What is the Heartland?
In 1974, IVan Loesch, a historian from Huron, SD, coined the phrase "Heartland". He wanted to describe an area which centers around the James River and includes a large part of Eastern South Dakota.
This "Heartland Region" extends from Highmore to DeSmet, from north of Redfield to south of Forestburg, and it also includes the communities of Howard, Orient, Clark, and the Crow Creek and Lower Brule area. It includes the counties of Faulk, Spink, Clark, Hyde, Hand, Beadle, Kingsbury, Buffalo, Jerauld, Sanborn, and Miner.
From the history of the Heartland, we learn that this was a significant and spiritual part of the country. Many kinds of people made the area their home, farmed, and raised families. Some just passed through and some stopped to trade before moving on. And some stayed for many years.
In many ways, the people of the Heartland today have a lot in common with those who lived here hundreds and thousands of years ago.
By learning about them, their cultures, their traditions, how they survived, and what became of them: we can learn about ourselves and how we can make our own lives better.