Introduction
By Harry F. Thompson, Director of Research Collections and Publications
The Center for Western Studies acquires archival materials from the Northern Plains region, especially South Dakota and its six contiguous states. Most collections, however, are obtained from within a one-hundred mile radius of Sioux Falls, which includes southwestern Minnesota and northwestern Iowa. Over the past twenty-seven years, the Center has attempted to acquire documents that complement its core religious and educational collections: the Episcopal Diocese of South Dakota Archives, the United Church of Christ-South Dakota Conference Archives (including the Riggs Family Papers), and the Augustana University Archives.
Although the Center’s collections policy does not specifically mention seeking collections created by or about women, the Center has acquired over one hundred collections that document women’s history. For example, the Episcopal archives contain a variety of materials by and about such women teachers, missionaries, and church leaders as Mary Graves, Connie Limpo, Gertrude Young, and Elizabeth Bradley, dating from the 1870’s to the present. The Riggs family papers in the United Church of Christ archives contain correspondence by the Riggs family of missionaries. Many of these letters reveal the interrelationships that existed among the Riggs family members, including women and children, as they administered Sioux Indian boarding schools in central South Dakota and north-central Nebraska (ca. 1878-1920). Furthermore, the papers documenting the history of Augustana University, which was founded in Chicago in 1860 by Norwegian-Americans and moved to Wisconsin, Iowa, and then to South Dakota, contain materials documenting women’s involvement in teaching and administration at the university and at its antecedent institution in Sioux Falls, the Lutheran Normal School (1889-1917).
Among other significant women’s history sources at the Center are those generated by the following organizations and projects: American Association of University Women—Sioux Falls Chapter (1923-present); Changing Social Patterns on the Lingering Frontier, interviews with second-generation homesteaders in South Dakota (1965-1967); League of Women Voters of Sioux Falls (1953-85); North Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (1924-87); and the Old Fort Thompson Project, photographs and records gathered by anthropologist Betty Clark Rosenthal, including information about Ruth Jacobs Black Fire, a Dakota Sioux woman. Collections of women’s personal papers include the following: Anna Berdahl, nursing educator (1908-80); Katherina Blilie, educator (1896-1969); Charlotte Carver, South Dakota Arts Council executive director (1967-90); Fern Chamberlain, social worker (1922-93); Marie Christopherson, journalist (1925-91); Winona Axtell Lyon, writer (1833-1944); Ann Mundelein, writer, missionary (1889-1987); Edith L. Pierson, activist in church affairs (1916-85); and Nellie Zabel Willhite, South Dakota’s first woman pilot (1904-87).
There are, of course, women’s history sources in collections that do not, otherwise, appear to be women’s collections. The Fred Farrar and Harold Shunk collections contain numerous photographs of both Anglo and Native American women in western South Dakota (ca. 1880-1920). Bishop William Hobart Hare’s papers, in the Episcopal Diocese of South Dakota Archives, contain letters regarding the bishop’s accusations against the Rev. Samuel Hinman for immoral conduct with Santee Sioux women. Some of Hinman’s papers are found in the Episcopal archives, though most are in private hands.
As a project of her internship at the Center for Western Studies in the fall of 1998, Jennifer D. Johnson, Reese Intern in Archives and Museum Management, reviewed the Center’s collections and compiled the list of women’s history resources found in this guide. More up-to-date information describing the Center’s current collections, including women's history resources received since 1998, can be found on the Center’s website.
For Further Reading:
Riley, Glenda. "The Historiography of American Indian and Other Western Women." In Rethinking American Indian History. Ed. Donald L. Fixico. Albuquerque: U of New Mexico P, 1997. 43-70.
[Schwartz, Alan M.] Guide to the Archives of The Episcopal Church in South Dakota. Sioux Falls, SD [Episcopal Diocese of South Dakota, 1982].
---. "Religious Archives at the Center for Western Studies," South Dakota History 13 (1983): 261-64.
Thompson, Harry F. Guide to the Archives of the South Dakota Conference of the United Church of Christ. Sioux Falls, SD: Center for Western Studies, 1986.
---. Guide to Collections Relating to South Dakota Norwegian-Americans. Sioux Falls, SD: Center for Western Studies, 1991.
---. "Historical Collections at the Center for Western Studies," South Dakota History 15 (1985): 234-42.
