Warren Green, South Dakota's 13th governor, was born today in 1869 in Wisconsin. His family emigrated to Dakota Territory and lived in Hamlin County, where Green farmed. He was elected to the Legislature in 1906, 1922 and 1924. Green became governor in 1930. He inherited a massive state debt (which he helped pare down through tax reform and budget reductions), drought, a grasshopper plague and crop failure. In 1932, he was defeated by Democrat Tom Berry. He returned to his farm near Hazel where he died in 1945.
Good and bad memories, and framed commendations on one of his four walls - that's what Clarence Wolf Guts has to show for WWII and all that came later.
By Bernie Hunhoff
During the legislative session, I get a daily chance to read the Pierre Capitol Journal. Though it is one of the smallest dailies in the West, the staff does an admirable job with day-to-day news.
And they do better than any South Dakota daily at news from long ago. Matthew Reitzel compiles a [...]
By John Andrews
Did you know that sculptor Gutzon Borglum’s eccentric social attitudes once drew the ire of Adolf Hitler? We didn’t either, until we read a column from the Twin Falls (Idaho) Times-News that a reader recently sent to us.
Much of the column was about Borglum’s ties to the Ku Klux Klan. He supposedly joined [...]
By John Andrews
History buffs in Minnehaha County will want to attend this month’s meeting at the Old Courthouse Museum March 18 at 7 p.m. Emma Abbott, a recent graduate of Augustana College, will talk about John Dillinger and his brazen robbery of the Security National Bank on March 6, 1934.
We wrote about the robbery in [...]
By John Andrews
From 1880 to the 1930s, you could find corn and grain palaces in 24 towns in eight cities across the Midwest. We know this because today we received a book by Rod Evans entitled Palaces of the Prairie. Evans, a scholar and playwright living in Aberdeen, researched and wrote about every one of [...]
By John Andrews
We’re finishing up a story on South Dakota filmmakers for our May/June issue. During the course of research we discovered that Chad Coppess, a photographer for the state’s tourism department and a frequent contributor to the magazine, is a film buff, especially when it comes to films produced in South Dakota. He also [...]
By John Andrews
Is there anything South Dakotans won’t race? We do all the mainstream stuff, like cars and horses. But people in Chamberlain race lawnmowers, and the residents of Volin race turtles. This weekend, the good citizens of Nemo will race outhouses.
Competitors build their own privy, mount it on something that will traverse snowpack well [...]
See the work behind Oscar Howe's paintings at the University of South Dakota. A collection of 15 pencil drawings, boxed for decades and never before seen publicly, is on display in the Old Main building through early March.
St. Patties Weekend
Many South Dakotans have a rich Irish heritage, and St. Patrick's Day is their chance to celebrate. Help paint the shamrock in Sioux Falls (March 13), join the pub-crawl, poker run and parades in Deadwood (March 13 and 17) or eat a traditional Irish dinner at Sacred Heart Church in Aberdeen (March 16).
Doctors in Concert Sioux Falls
Over a dozen doctors will showcase their musical talents and dancing at the Doctors in Concert fundraiser on March 13 at the Washington Pavilion. Call 605-367-6000 for information.
Snowshoe Hike Custer
Take a guided hike around beautiful Sylvan Lake in Custer State Park on March 13. Snowshoes are available to rent. Call 605-255-4464 for more information.