The Black Hills Historian Spring 2013 Newsletter of the Friends of Case Library Rafting on swimming pool built by Este F-3 Camp at the Forks Campground. Photo from the Black Hills National Forest Historical Collection. For full image see http://bit.ly/151I2kE { } Mission: The Leland D. Case Library preserves and promotes the history of the Black Hills, South Dakota, and the Northern Great Plains. We collect historical materials and provide professional collection care. We are service oriented and assist with the research needs of the University, the community, and the world. Highlighted Collection: Crow Peak Extension Club Records by Beshka Ringstad The Crow Peak Extension Club came into being on February 8, 1925, under the supervision of Evan W. Hall, County Agent, and May Kiethline of the State Extension Office at Brookings, South Dakota. It was the oldest extension club in Lawrence County and the only club in South Dakota to have three Eminent Homemakers as members. The Eminent Homemakers and the companion Eminent Farmer/Rancher awards were established in 1927. It is a South Dakota statewide award that recognizes individuals for their contributions of leadership and service to the community on the local, state and national level. According to the organization´s constitution, meetings were to be held in the homes of the members, in alphabetical order, on the first Wednesday of each month. The club was organized to study problems relating to home and community and focused its energies on promoting and educating on homemaking skills. Various homemaking demonstrations were held, such as “First Aid in the Home,” “Desserts that are Different,” and a fair exhibit entitled “Something Cooked or Sewed.” From May 2, 1934, until sometime in 1936, the Crow Peak Extension Club belonged to the Federation of Women´s Clubs. In 1938, Founding Members of the Crow Peak Extension Club. a delegate was sent to the National Demonstration Council meeting in Lexington, Kentucky. During World War II, two Netherlands families were sponsored and packages were sent to them. Other activities the club participated in include a reading program, 4-H Club, donating money and time to disabled children and the elderly, studying Civil Defense, and recycling. At Christmas time, a potluck supper and program by 4-H members marked the occasion; as well as a visit by Santa. Overall, the club´s goals encompassed the raising of healthy children, the maintenance of a happy home, and a sense of community that encompasses even the less fortunate. Case Library received this collection in 2007. It contains: secretary’s books, song books from dances and meetings, handbooks, and organizational business records. The collection covers the period of 1926-1989 and gives us a look at women’s lives during that time. A full inventory of the collection is available on our web pages at http://iis.bhsu. edu/lis/specColl/findingAid/index. cfm?aid=crowpeak Help us save our history Highlighted Resource: Sharp Bits In February of 1951, the Public Relations Department of the Homestake Mining Company issued the first monthly edition of a publication called Sharp Bits. This “new experiment” was to “more fully advise employees of the details of the operations of the company.” It also contained personal items such as retirement, birth, and death announcements. Following the hospital report of the “blessed events” that occurred in Homestake families, “proud fathers” are reminded to note the new deduction on their withholding reports. Items included were not limited to dry technical details of mining operations. One item in the premier issue reports the progress of the modernization of the recreation building. Floors in the bowling alley would be replaced, the lighting would be updated, floors refinished, and walls redecorated. When the renovation was finished, the facility was to be renamed “The Homestake Club”. Another item announced that W.P. Wildermuth, Dr. of Optometry had joined the hospital staff. For the first year or so, Sharp Bits was published in a four-page newsletter format. Eventually, additional pages were added, and by April 1953 the publication evolved into a glossy magazine format and began including photographs. Items included information about local sites to see such as Devil’s Tower and Mount Rushmore. By the Spring of 1967 the publication had become a quarterly. Content had gone from being Lead community oriented to news of interest to the Homestake global community. Sharp Bits ceased publication with the Fall/Winter issue