The Royal Harders diary was recently added to the Chilson Collection in the Archives and Special Collections. Royal grew up close to Mission Hill (SD). In his diary, he describes his daily activities while in military training in the United States during World War II. Citation for the diary is: Harders, Royal. Royal Harders Diary. USD Archives and Special Collections, 1945. The call number is Chilson CC2025.02.

The following is a personal recollection by Dephane Hammond about a WWI fund-raising event that she attended in 1918 while she was teaching high school students in Salem, South Dakota. “We had been in session only a little while and one day they unloaded a small tank with a couple of soldiers to get people to buy liberty bonds. One of the soldiers asked Sheryl, the other high school teacher, and I if we would like a ride in the tank. We went and what a ride we had, he took us down the bank, across a small creek, then up the other side and knocked down a good-sized tree. Boy did we have a bumpy ride and we were glad to get out but at least I can say I had a ride in a tank”. The quote and image are from the Dephane Hammond papers, which are a part of the Richardson Collection in the Archives and Special Collections. There are many personal recollections, interviews, and diaries in the Archives and Special Collections. For even more interviews and oral histories, contact our neighbor in the library, the South Dakota Oral History Center.

The Archives and Special Collections recently wrote finding aids for our two sets of phonograph albums, the Richardson Phonograph Collection and the USD Phonograph Collection. Most of these are 12-inch, 33 1/3 rpm vinyl disks, though a few other sizes, rpms, or materials are present. The Richardson Phonograph Collection consists of albums by South Dakota musicians. My favorite is Ballroom Dancing by the Harry Eisele Orchestra. Mr. Eisele was from Redfield, SD and had a long career in music. He played for the inaugurations of two governors, was a member of the South Dakota Musicians Hall of Fame, and was appointed as an ambassador for South Dakota The USD Phonograph Collection consists of albums by the University of South Dakota musicians. Many of these recordings are of the University Choir & Madrigal Chamber Singers. A few non-musical recordings are also present, including 16-inch disks with Monk Johnson’s sportscasts which played on the college radio station. Information about Harry Eisele from his obituary (Legacy.com, accessed 09/10/2025, https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/legacyremembers/harry-eisele-memorial?id=50851095).

To honor Indigenous traditions, languages and stories during Native American Heritage Month, we are highlighting Dakota and Lakota language classes at the University of South Dakota. The newsletter of the Institute of Indian Studies recounts, “There is an interesting story behind the development of the course. It started as a topic introduced from the floor at the Annual Conference on Indian Affairs sponsored jointly by the United Sioux Tribes and the Institute of Indian Studies in October 1966. The course was not offered at any other university” (The University of South Dakota Bulletin. Institute of Indian Studies, 1972 May, page 1). Dakota language classes first appear in the USD Catalog in 1972 under the Sociology Department, Anthropology Program. In the 1976 USD Catalog, the courses move to the Modern Languages Department and are listed as Lakota courses. The newsletters of the Institute of Indian Studies (later called the Institute of American Indian Studies) are in the Digital Library of South Dakota under the title News Reports. The USD Catalogs are part of the USD Archives in the Archives and Special Collections. Please contact us if you have information to share about the history of Dakota and Lakota language instruction at the University of South Dakota or in Vermillion. One rumor that I would like to track down is that Lakota Language was taught in a Vermillion grade school before it was taught at the University.

In the 2000s, the USD Alumni Association offered Christmas ornaments based on University of South Dakota buildings. In alumni publications found in the USD Archives, I found advertisements for ornaments for Old Main, Belbas Center, Neuharth Center, East Hall, Inman House, and the Old Law School. Do you know of others? The Archives and Special Collections will be closed on December 24, 25, and 26.

