FOR RELEASE: June 4, 2013

CONTACT: Jeff Mammenga, Media Coordinator, (605) 773-6000, Jeff.Mammenga@state.sd.us

History book club discussing famous South Dakota events

PIERRE, S.D. -- From the first vote west of the Mississippi River to a pharmacist posting roadside signs advertising free ice water, It Happened in South Dakota.

Patrick Straub writes about 30 events that shaped South Dakota in It Happened in South Dakota. The book will be the featured selection of the History and Heritage Book Club when it meets at 7 p.m. CDT on Tuesday, June 11, at the Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre.

“Presentations during the meeting will focus upon two pivotal events in the state’s history that occurred in the Pierre area,” said Michael Lewis, president of the South Dakota Historical Society Foundation. The foundation is the nonprofit fundraising partner of the South Dakota State Historical Society and sponsors the History and Heritage Book Club, along with the SDSHS Press.

 State Historical Society Director Jay D. Vogt will tell about an event that occurred before South Dakota became a state: the claiming of the region for France in 1743 by brothers Francois and Louis-Joseph Verendrye (Ver-EN-dree). The lead plate they left behind, the Verendrye Plate, is one of the most famous artifacts displayed at the Cultural Heritage Center.

Lura Kirkpatrick and David K. Hansen will describe their involvement in a more recent event in South Dakota: the filming of the movie Dances With Wolves. Much of the filming took place in 1989 on the Triple U Buffalo Ranch northwest of Pierre. Kirkpatrick brought horses for the actors to ride and her husband was an extra. Hansen was involved in set preparation. Among the many things he did was remove fences and move tents used by the cast and crew from site to site.

“We welcome people to come to the meeting and share their stories about Dances With Wolves,” Lewis said. “Many from the Pierre area were involved in the making of this movie, which earned a place in cinematic history when it received the Academy Award for Best Picture.”

The event is free and everyone is welcome to attend.

It Happened in South Dakota is available at the Heritage Stores at the Cultural Heritage Center and the Capitol. Book club members receive a 10-percent discount, and South Dakota State Historical Society members receive an additional 5-percent discount when they purchase the book at either Heritage Store.

For more information, call (605) 773-6006.

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The South Dakota Historical Society Foundation is a private charitable nonprofit that seeks funding to assist the South Dakota State Historical Society in programming and projects to preserve South Dakota’s history and heritage for future generations.

The South Dakota State Historical Society is a division of the Department of Tourism. The Department of Tourism is comprised of Tourism, the South Dakota Arts Council, and the State Historical Society. The Department is led by Secretary James D. Hagen. The State Historical Society, an Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, is headquartered at the South Dakota Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre. The center houses the society’s world-class museum, the archives, and the historic preservation, publishing and administrative/development offices. Call (605) 773-3458 or visit www.history.sd.gov for more information. The society also has an archaeology office in Rapid City; call (605) 394-1936 for more information.