left citizens in a bind, especially regarding payments. In the 19th Century, militias were often formed in response to periods of heightened tensions (perceived or real) between American settlers and their American Indian neighbors. Governments or individuals formed these militias with promises of payment at the end of

This blog describes life of a young person as a rancher and teacher in Tripp and Gregory Counties in the first quarter of the twentieth century. These were changing times in South Dakota involving settlers and indigenous peoples.

This blog cites information about Carl Cornell who was interviewed as part of the South Dakota Oral History Project.

History: The Young Citizens League chapters were established in grade schools to teach democratic principles and provide children opportunities for self-determination. The first chapter was established in 1910 in Brown County, South Dakota. By 1941, YCL had 7,500 chapters in South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, and Colorado. The first South Dakota State Convention was held in Pierre on April 25, 1927. In March 1971, the South Dakota State Steering Committee decided to disco

These handwritten diaries document Blair’s senior year (1890-1891) at the University of South Dakota and are set mainly in Vermillion and Elk Point, South Dakota. The collection also includes one copy of the Volante from June 15, 1891. This Volante issue covers a tumultuous time at the University and has one article by Blair.

This blog presents information about Institute of American Indian Studies Photograph Collection . Photographs range from the late 1880s to 2004 associated with IAIS directors, activities and Native American leaders.

Archives and special collections have long connected users with the raw materials of our history. Researchers visiting our reading rooms encounter the past one page, photograph, and reel at a time. With collections so important to our cultural heritage, history, and future, we’ve been asking: How can university libraries expand access to these materials, help users understand them, and prepare the next generation of scholars and professionals? When the University of South Dak

A university archival reading room evokes a familiar atmosphere: a quiet space filled with the soft sound of old papers rustling as a researcher combs through a treasured collection. The faint scent of aging paper and vanillin drifts through the air as documents are gently turned. Nearby, rows of carefully arranged archival boxes sit on carts, each holding the promise of discovery. Nearby, archivists are training interns in archival processing, and an emeritus professor is a

For the 250th birthday celebration of the United States of America, we are resharing this wonderful 2014 blog post by Archives and Special Collections' employee Abigail Proehl about our music book collection: American History in the Mahoney Music Collection This week we celebrate the birth of our nation, with this Friday marking the 238th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Throughout those two centuries, music has played a key role in shaping our American culture

The Archives and Special Collections has a 1937 atlas by the Clay County Planning Board. It depicts the county after the stock market crash of 1929 and during the Great Depression. The maps show parcels of land owned by private individuals, the Federal Land Bank, other banks, insurance companies, land associations, etc. "The Clay County Farm Ownership Atlas was sponsored by the Clay County Planning Board. The work of securing the data, drafting, blue printing, and all clerica

The Archives and Special Collections has a compilation (i.e. bill book) of South Dakota Legislature House Bills from 1890. D. M. Inman’s signature is on the first page. South Dakota became a state in 1889, and the state's first session of the legislative assembly met in 1890. Darwin M. Inman (1838-1913) was a businessman, politician and educator from Vermillion. He served as a representative from Clay County to Dakota Territory and South Dakota Legislature in 1877-1878, 1881-

I find my joy browsing the library stacks. This month, I looked for books with fore-edge printing and fore-edge painting. These are methods of applying images to the edges of book pages. Sometimes the image is visible when the book is closed, and sometimes the image is only visible when the pages are fanned. Fore-edge is the edge of a book opposite the spine or the bound edge. I found fore-edge printing on a few art books and science fiction books in the I.D. Weeks Library, b

A library book that is 50+ years overdue is a common trope in books and movies. Though it is not common here, the library recently (and happily) received an overdue book that was checked out for 56 years. This image of the check-out slip for the overdue book shows that it was checked out in 1970. Guinness world record for the most years that a returned library book had been overdue is 288 years.

In an article published in South Dakota History on December 27, 1989, Governor George S. Mickelson reflected on the first hundred years of South Dakota as a State. Governor Mickelson remarked that President Benjamin Harrison signed proclamations in 1889 forming four states: South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, and Washington. To commemorate the 100th birthday of South Dakota, the South Dakota Centennial Commission created a vision for grass roots, volunteer-directed groups o

"Seven leaves of the first edition of the King James Bible which was published in 1611 and is the most famous of Bibles in the English language, have been given to the University by Alfred A. Frantz, ’26-’27 of New York City. The leaves comprise the book of Ecclesiastes, or the Preacher and the Song of Solomon both from the Old Testament. The individual pages are 11 inches by 16 inches and are printed in two columns, each wider than two columns of newspaper print. Their paper

Vermillion and vicinity - RD12124 - USD - Richardson Collection - Digital Library of South Dakota (DLSD) In late March to early April of 1881, catastrophe struck Vermillion, Dakota Territory then located on a peninsula between the Vermillion and Missouri Rivers. Large ice floes and heavy snow melts destroyed three-quarters of the city. In addition, the flood caused the Missouri River and Vermillion River to change their courses dramatically. Vermillion was no longer a river t

Frank Blair kept this diary while he was a student at the University of Dakota (later called the University of South Dakota) from 1887 to 1891.

Finding aids finished during 2025: Shane Balkowitsch Ambrotypes Robert Blachnik photographs Rex Butler Collection of Henry and Frank H. Butler photographs Lea Rosson DeLong papers on Wilber M. Stilwell Dephane Hammond papers Nikki Heidepriem collection on Edith and Margaret Reeves Gilbert Monell Hitchcock papers Richard Holm notebook Arthur Leslie Keith papers Henry Langford Loucks papers Albert J. Maag papers Department of Psychology Richardson Phonograph collection Gretchen

This is an image of Dr. Karl Wegner and Dean John Day flanking a bronze bust of Governor Peter Norbeck. The bust was part of the USD Art Collection and is located in Old Main, room 118.

The drawings show Old Main, East Hall, Law Building (currently the Arts & Sciences Building), Library (currently the National Music Museum), New Armory (currently the Al Neuharth Media Center), Old Armory (currently the Belbas Center), and Slagel Auditorium (currently the Aalfs Auditorium). Included in this post is a drawing of the Old Armory. Call number […]