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 Gall Shoemaker papers University Libraries USD Phonograph collection Fern Raymond Wanek papers Content Descriptions: Shane Balkowitsch Ambrotypes - part of the Richardson Collection This collection contains a selection of ambrotypes, piezograph inkjet prints, and behind-the-scenes digital photographs and documentation from Shane Balkowitsch’s Northern Plains Native American: A Modern Wet Plate Perspective. Dates 2014–2024. Robert Blachnik photographs - part of the Richardson Collection This collection contains photographic reproductions, scrapbooks, and a report related to the life and work of architect Robert Blachnik. Bulk dates 1960-1969. Rex Butler Collection of Henry and Frank H. Butler Photographs - part of the Richardson Collection This collection contains photographs taken by Henry and Frank H. Butler, Butler family photographs, and photographs collected by Rex Butler from Henry Butler, Butler Studio, and Butler’s Gallery. Henry Butler was Vermillion’s distinguished first pioneer photographer, active from 1871-1895. Frank H. Butler, Henry’s nephew, worked at Butler’s studio from 1893-1896 and continued photography after leaving Vermillion. Rex Butler is the grandson of Frank H. Butler. Lea Rosson DeLong papers on Wilber M. Stilwell - part of the Richardson Collection This collection contains source material and research notes used by DeLong to write her book, Wilbur Moore Stilwell: Dates 1908-1974. Dephane Hammond papers - part of the Richardson Collection This collection describes the life of a teacher who taught in southeast South Dakota from 1918 to 1961. Nikki Heidepriem collection on Edith and Margaret Reeves - part of the Richardson Collection This collection contains correspondence about women on the USD debate team, addressed to USD President Gault and to Edith Reeves, and dated 1912-1913; a handwritten essay or speech, of unknown date and by an unknown author (maybe Edith or Margaret Reeves); and a few newspaper clippings. Part of Richardson Single Folder collection. Gilbert Monell Hitchcock papers - part of the Richardson Collection The Gilbert M. Hitchcock papers consist of materials from his tenure as an U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from Nebraska, including materials on the League of Nations and the Treaty of Versailles. Bulk dates 1919–1922. Richard Holm notebook - part of the Richardson Collection This collection consists of Richard Holm's class notes from USD Medical School’s Gross Anatomy class, Fall 1971-Spring 1972. Arthur Leslie Keith papers - part of the Richardson Collection This collection is made up of materials Dr. Keith wrote during his time at Carlton College and the University of South Dakota. The materials focus on Greek and Roman cultures, fine art, and genealogy. Bulk dates 1929–1930. Henry Langford Loucks papers - part of the Richardson Collection This collection contains material related to Loucks' activities in South Dakota Farmers' Alliance and South Dakota politics. Bulk dates 1916–1919. Albert J. Maag papers - part of the Richardson Collection The Albert J. Maag Papers revolve around Albert J. Maag, President of the South Dakota chapter of the American Federation of Labor starting in 1945 and his work among South Dakota unions from in the early to mid-20th Century in South Dakota. Department of Psychology - part of the USD Archives The Department of Psychology papers contain material on 7 topics: Alcohol Safety Action Program (ASAP), Court Procedures, Driver Safety, Individual Analytic Study Critiques, Inhibitors and Psychometer Performances, Human-Computer Interactions, and Miscellaneous. Dates 1961–1993. Richardson Phonograph Collection - part of the Richardson Collection This collection is comprised of sound recordings related to South Dakota that were donated to the Archives and Special Collection’s Richardson Collection by various USD departments, individuals and sources. Some were transferred from the library's main collection. Most of these sound recordings are 12" stereo 33 1/3 rpm audio discs. Dates 1956–1985. Gretchen Gall Shoemaker papers - part of the Richardson Collection Gretchen Marguerita Gall (also Gretchen Gall Shoemaker) was an English professor at USD from 1958-1980 and a poetry writer. The collection is focused on her works and class materials. University Libraries - part of the USD Archives This collection is comprised of material about the University Libraries, which was created between 2008-2012 when the I.D. Weeks Library, the Lommen Health Sciences Library, and the Wegner Health Sciences Library were combined administratively under one dean. Dates 2009–2025. USD Phonograph collection - part of the USD Archives This collection is comprised of sound recordings related to the University of South Dakota that were donated to the Archives and Special Collection’s USD Archives by various USD departments, individuals and sources. Some were transferred from the library's main collection. Most of these sound recordings are 12" stereo 33 1/3 rpm audio discs. Dates 1949–1985. Fern Raymond Wanek papers - part of the Richardson Collection This collection is mostly correspondence nominating Fern Raymond Wanek for a University of South Dakota honorary doctorate degree. Dates 1971–1972.

Mr. 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. The Frank H. Blair diaries are a part of the Richardson Collection in the Archives and Special Collections.

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. The 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, but I have not seen fore-edge painting in either Weeks Library or the Archives and Special Collections. Let me know if you do find these treasures. Is there such a thing as fore-edge marbling? The marbled books below are from the Chilson Collection in the Archives and Special Collections. The book with the blue top-edge is South Dakota, sui generis; stressing the unique and dramatic in South Dakota history, volume 3, by Doane Robinson. The American Historical Society, Inc., 1930. The book with the green top-edge is History of Dakota Territory / its history and its people, volume 5, by George W. Kingsbury. S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1915. A few sources on the history of fore-edge painting are: Weber, Carl J. Fore-Edge Painting; a Historical Survey of a Curious Art in Book Decoration. Irvington-on-Hudson, N.Y: Harvey House, 1966. This book is in the I.D. Weeks Library with call number ND2370 .W37. Brandeis University (February 1, 2016). "Fore-edge Paintings". Robert D. Farber University Archives and Special Collections. Miyatsu, Rose (December 14, 2018). "Fore-Edge Paintings". WashU Libraries.

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, 1881-1884, and 1889-1890. The pages are very fragile. Therefore, we have not looked to see if the bill book contains all the proposed bills, the bills that made it out of committee, or the bills that were made into law. Information about Inman is from the SD Legislative Research Council website, Historical Listing, accessed 5/23/2026.

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 clerical work was done by students of the University of South Dakota who were on the National Youth Administration program. While utmost care was used in obtaining the data from the official records, the correctness of the information contained herein cannot be guaranteed." Citation for the atlas is: Clay County (S.D.) Planning Board, and United States. National Youth Administration. Farm Ownership Atlas of Clay County South Dakota. USD Archives and Special Collections, 1937. Chilson Collection CC2026.02 Quote and image from the Farm Ownership Atlas of Clay County South Dakota. Image used with permission of Planning, Zoning & Veterans Service, Clay County, South Dakota.