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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

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.

Digital Images of “Indians of North America, Prisoners of War Series”, Chilson Collection (https://explore.digitalsd.org/digital/collection/chilson/search/searchterm/Bailey%2C%20Dix%20%26%20Mead/field/contra/mode/exact/conn/and/page/1 William Richard (W. R.) Cross was born in Vermont in 1839. He learned photography from his brother Daniel Cross who was a Union Civil War photographer. In 1867, W. R. Cross moved to Omaha, Nebraska, and married Jennie Church. Subsequently, they

The Chilson Collection started with Herman Chilson’s donation to the I. D. Weeks Library. Since then, it has more than tripled in size. Its contents contain a treasure of books, maps, and images associate with Western America material.

On June 16, 2025, Dorothy Neuhaus passed away at the age of 101 years. Before coming to Vermillion, Dorothy was a scientist who had received a master’s degree in biochemistry from the University of Michigan. In 1966, Dorthy came to Vermillion with her husband, Otto Neuhaus, Ph.D. who was chair of the Department of Biochemistry […]

The Special Olympics, created in 1968, provides year-round sports training and athletic competition for special needs children and adults. The program was originally sponsored by the Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Foundation. Accreditation of programs in the United States was authorized by the founder of the Special Olympics, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, sister of Rose Kennedy who […]

The Armory, now called the Belbas Center, was the first indoor athletic building constructed in 1905 at the University of South Dakota (USD) where enrollment was 450 students. Aside from being a venue for military sciences, athletics, and physical education, it served as a place for social activities. Twenty-four years later a building was built […]

The year 1972 marked the 83rd year of football at USD and the 50th anniversary of the North Central conference (NCC). The last time USD football won the NCC championship was in 1951. A combination of an impressive and talented football team and excellent coaching under head coach Joe Salem, winner the District Six Coach […]

Beatrice Chaffee was the first and only woman chair of the Department of Music at the University of South Dakota (USD). Her background was in music education. Ms. Chaffee taught music and choir to K-12 grades in schools in Pennsylvania, Iowa and South Dakota. In 1961 she received her Master of Music Degree from USD […]

By 1970, at the University of South Dakota (USD), Upward Bound and Special Services helped promising high school Native students prepare for college, and once in college, lent them cultural and academical support. In addition, student led clubs, such as the Wapaha Club, started in 1957, and later the Tiospaye Student Council, became advocates for […]

In the summer of 1970 revered and highly respected traditional Oglala Sioux Teton chief, civic leader, and healer, Andrew Frank Fools Crow (circa 1890-1989) visited the University of South Dakota (USD) and met with students in the Upward Bound program. The purpose of the Upward Bound Program, started in 1966 at USD under the Institute […]

At the end of 1969 Usher Abell stepped down as Chair of the Department of Music at the University of South Dakota (USD), a position he held since 1952. Abell was a well-respected, talented violinist, director of the USD orchestra, and teacher of string instruments promoting music education locally and nationally. Usher Abell, Agnes Ringley, […]

In 1964, the University of South Dakota (USD) student newspaper, the Volante and the Vermillion Plain Talk mentioned USD Rodeo Club activities several times. That March the club signed a contract for livestock for the upcoming fourth annual intercollegiate rodeo held in Vermillion on May 2nd and 3rd. Events those two days included a parade, […]

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 […]

In the summer of 1959, the W. H. Over Museum, founded in 1883, was situated in the basement of Slagle Hall., Dr. Wesley Hurt, director of the museum was also an associate professor of anthropology at the University of South Dakota. In 1957, according to the newsletter: Museum News (Vol 18 #7, part of the Chilson […]

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 […]

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 […]

In the late 1900s to the mid-twentieth century tuberculosis (TB) increased the morbidity and mortality of South Dakota residents especially those confined to asylums, hospitals, and reservations. A marked decrease in cases and deaths occurred by isolating TB patients in sanatoria, better diagnosis methods, and with the advent of chemotherapy agents by the late 1950s. […]

According to Herbert Schell’s book Clay County: Chapters Out of the Past, Chapter 15, and review of Coyote Yearbooks from the early 20th century, University of South Dakota (USD) men’s athletics boasted early on Base Ball, Track and Football teams. Little was mentioned regarding athletics among women students. Basketball at the University of South Dakota […]

While working on the University of South Dakota (USD) Photograph Collection: Historical Series, I noted an image of a house labelled Home Management House. With some research, I discovered that the Home Management House was used as part of the Home Economics curriculum from 1957 through the spring semester of 1966 for senior level students. […]