[4] In 1932, the South Dakota State Historical Society (Department of History) moved to the newly completed Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Memorial Building.
[6] The 63,000-square-foot underground building serves as a reminder of the earth-berm lodges of the Arikara Indians that historically lived throughout the Missouri River Valley.
Just like the sod houses and dugouts of early prairie settlers, the Center’s grasses are home to a variety of wildlife that feed on the wild flowers and herbs that grow in this natural cover.
The building’s construction provides optimum climate control, energy efficiency, and minimum potential for damage to artifacts housed in the collections of the Museum and Archives.
The Museum’s primary exhibit, ‘’The South Dakota Experience’’, includes three galleries that illustrate the history of the state from its earliest inhabitants to present day.
[7] Oyate Tawicoḣ’aŋ: The Ways of the People explores the history, heritage, and culture of the Oceti Ṡakowiŋ (The Seven Council Fires), known as the Sioux to some.
The gallery highlights the introduction of power on the plains, telephone communication, and the shrinking of space between neighbors with the construction of highways and interstates.
Exhibits in the Mavis T. and Florence Brown Hogen Gallery focus on a variety of themes in South Dakota history and culture.