American mathematician Anna Johnson Pell Wheeler is best known for leading a successful career in mathematics in the early twentieth century, a time when few women worked in the field. She was the first woman to lecture before the American Mathematical Society, and she was influential in shaping the mathematics department at Bryn Mawr College. Her chief area of mathematical research was functional analysis (Hannon 2006). Anna Johnson attended the University of South Dakota from 1899 to 1904. (Walz 2000) and obtained advanced degrees from the University of Iowa in 1904, Radcliffe College in 1905, and the University of Chicago in 1909. The Anna Johnson Pell Wheeler papers at the Archives and Special Collections consists mainly of family letters between Anna and her family, from 1898 to Anna’s appointment at Bryn Mawr in 1918. Sources: Hannon, Jessica. “Anna Johnson Pell Wheeler: Background.” Science Reference Center Database, EBSCOhost (accessed 2/7/2018). Walz, Shawna Darlene. “The University of South Dakota’s Own Anna Johnson: A Pioneer for Women in Mathematics.” Honors Thesis, University of South Dakota, 2000.

Did you know there is an Oscar Howe designed mural in Vermillion, South Dakota? See the web site for St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Vermillion (and then the Church Life tab) or the Oscar Howe papers at the Archives and Special Collections for more information.

Health Sciences Rare Books is one of the collections located in the Archives and Special Collections. This collection consists mostly of medical books donated to the Lommen Health Science Library. While the majority of the items are books, the collection does include anatomical stereograms, one movie film, and two video tape cassettes. Some of the items are facsimiles or copies, but most are originals. All the items can be found with the help of the library catalog. They cannot be checked out, but you can read the books in the Archives and Special Collections reading room. Some characteristics of this collection are: Year range: 1665 (original date; ours is a later facsimile) to circa 1980, with most of the items published between 1800 and circa 1980. Most Frequent Subjects: anatomy, midwifery/obstetrics, and surgery Most Frequent Authors: Osler and Gray Items that caught my attention are: Abernethy’s The surgical and physiological works of John Abernethy. 1825. The subject is phrenology, which purports that the shape of the skull indicates mental faculties and character. Andreae Vesalii Bruxellensis Icones anatomicae, ediderunt Academia medicinae nova-eboracensis et Bibliotheca Universitatis monacensis. The 1934 edition is based on the 1555 and 1543 books. The subject is human anatomy, and the book is illustrated with beautiful woodcuts. Bichat’s Physiological researches upon life and death. Translated from the French by Tobias Watkins. 1809. The subject is biological life and death. Carey’s A short account of the malignant fever, lately prevalent in Philadelphia: with a statement of the proceedings that took place on the subject in different parts of the United States. The subject is yellow fever in Philadelphia. Dauer’s MAGANGA – ein wissenschaftlicer. Format 16mm film. The subject is African medicine from a very Eurocentric point of view. It shows trephination, which is drilling a hole in the skull to release pressure. Edinburgh University Stereoscopic Anatomy. Circa 1900. The subject is human anatomy. Edinburgh University was an early teaching and research center for surgery. Their stereograms show three-dimensional images of human anatomy. Gunn’s Domestic Medicine. 1835. The subject is health care you can do yourself when a doctor is not available, such as in frontier areas. Hooke’s Micrographia or some physiological descriptions of minute bodies made by magnifying glasses. With observations and inquiries thereupon. Facsimile of 1665 book. This is the first book describing observations made through a microscope. Contact the Archives and Special Collections for a list of what is in the collection.

The Archives and Special Collections has recently received a book about residents of our county who did not return from war. It contains 10 biographies written by USD students and their professor concerning military service personnel from Clay County, South Dakota, who were killed in action. The biographies are based on information gathered from local archives, libraries, historical society, veterans’ services office, online resources, and family members. The library has received two copies. One is in the book collection in Special Collections, and one is in the main collection of the library.

Did you know that the Archives and Special Collections has Christmas carols in Latin? They can be found in the Classics Department collection.