---. "The Riggs Family Papers at the Center for Western Studies." South Dakota History 22 (1992): 64-74.
The Collections:
Compiled by Jennifer D. Johnson, Reese Intern in Archives and Museum Management
Jeanette L. Amacher
Papers, 1901-1958
Items relating to John Agrant, Sioux Falls Jeweler and his daughter, Jeanette, a writer for RKO Radio Pictures in the 1930’s.
Gladys Amacher
Papers 1901-1969
Includes a Sioux Falls Fair Program from 1946, correspondence from Lucy Hathaway Style, and a photo scrapbook of the University of South Dakota and the Amacher family.
American Association of University Women
Records, 1923-1993
Contains records of the AAUW at the branch, state and national levels including newsletters, convention programs, minutes, scrapbooks, procedural information, financial information, reports, yearbooks, and other material regarding the work and history of the AAUW.
American Indian Culture Research Center
Records, 1980-
The American Indian Culture Research Center is located at Blue Cloud Abbey, near Marvin, South Dakota. The records consist of information about the culture of Indian people, collected by Father Stan Maudlin.
Edna Briggs Anderson (1884-)
Articles, January 1987
Small Collections
Consists of two newspaper articles about Edna Briggs Anderson’s life of the Plains. She was a Swedish immigrant whose family settled in Redfield, South Dakota.
Margaret Myers Anderson
Papers, 1977. 1 Item.
Consists of a typed transcript of an interview with Anderson, a former teacher. She reminiscences about Stanley county, South Dakota, 1907-1927.
Sadie Collins Armin
Papers, 1844-1983,
Sadie Collins Armin is the granddaughter of Catherin Sager Pringle, one of seven Sager children whose parents died on the Oregon Trail in 1844. The Sager children were taken to Dr. and Mrs. Marcus Whitman at the Waiilaptu Mission in Oregon where they witnessed the Whitman Massacre of 1847. The collection contains Catherin Sager Pringle’s account of the Oregon Trail, the Mission, and the Whitman Massacre. A photocopy of Catherine Sager Pringle’s scrapbook, 1851-1901, is also included.
Gertrude Arnault
Papers, 1857. 10 letters.
Photocopies of transcribed letters written by Arnault’s grandmother, Lucy Hathaway Lyle, to her sisters in Massachusetts about pioneer life in Topeka, Kansas. Lyle’s husband, Jabez, had moved to Kansas to help vote Kansas a free state when it applied for statehood.
Association of Christian Churches in South Dakota
Records, 1914-1979. 1cu. ft.
Correspondence, constitution, by-laws, minutes, audit reports, and annual meeting reports for the following members of the Association (formerly known as the South Dakota Sunday School Association and the South Dakota Council of Churches): South Dakota Baptist Convention; Congregational Conference; Disciples of Christ; Evangelical United Brethren; Episcopal District of South Dakota; Dakota Conference, the Methodist Church; Presbyterian Synod of South Dakota.
Peggy Austin
Papers, 1977. 1 item.
Photocopy of "A Look Into Indian Music," a report Austin completed as an independent study project at Augustana College.
Gertrude Buchmann
Papers, 1930-1982. 5 in.
Contains information about the Black Hills, the Rapid City public schools and teachers, the history of Rapid City and miscellaneous newspaper clippings.
Arnold Bakken
Emigrant list, one item (25p).
Small Collections.
"Emigrant List to America from Sokendal in the Period 1867-1925" is an inventory of over 500 Norwegian immigrants to the Midwest. The list includes names, occupations, ages, places of residents in Norway, names and relationships of family members who also emigrated, ship name and destination, and date of departure. Note: this list is in Norwegian.
Farlin Quigley Ball
Letters, 1859-1880.
1 roll microfilm. Reel #23, Item # 134.
Letter from Ball, an attorney living in Madison , Wisconsin, to Libbie Hall, of Chicago, concerning courtship and marriage. There are also letters from Ball to Libbie Hall’s Father; F.W. Hall, and to Libbie’s brother Berty. These letters date from the 1860’s. (See also Elizabeth Hall Collection)
Anna Berdahl
Papers, 1908-1980. 4 cu. ft.
