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The archivist and the staff of the Archives and Special Collections write guides to our collections, papers, and records called finding aids. These are the finding aids we finished during October, November, and December 2023: Cathy Beard Correspondence with Linda Hasselstrom Beresford Train Depot records Tom Brokaw papers Bulow House records John Davidson Missouri River […]

Our bugs are symbols of a US presidential campaign and/or a federal monetary policy. Do you know which one? Check out the political ephemera in papers we have from various politicians. They often highlight issues important at that time.

The experiences and education offered by University of South Dakota (USD) provided springboards for hundreds of students to achieve world class accomplishments. One such student who took full advantage of USD was Ken Adlam Bode, from Hawarden, Iowa. According to the Coyote yearbook Bode attended USD majored in political science and philosophy, and graduated in […]

Bobby Penn graduated with a BFA from the University of South Dakota in 1974. While at USD and after his graduation, Penn worked as an art instructor and illustrator. Beginning in 1986, he pursued his painting career full-time. Penn lived and worked in Vermillion, South Dakota until his death in 1999. Penn’s work is in […]

If you have wondered what it is like to work in an archive, here is an opportunity to do one of our common tasks, which is researching for dates of undated material. Help us research when the attached maps were made. One way to assign dates to the maps would be to read an USD […]

One of DP’s favorite items in the Archives and Special Collections is this oblique map of South Dakota. It is a favorite because geographical information expressed in this slanted or skewed method is less common than a vertical overhead view, especially before computer mapping software. The map title is Physical Features State of South Dakota. […]

The University of South Dakota (USD) Photography Collections contains hundreds of images depicting floats, bands, celebrities, politicians, and USD presidents during Dakota Day parades. In the 1950s elaborate Dakota Day floats constructed by fraternities, sororities, independent student groups, and clubs took considerable effort to build and used that year’s theme to convey a message, usually […]

Contact the Archives and Special Collections to read this entire poem about a hummingbird by Milford E. Shields in Lakota (translation by Wallace Little Finger), English, and an unidentified language. Poem from collection Milford E. Shields, “The Hummingbird”.

Some events are listed in this flyer from the Archives and Special Collection’s folder on the South Dakota State Fair.

The Archives and Special Collections recently received buttons (or pins) related to this event. For the full story of how Southern State College became the University of South Dakota/Springfield, and then a state minimum-security prison, consult the William J. Janklow papers at the Archives and Special Collections and read “Closing Time: A Twenty-Five-Year Retrospective On […]

Is the figure chemistry related? The building was finished in 1915 and in 1957-1958, the building was repaired after a fire. It is now called the Pardee Estee Laboratory, and its current entrance features a chemistry-themed tile mural on the wall above the door. USD Photograph Collection contains many images of buildings on campus. These […]

“This book was created by the participants of the Oscar Howe Summer Art Institute held at the University of South Dakota in June 2004. This is number 17 of an edition of 24.” It contains fourteen b&w 14 x 14 cm linoleum prints. Its call number is SPECIAL BOOKS N7433.35 .U6 2004.

Images are from the South Dakota State Fair Collection, Archives and Special Collections, University of South Dakota. Also in this collection is a list of the 1923 Women’s Building events at the fair. The National Archives sponsors #ArchivesHashtagParty once a month, and July’s topic is #ArchivesVacay. They invite archives to submit information about summer vacation […]

The Shakespeare Garden, located in front of the Pardee-Estee Laboratories building at the University of South Dakota (USD), originally featured every flower, herb, and shrub mentioned in Shakespeare’s works, everything from columbine to wormwood. The USD Emeritus Club dedicated the Shakespeare Garden on April 23 (Shakespeare’s observed birthday), 1988. Over time, the original plants were […]

This sports extravaganza was held from June 22 to July 6, 1919, near Paris, France for the officers and men who had been in the Allied armies in WWI. They competed in 19 events in the Pershing Stadium and 4 events outside of the stadium. Special events for the military forces still occupying German territory […]

Caption on photograph is “Ben shooting the V.R. [Vermillion River] rapids. Image from University of South Dakota Photograph Collection and Digital Library of South Dakota. Identifier PO5878.

This collection is mainly correspondence about the Academy’s 1928-1930 annual meetings. The letters and programs make a stack of papers about an inch thick. This is one of the most fun collections I have processed. Members are so excited to tell each other what is new in science. At their 1928 banquet, they saw a […]

Several items from the 1893 Columbian World’s Fair South Dakota Building are at the University of South Dakota, but not the very large visitor’s register. The photograph is from South Dakota at the World’s Fair. The Commission, 1894. The book with this photograph and other books about world fairs and expositions are in the Archives […]

William H. Thomas was born on August 1, 1877, at Dodgeville, WI. He enlisted in the 1st South Dakota Volunteer Infantry Company C on May 14, 1898, at Yankton, SD as a private, and he mustered out on October 5, 1899, at the Presidio, San Francisco, CA. His military papers state that he lived in […]