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William Henry Over was a natural historian who lived in Vermillion from 1913 to 1956. While in Vermillion, he served first as the Assistant Curator and then full Curator for the University Museum. He studied numerous subjects relating to the natural world, including botany; however, until recently, little was known about Over’s work with plants. In 2009, a tattered box was found in the University Herbarium, and this box contained numerous documents relevant to Over’s botanical pursuits. As a part of an undergraduate Honors Thesis, a student worker from Archives & Special Collections researched the documents’ historical context and used this research to more fully understand Over’s work with the plants of South Dakota. While Over had some difficulty advancing botany in South Dakota the way he originally planned, he still made significant contributions to the field. He established the University Herbarium in 1913, which is still in use today. Also, Over was the first botanist in 20th century South Dakota to develop a manual of the entire state’s flora, and other botanists have since used Over’s work as a tool to understand the state’s flora. Over was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Science degree by the University in 1936, and he was able to publish Wild Flowers of South Dakota in 1942 as a way to encourage both children and adults to appreciate the beauty of plants. One of Over’s most lasting contributions to botany in South Dakota was the fact that he passionately encouraged others to appreciate the state’s botanical diversity and beauty. To view the documents from the W.H. Over Collection in person, please contact the USD Archives & Special Collections. Sample title page of Over and Petry’s First Vascular Flora of South Dakota (ca. 1924-1926). Proof drawing published in Over’s Wild Flowers of South Dakota (1942). Herbarium specimen collected by Over in 1920.

Well, all of the University Herbarium specimens collected by W.H. Over have been photographed and put back into their proper folders/cabinets. Altogether, we photographed 1,154 specimens! W.H. Over Herbarium Specimens Now we are working on metadata and digital specifications in order to upload the photos, batch by batch, onto the Digital Library of South Dakota. We’ll start the upload with the sunflower family (Asteraceae). Here are some examples of the display images we’ve made so far: Cup Plant Missouri Goldenrod Lacy Tansyaster Common Sunflower Western Pearly Everlasting

This article, published in Volume 7 of The Volante (Issue 3, December 1893, pp. 41-42), poetically describes the personal and philosophical significance of photography. The author E. Frank Peterson explains that as “we gaze upon that faded picture we forget our present environments, we live again in the blissful past, and again we pluck the coveted roses which Time has shorn of their thorns” (p. 41).

Short poem printed in the May 1892 issue of The Volante.

The South Dakota Oral History Project’s first year was described in a 1970 South Dakota History article. “This past summer an oral history project was inaugurated in South Dakota. Five thousand dollars was funded by the state legislature at the request of Dayton Canaday, State Historian, and Professor Joseph Cash of the University of South Dakota. Professor Cash and Mr. Canaday suggested to the state legislature that a project be initiated among white settlers while reminiscent accounts of early statehood were still available. The State Historical Society received the money as part of its budget allocation, and the University agreed to provide personnel and technical assistance necessary to produce taped interviews. It was also agreed that two copies of each tape would be produced and placed in the archives at Pierre and Vermillion. This writer was hired as the primary interviewer, and the remaining funds went toward the purchase of tapes, secretarial assistance, and other incidentals.” Check out the article for information on partners, methodologies, and common themes. Stephen R. Ward, An Early Assessment of the South Dakota Oral History Project, South Dakota History, vol. 1, no. 1, Winter 1970. Contact the South Dakota Oral History Center at USD to learn more about the interviews collected for this project. Many of the interviews have a record in the library catalog.