of 1970. The Case Library holds a complete run of this publication. This useful resource provides both valuable details of Homestake’s operation and a sense of the Homestake, Lead community. These links are to the Society of American Archivists pamphlets on donating your personal papers or business records to an archive. Please consider donating your historical photographs, scrapbooks, diaries, personal and family papers, and business or organizational records relating to the history of the Black Hills to the Case Library (or another favored archive or museum). Donating personal records: http://bit.ly/tJHmg6 Donating organizational records: http://bit.ly/w0FrMZ Follow Us! The Leland D. Case Library for Western Historical Studies is on Facebook! www.facebook.com/CaseLibrary The Black Hills Historian (The Case Library newsletter) Contact info Case Library is located on the second floor of the E.Y. Berry LibraryLearning Center on the campus of Black Hills State University. Hours are typically 9 a.m. to 12 noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and may vary depending on staff availability. Appointments aren’t necessary, but if you are making a special trip to campus, call (605) 642-6361 to make sure we are here. You can also contact Bobbi at Roberta.Sago@BHSU.edu. Leland D. Case Library for Western Historical Studies: Black Hills State University 1200 University, Unit 9676 Spearfish, SD 57799-9676 605-642-6361 Roberta.Sago@BHSU.edu Case Library web pages www.BHSU.edu/Case Friends of Case Library web page Sharp Bits, Cover-April 1963 Sharp Bits, Cover-February 1965 www.BHSU.edu/Case Click on Friends of Case Library on left menu The E.Y. Berry Library-Learning Center: 40 years and going strong By Jessica Skorheim “The E.Y. Berry Library-Learning Center is much more than a functional building. It is the idea of having all the learning facilities on campus, both print and non-print in one location to afford maximum utilization by students, faculty and the community” – Dr. M.N. Freeman, President of Black Hills State College, May 3, 1972 President Freeman spoke these words during the dedication of the E. Y. Berry Library-Learning Center on May 3, 1972. Within the first year after his arrival in 1967, President Freeman realized that the campus library needed an upgrade. Planning for a new facility began on June 6, 1968. The proposal was first taken before the Board of Regents in July, 1970. The BOR rejected the plan so it was redrawn and taken to them again in 1971. This time they authorized the building of a new library at Black Hills State College. Corner Construction Company of Rapid City was contracted as the builder. The library was named for E.Y. Berry, long-time Congressional Representative from Western South Dakota. Following E. Y. Berry’s retirement from Congress in early 1971, he donated his extensive Congressional Collection to Black Hills State College. The valuable historical and research material is still in the Library-Learning Center. Researchers can access the collection in the Case Library. Bob Lee, nationally-recognized historian and president of the E. Y. Berry Foundation, called the Berry collection of papers, pictures and other materials a “gold mine of resource information for historians, students, and social and political science writers alike.” The BHSC library committee chose the name E. Y. Berry in honor of Berry’s work as congressman. The South Dakota Board of Regents approved it in September 1971. Freeman praised the action as a “tribute to a great South Dakotan.” After the BOR approved the name, The E. Y. Berry Foundation was formed. The Foundation helped raise money for the completion of the library and assisted the handling of the E. Y. Berry Congressional Collection. The Library was built on the site of Dedication of the E.Y. Berry Library May 3rd, 1973, Former U.S. Representative E.Y. Berry on the left, Former South Dakota Governor Joe Foss at the podium. the old Central Hall, more commonly known as “The Lab School”. Central Hall was erected in 1904 to house science classes; it was demolished in September 1971. Some of the weathered stones were salvaged and used to construct the entrance to Ida Henton Park. The foundation for the library was poured September 14, 1971. In addition to building a new facility, the collection it would contain was expanded. In September 1971, the University purchased a set of 20,000 microbooks, known as the “The Library of American Civilization,” and a micromachine for reading the new microfilm. This