Minnehaha County Historical Society

News

Membership DUES took affect in January, 2023 so please join or renew now.
MCHS is asking for donations, with the goal of $15,000, to repair the Pioneer Memorial.   The monument was erected in 1949 and is located on what was then U.S. Highway 77 and Cliff Avenue.  It remains popular as a stopping site to visit and overlook the city.  It is much in need of repairs and reconditioning to bring the historic obelisk back to its original condition.  Repairs began the end of April.  

The next stage for the Pioneer Memorial is a security system so please continue to donate to the fund. More details to come.

For additional news, please check our News page. 

               _______________

             "The New Marker Man"

For years, Bruce Blake was known to anyone who had any interest in regional history as the original “Marker Man”. In the early 1980s Bruce started a program devoted to erecting historical markers in and around Sioux Falls. Today, there are nearly 250 throughout Minnehaha County thanks to Bruce’s initiative and determination. Like anything else that has had to stand the test of South Dakota’s broad range of weather conditions. Over time many of the historical markers have come to look “well weathered”. Fortunately for us a new “Marker Man” has come forward. Jim Carlson, a long-time member of the Minnehaha County Historical Society and current Historical Marker Chairman has been experimenting with some marker restoration processes and is finding a great deal of success. “We want people to know what happened in the past, so markers are placed close to wherever things did happen. The markers are basically about either people, places or events that happened,” says Jim. Seeing is believing as exhibited by the before and after images of the Martin Luther King marker below. Jim heads up a small group of volunteers rolling up their sleeves to restore these markers. He says about half of the markers could use some work. Says Jim, “Anyone who would like to join our group should just let me know.” He added, “It would be a great community project for any individual, family or organization that is interested.” Jim can be reached at (605)366-8403