Museums in the
Heartland
DeSmet: City Library off US HWY 14 has a collection of Harvey Dunn
originals, books by Wilder Lane and Laura Ingalls Wilder. DeSmet New
office has five Dunn originals on Main St. Museum on Main St, next to the
City Hall, open daily during the summer, please contact the City Auditor.
Surveyors Shanty, two blocks east of the Library, original home of Laura Ingalls
Wilder, is completely furnished and open daily during the summer. After
September, call Mrs. Bornelle McCaskell for an appointment.
Huron: Pioneer
Museum (or DakotaLand Museum), on the SD State Fairgrounds is open
Monday - Friday, 6 PM - 9:30 PM; weekends from 1 PM - 9:30 PM; from Memorial Day
through Labor Day. It contains a collection of more than 5,000 artifacts,
historical documents, photographs, maps and newspapers displaying the Spirit of
Dakota heritage that lives in Huron and the surrounding area. The entire
Kouf family mammal and bird collection is also on exhibition.
The Pyle House, the home of Gladys Pyle,
the first elected woman U.S. Senator is located at 376 Idaho SE. It has
many of the original furnishings, and is a well preserved example of Queen Anne
architecture. It was built in 1894, and has original oak woodwork,
fixtures, and leaded and stained glass windows. 'Open daily from 1 p.m. to
4 p.m.
Humphrey Drug Store is
located on Dakota Ave. South. It was once owned by Humphrey's father, the
former Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey, who worked in the store during the
Great Depression. Surviving the Depression, the store thrives today with a
wide variety of memorabilia from the Humphrey family. Open daily on Dakota
Ave. and still operated by Humphrey's nephew.
Centennial Center at 48 4th St. S.E., is on the
National Register of Historic Places. This building is more commonly known
as the Old Stone Church. The structure was built in 1887 of huge granite
boulders from a farm northeast of Huron. Visitors can view Centennial
memorabilia, railroad items, Indian Artifacts, and memoirs of Hubert and Muriel
Humphrey. 'Open by appointment.
Cheryl Ladd Room: The Cheryl Ladd
Room is located just South of Huron on Highway 37 in The Barn Restaurant. If you
were a guest at the restaurant several years ago, you may have been served by
one of Charlie's Angels. Cheryl Ladd is one of Huron's favorite
natives. As a teen-ager, she worked at The Barn Restaurant. The Barn
initiated and is still the site of Ladd's fan club. You can find a wide
variety of memorabilia from her dynamic acting career on the walls of The Barn
Restaurant.
There are many other old false-fronted brick buildings on the main street
of Huron along with the beautiful Post Office completed in 1914.
Using the city as a canvas, Huron's history is being painted out-of-doors on the
sides of many of the buildings. The murals are an ongoing project, a
pleasure to look at and at the same time, a history lesson.
'"Huron, A History in Murals," got off with a
bang last year with three wall murals being painted in the downtown area.
The first of the mural projects was done by a Rapid City artist, Del Iron Cloud,
on the east wall of the Rogers Agency building on Third Street and Kansas Avenue
Southeast. The mural, themed "Driving the First Corner Stake,
" depicts a scene of settlers laying claim to the city of Huron on April
19, 1880. Huron artist Steve Troy painted the second mural. The
mural, themed "The Great Race," depicts a 110 mile vintage car
race that took place in Huron on Aug.5,1913. It is located at Third Street
and Wisconsin Ave. Southwest on the west wall of the Sportsmen's Bar. The
third mural was painted by Sioux Falls artist David Sieh. The mural,
themed "Jams River Bridge," is located at 143 Dakota Ave.
South. It depicts a historic railroad scene from June 29, 1880, when the
railroad bridge over the James River was completed. Bronze plaques
describing the story behind the murals, along with the artist and sponsor were
put up earlier this year at each of the mural locations. A fourth mural
was also painted in Huron's downtown area last year. It is located on the
south side of the SherwinWilliams Building in Huron's downtown area. It
was painted by local Huron-area youth with Steve Troy supervising the
students painting the mural. Work began Monday, July 3, 2000, on a new
mural in downtown Huron that will depict the community during the 1930's and
1940's, and is expected to be completed by the end of the month in time for the
South Dakota State Fair. The new mural will be on the North side of the Ben
Franklin building on Dakota South. It's theme is "Downtown Saturday
Night." It is a representation of the social custom found during
the 1930's and 1940's in Huron, where residents from the town would park their
vehicles along Dakota Ave. during the day, so in the evening when the country
folks were in town and had finished their shopping and chores, they had some
place for them to visit," Nettinga said, Chairman of the Huron Convention
and Visitor's Bureau's Mural Committee. "People would just walk up
and down Dakota Ave. and stop and visit with people in their cars and catch up
on the latest news and happenings."' (Much of the information in this
paragraph was written by Robert Pore of the Plainsman, the Huron
newspaper, dated Tuesday, July 4, 2000) (Small photos of the murals may be seen
at www.huroncvb.com.
Huron also host the State Fair every year. For more information go the the Huron Chamber of Commerce Convention and Visitor's Center at www.huroncvb.com.
Redfield: Spink County Historical Society Museum on the court housed grounds is open daily during the summer (afternoons only).
The Tulare Boulder is about 10 miles south and 5 west of the Museum in Redfield.
Wessington Springs: Dunham Historical Society Museum in the Jerauld Country Court House is open daily with history of the Dunham family and also maintains a completely furnished country school house.
Ree Heights: The Deuter Museum has a large collection of regional artifacts.
Hitchcock: The Waldner Hitchcock Museum has an assorted variety of interesting items in their collection.