addition gave students access to resources that are rare and not held in many libraries. The campus’s first computer facility was housed in the Berry Library. The building also contains a Western Americana Section for the preservation of educational materials that relate to every aspect of our area. In addition the library houses an audiovisual center, educational radio and TV center. As the library expanded, staff converted the collection classification from the Dewey Decimal System to the Library of Congress system. This was done because the Library of Congress system makes it easier to locate particular works in larger and academic libraries. The library was completed in November 1972 and the State took possession of the building December 1st. Over the course of Christmas break the library staff and student workers moved the library material into the new building. Materials had been housed in the Maude Russell Carter Library in Woodburn Hall and a Curriculum Library in Jonas Hall. Materials had also been stored at other sites around campus. After a year and a half of construction, the E. Y. Berry Library opened January 15, 1973. The library was color coordinated with warm shades of gold, orange, and brown furniture to make it a relaxing atmosphere, conducive to study. In the spirit of making the library a repository of regional history and culture, the Lyndle Dunn Wildlife Art Collection was hung throughout the library. It remains displayed on the second floor. Originally, there was a Continued on next page 4 Men at work on the E.Y. Berry Library 1972. The E.Y. Berry Library-Learning Center Continued from page 3 complex of four rooms on second floor that housed micro material, the BHSC Archives, the Berry Congressional Collection and the South Dakota and Western Americana materials. There were lounges on first floor for faculty and second floor for students to talk, smoke and read. These were removed or altered as the needs of the library and campus community changed. As part of the opening, library staff held an open house on April 3, 1973, starting at 7 p.m. Guided tours of the $1.65 million facility were offered to the public at 15-minute intervals. Each tour took an hour. Special guests included retired congressman E. Y. Berry, his wife, and Mrs. Alice Dunn, the wife of the late artist Lyndle Dunn. Over 200 attended the open house. Dr. Edwin Erikson, the director of the center, and Mrs. Doris Phillips, the library services coordinator, chaired the committee that organized and planned the open house. The E.Y. Berry Library dedication was May 3, 1973. Many friends and associates of E. Y. Berry assembled to honor him and the dedication of the new LibraryLearning Center in named for him. Hundreds of students and area residents attended the formal dedication. Berry was a U.S. Representative for 20 years, from 1951 until 1971. In 1970, he received the first honorary doctorate degree bestowed by BHSC. Speakers at the dedication included: keynote speaker, former state Governor Joe Foss; Rev. Arthur Westwood of the United Church of Christ; Dr. M. N. Freeman president of The new E.Y. Berry Library in 1972. BHSC; Kay Jorgensen BH Student Senate president; Ted after 10:30 a.m. to allow students and Muster; Dave Miller, a cataloguer of the E. faculty to attend the dedication. Y. Berry papers; John E. Sutton, member Though the methods of delivering of the South Dakota Board of Regents; information have changed, after 40 years, and Al Hall. Berry gave a humble speech, the E.Y. Berry Library-Learning Center saying,: “Thank you; thank you all; thank is still a dynamic gathering and learning you very much.” After the dedication a space, serving the Black Hills State reception was held to honor Berry and University global community. his family in the Upper Lounge of the ______________ Student Center. Guided library tours were Jessica is a student worker in the Case Library. offered. The BHSC Woodwind Ensemble, She is a sophomore pursuing an English major directed by Dr. Richard Temple, provided and a Library Science minor. music for the event. Classes were canceled Charles Rambow Talk Ku Klux Klan marching in front of the Duhamel building in Rapid City, in 1927. Photograph from the David Miller Papers in the Leland D. Case Library for Western Historical Studies To help celebrate National Library Week, the Case Library is hosting a talk by Charles Rambow titled “The KKK in the Black Hills: 1920.” After discovering that his grandparents had been members of the Ku Klux Klan, Rambow became