Stop by the Archives and Special Collections where we have on temporary display the children’s literature from the Mahoney Music Collection. In addition to possessing great illustrations, these books enhance music vocabulary and music appreciation, introduce famous composers and musicians, and/or educate on musical concepts like rhythm and melody.

Archives and Special Collections has recently received a 1964 letter written by author Mari Sandoz about the two Sitting Bulls living contemporaneously. They were not one person as sometimes conflated by newspaper men and historians. The letter contains some of her evidence and refers the reader to her book Hostiles and Friendlies for the entire argument. The letter has been added to the Institute of American Indian Studies papers, and for a short time a copy will be on display outside of the Archives.

You may have noticed that it is COLD outside. In Dakota Territory and the northern plains, 1880-1881 was also a hard winter. Some areas received 11 feet of snow causing difficulties for trains and wagons delivering supplies. Newspaper publishers ran out of paper, and some newspaper issues were printed on tissue, wrapping paper, wallpaper, cloth, and other available material. The Archives and Special Collections has a March 25, 1881, edition of the Salem Register printed on muslin. It is very likely a product of one of these supply shortages. This newspaper is in the uncatalogued newspapers box in the Chilson Collection. For a more detailed description of the hard winter of 1880-1881, see Doane Robinson’s History of South Dakota, Vol. I, 1904, pages 306-309. This is also the winter/spring described in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Long Winter and the histories of the flood that washed away Vermillion, South Dakota.

Some of South Dakota first ladies (i.e. governors’ wives) are described in the Tidbits sections of the South Dakota governors residence cookbook: a culinary legacy celebrating the first families of South Dakota, 2007. Margaret Wylie Mellette “was a china painter and portrait painter and was the hostess at the South Dakota Building at the 1893 Columbia Exhibition in Chicago.” “Annie Chappelle Lee was active in the Women’s Christian Temperance Union and wore the little hatchet pin of the WCTU on her inaugural gown.” “Vera Cahalan Bushfield was appointed to the U.S. Senate to complete her husband’s term after his death in 1948.” “Gertrude Bertelsen Gunderson was a poet of renown and served as co-editor and president of a magazine of poems, Pasque Petals.” “Lorena McLain Berry had a love for music and published several pieces of music she composed.” “Emilie Beaver Byrne was a Christian Scientist and wrote a novel with a religious theme, The Song Beneath the Keys, and she also wrote poetry sharing her innermost thought.” “Harriet Russell McMaster was partial to outdoor sports. She was an expert tennis player, liked to boat, and participated in skating and coasting in the winter.” “Madge Ellen Turner Mickelson was an accomplished athlete at Aberdeen Normal, now Northern State University. She lettered in five sports. She also won the National Javelin Throwing Championship.” “Lorna Buntrock Herseth is the only First Lady elected to a statewide office. She served as Secretary of State from 1972-1978.” This is one of the many cookbooks in the Chilson Collection. I wasn’t expecting to find information about South Dakota’s first ladies or the history of the governors’ homes in this book. What a pleasant surprise, recipes and history.

The Archives and Special Collections recently received the book Rediscovery the Barns of Clay County, South Dakota by the Clay County Historic Preservation Commission. Members of the community, under the leadership of Jim Stone, investigated and recorded approximately 350 barns in Clay County. Most of the book consist of Historic Sites Survey Structure forms, which describe each barn with photographs, sketches, maps, histories, and more. The book is full of local history, such as: “With his basement walls up he used a sled and a team of oxen or horses to harvest timber in Nebraska Territory. This timber was cut and hauled back across the ice on the Missouri River in the winter” (page 744). “Huge limestone blocks under the granaries on the West side in original barn. Limestone blocks were extra’s from the Court House construction, in 1912” (page 1450). “This was a very large operation. Immigrants and young farmers could always get a job on the Lee ranch to build a nest egg before they started farming on their own. … Oral history states that they had 76 teams of workhorses at one time” (page 2601). “Lodi church remodeled into a barn” (page 2644). Copies of the book can also be found on the Clay County Historic Preservation Commission’s web site, local public libraries, museum, and historical society.