PIERRE,S.D.– The unique history and spirit of South Dakota is captured and accumulated in the Museum of the South Dakota State Historical Society in the capital city of Pierre. The museum is a place to learn about American Indian history, explorers, homesteaders, and politicians who established South Dakota. Visitors can get an understanding of the challenges that the people of South Dakota experienced in the 20th century.
Highlights of the museum include the Sioux Horse Effigy Dancing Stick, the Verendrye Plate and a realistic model cow that visitors can try their hand at hand-milking. There are three permanent galleries displaying artifacts.
The newest exhibit at the museum is titled “Our South Dakota: Big Land, Big Ideas, Big Heart.” It showcases South Dakota in a new perspective. Visitors are able to look at South Dakota’s past and present and even size themselves up to George Washington’s nose from Mount Rushmore National Memorial.
The museum is located at theCultural Heritage Center, which is the South Dakota State Historical Society headquarters. The museum shares the 63,000 square foot building with a number of offices within the Society. For a size comparison, that equals the length of two football fields.
The State Archives is also located inside the Cultural Heritage Center. It contains more than 12,000 cubic feet of records. This equates to more than 37,600,000 records, including books, maps, and photographs. With a few exceptions, all of these records are open to the public for research. There is also a gift shop, South Dakota Heritage Store, on site featuring Made in South Dakotaproducts.
TheCultural Heritage Center is open during the winter months, Monday through Saturday 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m., and on Sundays and holidays from1-4:30 p.m. The museum has extended hours during the summer season, Memorial Day through Labor Day, of Monday through Saturday 9 a.m.-6:30 p.m., and on Sundays and holidays from1-4:30 p.m.The museum is closed on New Year’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas day.
Admission fees are $4.00 for adults, sixty and over $3.00, and children 17 and under are free.
The mission of thisSouth Dakotamuseum is to “collect, preserve, and interpret the social, political, and cultural history of the State ofSouth DakotaandDakota Territory. The museum makes its collections available through exhibitions, loans to other museums, and publications.” The museum is a part of the South Dakota State Historical Society which is a component of the South Dakota Department of Tourism.
South Dakota’s Great Places weekly press release series is a project of the South Dakota Department of Tourism, designed to highlight places in South Dakotathat are unique to travelers and residents alike. Click on the special “South Dakota’s Great Places” link at www.MediaSD.com to access the complete list of articles.
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