Berdahl’s papers concern her career as a nursing educator in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The collection also includes items relating to Sioux Valley Hospital, Augustana Women’s Auxiliary, First Lutheran Church, Women’s Mission Federation, Crippled Children’s Hospital and School Auxiliary, and personal papers.
James O. Berdahl
Papers, 1823-1976. 6 cu. ft.
Consists of a variety of materials, including photographs, diaries, genealogy records, and extensive correspondence regarding the Berdahl family and other early Norwegian settlers of Minnehaha County.
Bertyne O. Birkland
Manuscripts and booklets. One folder.
Manuscripts about Birkland’s Dakota Territory pioneer family, and A Genealogy of John Tollefson and Kristina Larsdater Edisness (1974).
Katharina Blilie (b.1885)
Papers, 1896-1969.
One box. Diaries on microfilm.
Includes the letters, poems, essays, sketches, and diaries (1906-1963) of Ketharina Blilie. She served as a public school teacher, county superintendent of schools, teacher training instructor at Augustana College, and General Women’s Missionary Federation historian for the Evangelical Lutheran Church.
Nils N. Boe and Family
Papers, 1932-1984.
1.5 lin. ft.
This collection contains correspondence, photos, and personal papers of Lois Boe Hyslop, a French literature scholar, Karen Boe, and the other members of the Boe family.
Pearl Boe Collection
Scrapbooks, 1892-1982.
1.0 lin. ft.
Consists of scrapbooks on the Presho Lutheran Church compiled by Pearl Boe, the Church’s historian. Materials relating to the Hilmoe-White River, Vivian, and Kennebec congregations are also included.
Nathan Brenneise
Genealogy, One item (90p).
Small Collections.
Contains the manuscript, "Hardships, Blessings, Opportunities: A History of the Brenneise Family".
Mabel Brodland
Family history and genealogy, 1872-1986.
Small Collections, two folders.
Contains the family history and genealogical materials on the Gunderson, Larson, and Gundmunson families. Letters between families written in Norwegian include translations.
Bill Carlson
Typescript. One Item
Small Collections.
"History of the Pattison Family," 1960
Charlotte V. Carver
Papers, 1967-1990
2.75 lin. ft.
Charlotte Carver was the executive director of the South Dakota Arts Council from 1967 to 1988. This collection is a compilation of her papers from her service as executive director. They include correspondence, speeches, appointment books, committees and councils, conferences, publication and directories, newspaper clippings, subject files, and photographs.
Fern L. Chamberlain
Papers, 1922-1993
3.0 lin. ft.
Fern L. Chamberlain served as chief of the South Dakota Department of Public Welfare, research and statistics, and with Lutheran Social Services. Her collection includes correspondence, press releases, reports, a copy of "South Dakota Children in Need of Special Care" (1922), an extensive scrapbook of newspaper articles concerning Wounded Knee, and information regarding the welfare system in South Dakota, organizations Chamberlain was involved with, and publications relating to welfare issues.
Fred C. and J. Marie Christopherson
Papers, 1925-1991. 15 lin ft.
The papers of Fred and Marie Christopherson document the personal and professional lives of two of Sioux Falls’ best-known journalists and personalities. The collection includes Marie’s medical bills and records, journals, personal and household bills, the original "South Dakota Melody" composed by Marie, her birth and death certificates, and many of her writings as a journalist.
Changing Social Patterns in the Lingering Frontier
Research Records, 1965-1967. 6 cu. ft.
Contains transcripts of 97 tapes of interviews generated by a nine-month pilot study, conducted by William R. Wyatt and funded by the Rockefeller Foundation, "to measure and evaluate in dynamic terms the frontier attitude as it has existed in South Dakota form the inception of settlement in the 1880’s and the 1890’s down to the present time." The study involved randomly selected individuals from Minnehaha and Lyman counties in South Dakota. The responses of individuals from three generations of inhabitants were recorded, and transcripts of each interview were made.
E.T. Cressey and E.L. Schwartz
Report, 1912. 1 roll microfilm. Reel 5, No. 54.
A history of the Baptist Women’s Mission work in South Dakota, 1872-1912, by Cressey and Schwartz.
Delbridge-Northup Collection
Letters, 1861-1888. .50 lin. ft.
Includes family correspondence during the Civil War. Some of the letters written by the two brothers in the war are addressed to their sister Kate Northup. There are letters written by Kate after the war.