interested in the history of the group’s presence in the Black Hills. This led to him writing his master’s thesis on the topic. He will share his information, exhibits, and unique perspective of these little-known activities. Rambow taught local and American history at Sturgis High School from 1960-1994 and then taught at University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, and later at BHSU. During the summers he served as ranger and naturalist at Bear Butte State Park. He met and learned from many tribal elders. After retiring from teaching, he served as director of the Fort Meade Military Museum for nine years. He has written Bear Butte: Journeys to the Sacred Mountain and the unpublished Cheyenne Sketchbook.. The Loss of a Black Hills’ Friend: In Memory of Watson Parker by David A. Wolff We were all recently saddened by the passing of Watson Parker. If you even casually study Black Hills History, you know of Parker. His 1966 book, “Gold in the Black Hills,” is a must read for anyone who wishes Watson Parker to understand the Black Hills gold rush, and his 1981 book, “Deadwood: the Golden Years,” still stands as the most comprehensive survey of Deadwood’s past. Parker started his adventures into Black Hills history when his parents purchased Palmer Gulch Lodge in 1927. For more than 30 years, he had a connection to the Lodge, including writing the “Palmer Gulch Guide to the Black Hills.” During this time, he took a special delight in discovering and researching Black Hills ghost towns, no matter if any buildings remained or not. Part of these efforts resulted in the 1974 publication, “Black Hills Ghost Towns,” which he put together with Hugh Lambert. But Parker was much more than a Black Hills History enthusiast and author. He had that special knack of combining a strong scholarly bent with a folksy style and dry wit. While he earned a Ph.D. from the University of Oklahoma and taught for over 20 years at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, people around the Hills remember him more for the great stories he told and for his quick turn-of-a-phrase. He always made the stories memorable, and he often ended them with: “If it isn’t true, it ought to be.” (I think that’s nearly correct.) On a more personal level, I stumbled across a copy of “Gold in the Black Hills” in a Laramie, Wyoming, bookstore one snowy Saturday morning in 1969, and it changed my life. I always liked history and I already loved the Black Hills, and that book connected those two passions. I then knew that at some point I wanted to work in Black Hills History. While it took a few decades for that to happen, it eventually did, and I thank Watson for that inspiration. With Parker’s passing, not only has Black Hills History lost a friend, but we all have lost a friend. And I assure you that the Case Library will do everything it can to preserve the book and archival collections that he and his family have entrusted to us. We shall help his legacy live on. Watson Parker Chronological Bibliography Palmer Gulch Lodge Guide to the Black Hills. Rapid City, S.D.: privately printed, 1952, 1953, 1958. “The Exploration of the Dakota Black Hills.” Unpublished Master’s thesis, University of Oklahoma, 1962. Black Hills Ghost Towns and Others: An Historical Gazetteer. Norman, Oklahoma: privately published, 1964. Sometimes Wrong But Never Silent: A Collection of Excerpts from the Hill City, S.D. Community Calendar. Wayne, Illinois: Hugh & Jacqueline Lambert, ca. 1964. “Moods, Memories, and Mirages: The Desert in American Magazines,” American West, Vol. 1, No. 4 (1964). “An Illinois Greenhorn in Bismarck, D.T.,” North Dakota History, Vol. 35, No. 1 (1968). “A Westward Heritage,” South Dakota History, Vol. 6, No. 3 (Summer 1976). Editor, “Report of the Reverend Samuel D. Hinman,” Bits and Pieces, V (November 1969). Editor, “The Report of Captain John Mix of a Scout to the Black Hills, March-April 1875,” South Dakota History, Vol. 7, No. 4 (Fall 1977). “The Causes of American Gold Rushes,” North Dakota History, Vol. 36. No. 4 (1969). Editor, “A Black Hills Bibliography,” South Dakota Department of History Report and Historical Collections, XXXV. Stickney, S.D.: Argus Printers, 1970. “The Majors and the Miners: The Role of the U.S. Army in the Black Hills Gold Rush,” Journal of the West, Vol. XI, No. 1 (January 1972). Gold in the Black Hills. