Source: SD State Archives

We are focused on ensuring South Dakota digital collections are not just lost and are accessible to the public

American Indian Collection 

The American Indian photograph collection contains 14 boxes of images of individuals, including Red Cloud and Sitting Bull, that have been collected since the founding of the South Dakota State Historical Society. An additional 13 boxes contain images of camps, delegations, reservations throughout the state, winter counts, and dancing.

• Examples of collections include the Arthur McFatridge collection, images from private individuals, the Richard A. Pohrt collection, and the Mark St. Pierre collection. Arthur McFatridge spent 1898 to 1905 on the Rosebud Reservation working as a teacher and day school inspector. His collection contains 56 images of reservation life.
• The photographs date from the 1860s to the 1900s. The Richard A. Pohrt collection consists of 217 images of Pine Ridge Reservation recorded around 1900. Topics of interest include a July 4th celebration in 1902, ration issue, landscapes, cattle ranching, schools, dwellings, and area people.
• The Mark St. Pierre collection was taken around 1905 and includes images of Indian people at Eagle Butte, South Dakota, on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation.
• Of particular interest is an image entitled "Utes," which documents the stay of the White River Utes in South Dakota from 1906 through 1908.

3,642 images will be digitized and cataloged. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . goal $66,708*

* This is a large collection and costs may be broken down per collection for smaller donations. 

Yes! I want to help make possible the preservation of the Native American Collection!