Edith Mortenson Delman
Papers, 1900-1990
Details the lives of pioneer families in Miner County, near Howard, South Dakota. Family and social life on the prairie from 1910 through the 1930’s, one-room schooling, and the Great Depression years are chronicled.
A.J. Dickinson
Papers, 1901
Contains two poems by Dickinson of Chamberlain, South Dakota, "Pumpkin Pie" and "The Wild Prim Rose."
Divorce Legislation in South Dakota
History (18p) Small Collections.
An article on the history of divorce legislation, or lack thereof, in Dakota Territory and early statehood (author unknown).
Episcopal Diocese of South Dakota Archives
1870-date
Documents the work of the Diocese of South Dakota, including the ministry of the Episcopal Church to Plains Indians, called the Niobrara Field. Includes the papers of the first bishop, William Hobart Hare, and all subsequent bishops, as well as other clergy and lay people, including such women as Mary Graves, Connie Limpo, Gertrude Young, and Elizabeth Bradley. Also includes the church registers from closed churches and missions, photographs, and printed materials. See Alan Schwartz in "For Further Reading."
Fred W. Farrar Photograph Collection
Photos represent life in South Dakota in the early 1900’s. Farrar photographed people, parties, babies, weddings, scenery, and events of his time.
Duke and Retta Ferguson
Video Interview, Two Tapes
First Baptist Church, Sioux Falls
Records, 1884-1912
1 roll microfilm. Reel #7 Item #71.
Records of the First Baptist Church (1889-1912), the Mission Society book (1884-1894), and the Ladies’ Aid Society’s papers (1890-1902).
First Lutheran Church, Sioux Falls
Booklets and album, 1900-1950.
0.5 lin. ft.
Includes an album of circuit reports that document the activities of Lutheran Ladies’ Aid Societies in South Dakota.
Mrs. Oscar (Pethryn) Fladmark (b. 1896)
Consists of personal and professional papers of Fladmark. She was the long-time recording secretary for the Sioux Falls Sons of Norway Gjoa Lodge #65. She participated in many Norwegian-American organizations, including the local and district Sons of Norway lodges in Sioux Falls and Minneapolis and the regional and national Sangerfests.
Flandreau Agency
Records, 1901-1903. 1 roll microfilm.
Census of Native American Indians on the Flandreau Agency, South Dakota, 1901-1903.
Reuben Goertz Collection
Glass Plate Negatives
Consists primarily of glass-plate negatives of German-Russians living in South Dakota in the early 1900’s.
Mrs. Carol Greenfield
Reminiscence, n.d.
Photocopy of Louise Estey Schambs’ recollection of her aunt Etta Estey Boyce (1862-1920), a vocalist and music teacher in Sioux Falls and a cultural influence on the area.
Fannie (Mrs.) Melvin Grigsby
Letters, 1920-1927. 1 roll microfilm. Reel #4 Item #45.
Letters written to Mrs. Grigsby, widow of Col. Melvin Grigsby, from family members.
Col. Melvin Grigsby (1845-1917)
Papers, 1893-1914. 6 in. and 1 roll microfilm. Reel #4 Item #44.
Contains correspondence of Col. Grigsby’s wife, Fannie Grigsby 1920-1927.
Albert H. Hagen-Phyllis Day Collection
Photographs, Stories, Biographies, Letters 1907-1941.
0.5 lin. ft.
Contains a large group photograph of "The Norwegian China Mission Society 1891", prints and negatives of "Children of 1973" school reunion, taken 1931-1941, copies of various stories about school children and teachers, and Mrs. Hagen’s obituary.
Elizabeth Hall Collection
Letters, 1849-1883.
.25 lin. ft.
The Hall letters are mainly written to Elizabeth Hall, from her father, from a Capt. William N. Beer, and from her husband-to-be, Farlin Quigley. The letters show much about life in the mid and late nineteenth-century America, particularly the Civil War. For further information consult Civil War Miniatures: Six Letters, 1862-1865, by Arthur Huseboe and Kathryn Welter (1986).
Claude A. Hamilton
Scrapbooks, 1982-1976. 1 roll microfilm. Reel #1 Item #81.
Includes "The Prairie Girl," a reminiscence by Myra Hamilton Sears of Sioux Falls.