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1966. “Some Black Hills Ghost Towns and Their Origins,” South Dakota History, Vol. 2, No. 2 (Spring 1972). “Gold Before the Gold Rushes,” (Chicago) Westerner’s Brand Book, XXII (February 1966). Authored with Hugh K. Lambert, Black Hills Ghost Towns. Chicago: Sage Books, 1974. “Lost Treasures of the Black Hills,” Bits and Pieces, IV, No. 1 (January 1968). “Black Hills Ghost Towns,” Journal of the West, Vol. 14, No. 2 (April 1975). Assisted compiler Charles Tank, Bits and Pieces: A regional Magazine of Black Hills History, edited by Mabel E. Brown at Newcastle, Wyoming: A Cross-Referenced Index of Volumes 1-11 for the Years, 1966 through 1977. Spearfish, S.D.: Friends of the Leland D. Case Library for Western Historical Studies, Black Hills State College, 1979. “Booming the Black Hills,” South Dakota History, Vol. 11, No. 1 (Winter 1980). Deadwood: the Golden Years. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1981. “Military Posts of the Black Hills,” Journal of America’s Military Past, Vol. 28, No. 1 (August 2001). Local happenings April 14-20 National Library Week. Theme, Communities Matter @ Your Library April 18 E.Y. Berry Library Birthday Party, from 9-11 a.m., first floor of the library near the coffee shop. April 18 Friends of Case Library hosts Chuck Rambo Presentation on the KKK in the Black Hills, April 26-27 The Dakota Conference – “The Spanish Northern Plains,” Center for Western Studies, April 27 Lawrence County Historical Society – Spring Tour, “Whitewood & the Historical May 3-4, The South Dakota Historical Society Annual Meeting – “Rivers Run Through It: May 4 South Dakota State Railroad Museum - Reopening for the season. Hours 10:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. May 7 Spearfish Area Historical Society – Monthly program, The Mickelson Trail....From the May 25 Days of ’76 Museum Official Grand Opening – Events begin at 9 a.m. with a ribbon-cutting 3:30-4:30, Jonas 305 Sioux Falls. http://bit.ly/SYQyHI Anderson Ranch,” http://bit.ly/151Fbs4 South Dakota’s Rivers and Streams and the Flow of History”, Hilton Garden Inn, Rapid City. http://1.usa.gov/17u3SNp http://bit.ly/UE0b20 Beginning, by Guy Edwards, Paul Higbee, 7:30 p.m. at the Spearfish Senior Center http://bit.ly/T48UJw ceremony, followed by free tours of the museum, music of the Cowboy Culture, show by rodeo clown Duane Reichert; and enjoy arts, crafts and children’s games. A chuck wagon lunch will be available for purchase. From 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., old and new timers alike will gather in the Mary Adams Program Room to share their memories of past Days of ‘76 Celebrations and Rodeos. This special “I Remember When” public forum will be recorded for posterity. For more information, call 605-722-4800. June 28-30 City of Whitewood 125th Anniversary Celebration - Several family-friendly activities are October 3-5 21st Annual West River History Conference - Call for papers, “War on the Plains: Stories of Conflict Over the Years.” Send you proposal to Shebby Lee at wrhc@shebbyleetours.com being planned for all three days. Children’s Games, the 2nd Annual Cruise-In, a Parade, 5-K Run, Parade of Homes, just to name a few. For more information contact Mike Weyrich 605.639.1649; City of Whitewood Mayor, Deb Schmidt 269.2247; Chamber of Commerce, Vice President Ron Waldner 605.580.9399; or Audrey Minderman 920.0250. Case Library Updates Roberta Sago, Special Collections Librarian We’ve been busy in the Case Library. Spring semester brings Historiography students working on their Archives assignments. They are assigned a portion of the E.Y. Berry Papers and inventory each document in their file(s). We’ve also had a lot of students from several American Indian Studies classes coming in for their research papers. In addition to students coming in, we have a steady stream of off-campus patrons. We love to have these visitors enjoy the collections that we cherish. Black Hills Fox interviewed me about the Digital Library South Dakota (DLSD). It aired March 1, 2013. The interview can be found at: http://www.blackhillsfox. com/2013/03/01/BHSU-boasts-one-of-thelargest-western-history-online-collections. We continue to add photographs to this database. The E.Y. Berry Library debuted a redesign of its web page. Featured on the library home page are Case Library photos that are in the DLSD. If you click on the collection name on the lower left side, it will take you directly to the database. The redesign gave the Case Library page a fresh new look http://iis. BHSU.edu/lis/specColl/. It should make it much easier for researchers to find out about our collections. The Case