The South Dakota State Historical Society is

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...

's official state

historical society A historical society (sometimes also preservation society) is an organization dedicated to preserving, collecting, researching, and interpreting historical information or items. Originally, these societies were created as a way to help future gen ...

and operates statewide but is headquartered in

Pierre, South Dakota Pierre ( ; lkt, Čhúŋkaške, lit=fort) is the capital city of South Dakota, United States, and the seat of Hughes County. The population was 14,091 at the 2020 census, making it the second-least populous US state capital after Montpelier, ...

at 900 Governors Drive. It is a part of the

South Dakota Department of Education The South Dakota Department of Education is the state education agency of South Dakota. It is headquartered in Pierre. The department manages teacher certification, school district accreditation and academic subject standards for South Dakota’ ...

History

The South Dakota State Historical Society, after an initial meeting in April, was founded on May 7, 1862 as the Old Settlers Association of Dakota Territory. It was renamed the Historical Society of Dakota in 1863 and the State Historical Society of South Dakota in 1890 months after the state was admitted to the union. In 1901, the

South Dakota Legislature The South Dakota State Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of South Dakota. It is a bicameral legislative body, consisting of the South Dakota Senate, which has 35 members, and the South Dakota House of Representatives, which ...

took the Society into state government when it established the Association as the official state historical society. With each change of name, the property of the old Society was formally transferred to its successor. Over the years the Society was quartered in various places from the territorial post office in Yankton, an old statehouse, Pierre University, and the current State Capitol. In 1932, the Society opened the new Soldier's and Sailor's Memorial Building. In 1989, the Culture Heritage Center was opened as a home for all archives, a museum, and their administrative offices. In 1975, the State Archives were incorporated into the Society, which continues to operate them and also functions as a public library. In 2014, the South Dakota State Historical Society published an annotated version of Wilder's autobiography, titled ''Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography'', by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Pamela Smith Hill (Editor).

Programs

In addition to the State Archives, the Society operates the Museum of the South Dakota State Historical Society, the State Historic Preservation Office, the

South Dakota State Historical Society Press The South Dakota State Historical Society Press is an American book publishing company based in Pierre, South Dakota. It was established in 1997 and it is a part of the South Dakota State Historical Society The South Dakota State Historical Socie ...

, and an archaeological research center.

Directors

* Benjamin F. Jones, Ph.D. (2020- * Jay D. Vogt (2003-2020) * Mary B. Edelen (1995-2003) * J. R. Fishburne (1987-1994) * Fred Lillibridge (1985-1987) * Dayton Canaday (1968-1984) * Will G. Robinson (1948-1968) * Lawrence A. Fox (1926-1946) * Doane Robinson (1901-1925)

References

External links

South Dakota State Historical Society
— official site Libraries in South Dakota History of South Dakota Museums in Hughes County, South Dakota Museums established in 1901 History museums in South Dakota State historical societies of the United States Buildings and structures in Pierre, South Dakota 1862 establishments in Dakota Territory {{SouthDakota-museum-stub