Hampton Institute
Records, 1892. One roll microfilm. Reel #16 Item #109.
Printed report on Native American students returned from the Institute in Virginia in 1892. The Hampton Institute was a boarding school for young Native Americans from around the country.
John L. Harrington
Papers, 1944-1972. 1.5. Cu. ft.
Newspaper clippings, printed materials, reports, and manuscripts on the history and people of Wyoming and Montana, particularly Cattle Kate and archeological findings.
Ralph O. Hillgren
Papers, 1954-1959. 5 in.
Miscellaneous items relating to Norwegians in America, including a letter from Inez Rolie Peterson, daughter of the first Norwegian settlers in Sioux Falls.
Freda Hosen
Papers, 1975-1976. 5 in.
Photocopy of Hosen’s report on the sensational trial of Emma Kaufmann, the widow of prominent Sioux Falls businessman Moses Kaufmann, who was accused of murdering her servant girl in 1906. The collection also contains materials relating to Jewish settlers in South Dakota.
"In the Valley of the Jim"
Narrative, 1951.
Photocopy of a narrative recounting the history of the Dowell family, early Dakota Territory settlers, written by "a daughter of the Pioneers."
Hildegarde Johnson
Newspaper article, n.d.
Photocopy of an article about Miss Aagot Raaen, Steele County superintendent of schools and author of Grass of Earth: Immigrant Life in the Dakota Country (1950).
Olaf M. (Bud) Jordeth
Photographs c. 1895-1905. 39 black-and-white prints. Letters (1918-1961).
Contains photocopies of letters from Mina Jordeth Hellestad, missionary to China, and her husband, Oscar (1918-1961) and reprints of photographs of people and rural scenes in the Gettysburg and Lebanon, South Dakota, areas.
Evangeline Larson
Misc. items, 5 in.
Evangeline Larson received her teacher certification from Augustana College in 1937. The letters found in the collection from her father, P.E. Larson, to Evangeline are revealing of the hardships associated with the Great Depression. Evangeline’s diary is also a resource on the typical life of a female Augustana College student during the late 1930’s.
League of Women Voters of Sioux Falls
Records: 1953-1985, Sioux Falls: Women’s Political Organization 6 in.
Printed materials include newsletters, programs for annual meetings and conventions, member booklets, The South Dakota Voter, Voter’s Guides, and various study items, guides, and surveys. This last group covers such topics as taxation, transportation, equal opportunity, and Indian affairs.
Lutheran Social Services Collection
Papers, 1952-1987. 2.0 lin. ft.
Contains papers from Lutheran Church and Indian People of South Dakota (LUCHIP). The collection also contains records about other functions of Lutheran Social Services, including papers regarding Indian issues, and papers regarding the Sioux Valley Conference of the American Lutheran Church Women (ALCW). Included are minutes, the ALCW newsletter, conference officers lists, and convention programs.
(Mrs.) Grace Engelbretson McBride
Family History, n.d.
Photocopy of the history of the Thomas and Mary Engelbretson family, Norwegian settlers in Foxton Township, South Dakota, in the 1890’s.
Ruth Granskou Mellem
Papers, 1910-1979 1.5 lin. ft.
Papers concerning Ruth Granskou Mellem’s parents and family. The collection contains photographs and photograph albums along with correspondence and other miscellaneous material.
Marian Hansen Merrifield Collection
Letters, 1910-1916, photographs.
Consists of correspondence between Alvin Hansen and Mabel Lewis when they met in 1909 to the time of their marriage in 1916. These letters describe small-town life in the 1910’s.
Minnehaha County Cemetery
Burial Lists, 1895-1977. 1 Roll Microfilm. Reel #11 Item #80.
Photocopy of burial lists, indicating date of burial, age, and cause of death.
Minnehaha County School District No. 34
Register, 1875-1886. Microfilm. Reel #5 Item #51.
School Register.
John Morrell and Company, Sioux Falls Plant
Records, 1911-1976. 2 cu. ft., 43 volumes, and 1 oversize vol.
Photographs, negatives, printed materials, and scrapbooks of John Morrell and Company since the construction of its Sioux Falls meatpacking plant in 1911. The photograph collection consists of interior and exterior scenes of workers and equipment taken for plant promotional purposes. Printed materials include a set of Morrell’s Magazine (1945-1965).