Library is again involved in BHSU Outdoor Week. One of my student workers, Thawney, created a video presentation showcasing Case Library photographs. She placed third in the competition. Case Library has spearheaded arranging the E.Y. Berry Library Birthday Party. The event will take place during National Library Week, April 18 from 9-11 a.m. on the main floor of the E.Y. Berry Library. Speakers expected are: President Schallenkamp, Dr. Custer, and the first director of the E.Y. Berry Library, Ed Erickson. There will be a display on the history of the library in the cases on the first floor near the coffee shop. Also for National Library Week, the Case Library is hosting a talk by Chuck Rambow. It is titled “The KKK in the Black Hills: 1920.” It is also scheduled for April 18 and will begin at 3:30 p.m. in Jonas Hall room 305. Further information is elsewhere in this newsletter. We are still working on getting settled into our expanded space. One result of the rearrangement is that two display cases of material from the E.Y. Berry Papers have been moved to the hallway outside of Case Library where they are more visible to all library patrons and visitors. In September there will be a celebration of the Spearfish 125th and BHSU 130th Anniversaries. In preparation for the events, my students have created a list of historic events in BHSU history using the book The Friendly College. They’ve all enjoyed this task, and it has been fun to see them getting excited about the University’s history. Some of the topics that have particularly interested them are the influenza epidemic of 1919, the KKK presence in the Black Hills, and how involved the campus was in the WWII war effort. This will be a great tool for us to use in planning future events and exhibits. We are grateful for the generosity of several kind donors. Jerry Bryant and Bob Roberts have given us panoramic photos of campus. One is from 1927 and shows students and faculty in front of the Science Hall, better known as the Lab School, with Cook Gym and Woodburn Hall in the background. The other is from 1943 and shows students and faculty in front of Woodburn Hall with Wenona Cook Hall in the background. We have also received a gift of Lindred Shuttler’s papers. As you see, there is never a dull moment in the Case Library. Every day brings something new; something to learn. That is why we do what we do. And we thank you for your continued interest and support. Some books recently added to the Leland D. Case Library Collection Libby, Orin G. (editor), THE ARIKARA NARRATIVE OF CUSTER’S CAMPAIGN AND THE BATTLE OF THE LITTLE BIGHORN, Norman Oklahoma, University of Oklahoma Press, 2012 Rutter, Michael, BEDSIDE BOOK OF BAD GIRLS OUTLAW WOMEN OF THE AMERICAN WEST, Helena, MT, Farcountry Press, 2008 Abrams, Marc H., SIOUX WAR DISPATCHES REPORTS FROM THE FIELD, 1976-1877, Yardley, Pennsylvania, Westholme Publishing, 2012 Andrews, John, et al, SOUTH DAKOTA OUTLAWS & SCOFFLAWS DID OUTLAWS AND SCANDALOUS ANCESTORS SHAPE SOUTH DAKOTA’S CULTURE?, Yankton, SD, South Dakota Magazine, 2012 Roper, Donna C. and Pauls, Elizabeth P., PLAINS EARTHLODGES ETHNOGRAPHIC AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES, Tuscaloosa, AL, The University of Alabama Press, 2005 Risjord, Norman K., DAKOTA THE STORY OF THE NORTHERN PLAINS, Lincoln & London, University of Nebraska Press, 2012 Simpson, Pamela H., CORN PALACES AND BUTTER QUEENS A HISTORY OF CROP ART AND DAIRY CULTURE, Minneapolis & London, University of Minnesota Press, 2012 Coury, Tina Nichols, HANGING OFF JEFFERSON’S NOSE GROWING UP ON MOUNT RUSHMORE, New York, The Penguin Group, 2012 Robinson, Jane Ewers, PLAINS INDIAN ART THE PIONEERING WORK OF JOHN C. EWERS, Norman Oklahoma, University of Oklahoma Press, 2011 Leland D. Case Library Black Hills State University 1200 University Street, Unit 9059 Spearfish, SD 57799-9059 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED Friends of Case Library Join Today! From the Archives □ Annual Individual: $10 Name:_______________________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________ Address: ____________________________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________ Phone: (home)________________________ (cell)________________________________ E-mail: ____________________________________ Please return to: Dr. David Wolff, Friends of Case Library Black Hills State University 1200 University St., Unit 9059 Spearfish, SD 57799 1971, tearing down the water tower and the Lab School to make way for the E.Y. Berry Library.