Union County Historical Society

05/29/2026

Excited yet? The anxious public and the staff of the South Dakota State Historical Society is!

In just over a month, nearly half of the South Dakota State Museum gallery will open to the public in time for the nation’s 250th anniversary.

The Grand Opening event is slated for July 1st at 4 p.m. with a centering prayer by Francis Whitebird and remarks by distinguished guests. The prelude to the event will feature music from Pierre Music/Riverbank Music Academy students beginning at 3 p.m. During that hour, members of the Society will get a sneak peek at the new exhibit. If you do not have a membership, now is a great time to buy one to become part of the exclusive preview crowd.

Please call Kevin Larsen at 605-773-6000 or visit https://history.sd.gov/Membership.aspx to become a member today!

05/25/2026

03/23/2026

Just an update on progress at the society! If you are not local to Elk Point and have not recently driven by, we have engaged someone to restore the historic brick kiln on our property. After consultation with an archeologist from the State of South Dakota last fall and the South Dakota Preservation Office, we are full steam ahead. Here are a few pictures:

12/05/2025

12/05/2025

I have come to know the folks buried in the Spink area well over the past few years. I always feel like I’m with friends when I visit.

12/04/2025

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Visitors make their way down a country road to the Nora store, and even a curious cat stopped by to take in the scene. Outside, it’s a cold and breezy day. In…

06/17/2025

Reminder that this weekend just over the county line Dalesburg will be hosting their Midsummer Festival. If you’ve have Swedish ancestry, its a fun place to experience good food, great music, and the May Pole. Dalesburg houses the records and artifacts from Union County’s Ahlsburg Swedish Lutheran Church, the first in Dakota Territory.

04/29/2025

Last week, SDPB's In the Moment featured scholar Allan C. Carlson to discuss the newest edition of "Giants in the Earth," published last year by SDHS Press.

Carlson talks about the importance this book holds in the American literary canon, and why its tale of Norwegian settlers in Dakota Territory remains popular today. Listen to the entire episode dedicated to O. E. Rolvaag and his classic novel here: https://www.sdpb.org/show/in-the-moment/2025-04-14/classic-midwestern-novel-explores-cultural-pluralism-on-the-prairie

In the Moment's Lori Walsh also spoke with South Dakota Symphony Orchestra Maestro Delta David Gier about their "Giants in the Earth" opera performances this Saturday and Sunday (April 26 & 27). Gier discusses how this Pulitzer Prize-winning opera brings the literary classic to the stage. Listen here: https://www.sdpb.org/show/in-the-moment/2025-04-15/giants-in-the-earth-endures-as-award-winning-opera

For more about the book, go to https://www.sdhspress.com/books/giants-in-the-earth-a-saga-of-the-prairie.