Alden and Zedie Morrison
Diaries,1877-1899. Microfilm. Reel #4 Item #40.
Alden (1856-1896) and Zedie (1870-1956) were the children of Charles and Elizabeth Ann Emerson, homesteaders in Nobles County, Minnesota, in 1872. Zedie’s seven diaries (1889-1892) record her domestic duties and her courtship and early days of her marriage with Cyril Buyse, livestock dealer and butcher.
Edith Muecke
Publication
Fun, Fashion and Common Sense (Vol.1, No. 1, Fall 1892), published by the Bee Hive Dry Goods Co., Sioux Falls.
Ann B. Mundelein (1889-1987)
Papers, 1899-1987. 2.0 lin. ft.
From 1922 to 1933, Ann did evangelistic work in China, leaving because of the war. She returned to New York City where she attended Church Training School at Cathedral of St. John the Divine and became the Director of Religious Education at Holy Trinity Church until 1935. Ann Mundelein then moved to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, remaining until 1958. This collection consists largely of correspondence and photographs. The letters are mostly written from Ann to her sister, Clara M. Smith. The four photo albums are of many different subjects, with identification lacking in some instances.
Arthur and Lil Norlin
Papers, 1949-1965.
Small Collections, One folder.
Includes articles about Cora Stavig, who was named National Mother of the Year in 1964. Also included are two transcripts of papers concerning mergers within the Lutheran Church branches, one of which Lil Norlin authored.
The Old Fort Thompson Project
3 boxes
In September of 1984, the Center for Western Studies undertook a study of the history of Old Fort Thompson and its relationship to the region of which it was a part: Crow Creek and Lower Brule Reservations, Buffalo County, Big Bend, neighboring towns, and other reservations. The study attempted to contact those who lived at the fort and around Crow Creek in the years before the dams. These included members of the Crow Creek Tribe and also those of other tribes who may have lived and worked there; it also included non-Indians of government, mission, trader and ranch families in the area. Betty Clark Rosenthal, who grew up with many of the Indian and non-Indian residents at Old Fort Thompson, was the principal investigator for the project. Most, if not all, of the materials in the present collection were gathered by Betty Clark Rosenthal personally or donated to her by persons (Indian and non-Indian) who lived and worked there. This collection consists mainly of photographs of the Old Fort Thompson and Crow Creek areas. Many of them are of people from these areas, and they range in date from the 1890’s to 1984. The project was never completed by Rosenthal.
Donald Dean Parker (1889-1982)
Papers, 1897-1973.
14.5 cu. ft.
Contains copies of South Dakota church newspapers and annual reports 1835-1854, 1867-1876, 1881, a copy of Lydia Hasting’s diary, and copies of various church records, collected by Parker, a South Dakota State University history professor.
Evelyn Paul, Interview Collection
Five Interviews, 29 pages.
Small Collections, One folder.
Contains oral interview transcripts of five interviews of Sioux Falls residents by Evelyn Paul. Those interviewed are: Cleo Tyler, Florence Phillips, Christine Gaffin, Minnie Murphy, and Byrdie Tillery Johnson.
Irma Person
Papers, 1903-1986
0.5 lin. ft.
Contains materials relating to Person’s parents, the Reverend Richard and Emmy Tauber of Hosmer, South Dakota. The collection includes written reminiscences, photographs, a guest book, and a register of baptisms and confirmations (1903-1956).
Bessie Pettigrew
Papers, 1870-1976.
Documents, correspondence, clippings, account books, record books, photographs collected by Bessie Pettigrew, daughter of South Dakota homesteader F.W. Pettigrew and niece of United States Senator Richard Pettigrew, relating to the Pettigrew family.
Peder L. Phillips Collection 1800-1992
5 cu. ft.
Contains some diaries and personal correspondence from Florence Anderson to Peder L. Phillips.
Lester A. and Edith L. Pierson
Papers, 1916-1985
4.5 lin. ft.
Includes a series on the Women’s Missionary Federation, 1923-1958, Edith Pierson Personal series, and Subject Files series which includes, "Women and Their Wills."
Vivian Ranney Raab
Letters, 1917-1918. Microfilm. Reel #5 Item #62.
Raab was a member of the U.S. Army Sisters of Cheer, organized to send letters and packages to First World War American Soldiers. The collection includes her membership card, instructions, and letters from soldiers in response to her letters.
Mel Ramsey
Booklets, 1946-1959, 1964, 1971. 22 Booklets.
Booklets from the Sioux Falls PEO chapters and report cards of Barbara and Betty Ramsey, 1939-1943.
Helen Ransom and Eileen Bevick
Genealogy, One item.
Small Collections.
Contains "Genealogy of Nils Nilsen Remmen and Gutorm Oldre" (1977).
Donald Reaves
Diary, 1936 (one item)
Small Collections.
This diary was kept by an anonymous farm wife who apparently lived with her Norwegian-American family on the shores of Lake Shetek, near Slayton, Minnesota. The entries, from January to May 1936 show the daily life of a farm family during the Great Depression.
Riggs Family Papers
1839-
Primarily correspondence of the Riggs family of missionaries under the ABCFM. Of special note are the papers of Stephen R. Riggs, early missionary to the Dakota, and his two sons, Thomas and Alfred, and their wives. Thomas and Alfred managed Indian boarding schools at Oahe, SD, and Santee, NE, respectively; their wives participated in this work as administrators and teachers. Also contains photographs, reports, and printed materials. United Church of Christ, South Dakota Conference Archives. See Harry F. Thompson in "For Further Reading."
Harold Shunk Collection
1861-1987
Contains correspondence from family and records related to his employment with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Department of the Interior, 1933-1968, as well as an extensive photograph collection, which includes photographs of his family, Pine Ridge, Standing Rock and Cheyenne River Indian Reservations, Tribal leaders, and old west figures.
Kathy Sinning
Report, 1977.
Photocopy of Sinning’s report for an Augustana College course, "Folk Medicine: Origins, Treatments, and Medical Purposes."
Sioux Falls Bicentennial Commission
Records, 1974-1977. 2 cu. ft.
Correspondence, documents, clippings, printed materials, photographs, press releases, memos, minutes and reports generated from its interaction with organizations in the Sioux Falls area for the celebration of the American Bicentennial. Among the organizations are the Chamber of Commerce Women’s Divisions, Girls Club, American Association of University Women, and the League of Women Voters.
Sioux Falls Oral History Project, 1976
176 Cassette Tapes.
Oral interviews (without transcripts) with older members of the Sioux Falls community, many of whom are of Norwegian Descent. This was a Bicentennial project sponsored by the Voluntary Action Center and Aging Services Center.
Slektningene: The Hokenstad-Helmeid-Roesum Family History, 1625-1985
One Item (300p.)
Small Collections.
Comprehensive history of three families contains history and maps of Norway, family group sheets, stories of early family life, a generation chart, and an index of names. Published in 1985 and co-authored by Etta Hokenstad Berge of Marshall, Minnesota, and Lyle Berge of Pueblo, Colorado.
South Dakota Speaks: A Centennial Portrait
Interview Collection, Seven Audio Tapes.
Series of 52 radio features that deal with aspects of the changes in South Dakota during its first 100 years. The stories were broadcast on Minnesota Public Radio in a five-state area during 1989. Mark Steil did the Interviews. No transcript is available.
South Dakota State Medical Association Collection
Records, 1883-1982. 10.0 lin ft.
Contains manuscripts, minutes, legal documents, printed materials, clippings, photographs, scrapbooks, logbooks, and tapes collected by the South Dakota State Medical Association (SDSMA) as part of its centennial celebration in 1981. In 1985 and 1995, additional archival materials were deposited by the SDSMA. These records constitute boxes four through seven and include license registers, membership registers, SDSMA minutes, annual meeting programs, SDSMA publications, various copies of The Journal-Lancet, and other related materials.
South Sioux Falls (S.D.)
History (22p.)
Small Collections.
Contains a short written history of the village of South Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Nellie M. Iverson, wife of former South Sioux Falls mayor, Sherman Iverson, wrote it. For other information on South Sioux Falls, see Sioux Falls, South Dakota: A Pictorial History, by Gary D. and Erick L. Olson; and Sioux Falls in Retrospect, by R.E. Bragstad.
Marie Knudtson Steen
Scrapbooks, 1886-1963. Microfilm. Reel #22 Item #133
Two scrapbooks of the Steen family, containing letters, clippings, and photographs, collected by Steen (1877-1963), born in Norway, wife of North Dakota homesteader George Steen, and supervisor of the Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce dining room from 1917 to 1934. Many of the items in the scrapbooks are related to activities of the Chamber of Commerce.
Eunice and Myles Stenshoel
Family Histories, Three items.
Small Collections.
Contains the following family histories: Amund and Serine from Nesvag to Big Canoe, Iowa, Ole og Kari fra Sogenfjord, Rockne Root and Branch, 1500-1978.
Bethel Thompson
Papers, 1940-1979.
.5 lin. ft.
Contains genealogy charts, notes, journal, translation of journal, and manuscript. These materials pertain to the Svendgaard, Torstenson, Uglem, Almaas, and Evenson families.
Richard Tomshack
Papers, n.d. 5 in. and 2 roll microfilm. Reel #13 and #15 Item #139 and #141.
Comprehensive genealogical research of the Tomshack family, including pedigree charts, documents, clippings, and photographs.
Myrtle Twedt and Family
Papers, 1864-1959
.5 lin. ft.
Collection consists of genealogical material, immigration documents, a business ledger, and other materials relating to the Seim, Esoeland, and Ellingson families. The genealogy is from the Myrtle Larson Twedt family. There are materials relating to Lucien Johnson. The immigration documents and other certificates are from several persons. Also included is a centennial history of Elk Point, South Dakota.
United Church of Christ South Dakota Conference Archives
1839-date
Documents the work of the of the United Church of Christ South Dakota Conference and its impact on the native and immigrant peoples of South Dakota and parts of Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and Manitoba. Records include personal papers of missionaries, including Mary C. Collins and Mary A.C.L. Riggs, as well as records of ministers, schools and churches. See Thompson in "For Further Reading" or "Center for Western Studies In-House Finding Aid The United Church of Christ South Dakota Conference (UCC)."
Gordon R. Waldron (1917-)
Family History and Photographs (12 items).
Small Collections, One folder.
Contains a Family Group Sheet and photographs on the family of Gordon R. Waldron, whose grandparents, Peter Nelson Wadron and Hattie L. (Gould) Waldron, homesteaded in what is now Kingsbury County, South Dakota. The genealogy traces the Waldron family to the year 1610, in Holland. The photographs, most of which are identified, are of Waldron’s ancestors.
Martha Berdahl Wangsness
Paper, 1892-1975.
1.5 lin. ft.
Contains diaries, correspondence, ledgers, clippings, and other materials relating to the Berdahl family. Martha Wangsness was a 1902 graduate of Augustana College and the wife of Herman Wangsness.
William (Bill ) Webster
Genealogy and Rowena (S.D.) history
Small Collections.
Contains a history of the Wright family, "Heritage the Wrights Have Wrought," and items relating to the history of Rowena, South Dakota.
Kathryn Welter
Research Files, 1986
.25 lin. ft.
Kathryn Welter was a 1986 graduate of Augustana College, where she majored in Music/German/English. This collection constitutes the research she did for a Student-Mentor Project in the summer of 1986 under the supervision of Dr. Arthur Huseboe. The project involved a collection of letters, the Elizabeth Hall Collection, which are letters written from 1849-1883 and involve much about Civil War-era America. Kathy’s files include background research, correspondence, draft manuscripts, and typed copies of all the letters in the Hall Collection. A copy of the monograph produced from the project, Civil War Miniatures: Six Letters, 1862-1865, is included in the collection.
Wentworth, South Dakota, Women’s Club
Scrapbooks, 1941-1960. Microfilm. Reel #15 and #16 Item #104
Five scrapbooks recording the various activities and members of the club.
Nellie Zabel Willhite Collection
Papers, 1904-1987. 2.0 lin ft.
Contains the papers of South Dakota’s first woman pilot. Born in 1892, Nellie Zabel Willhite began flying in 1927 after her father gave her $200 to enroll in a flight course through Dakota Airlines, Inc., at Renner Field in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. These papers are an excellent source of information regarding her days as a pilot as well as general information on early flying. The collection contains correspondence, photographs, newsclippings, and other material regarding the life and flying career of Nellie Zabel Willhite.