A Message from the Director

The temperatures are warming, the snow is melting and the birds in the trees on Main Street are singing once again.  Surely this means spring is almost here.  Another sign of the season for the Museum staff is the continual stream of yellow buses arriving at the building.  The return of these vehicles is as regular as the return of geese to Sand Lake each spring.  The school buses come at least twice daily to deliver students from local and area schools either for general tours or to enjoy the “Afternoon Into the Past” program, a hands-on experience of pioneer life. By the time the school year is over, those yellow buses will have delivered several hundred young people to the DPM to discover the mysteries of the past.  We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the season’s first bus.  Feel free to stop in anytime to witness the excitement of spring at the DPM.  You’ll see lots of wide-eyed youngsters enjoying our “olden day” exhibits and activities.

South Dakota’s State Flower a Sign of Spring on the Prairie

South Dakota’s state flower is the pasque flower.  It is an early bloomer, oftentimes seen peeking through the snow in the open prairies of our state, but can bloom any time from late March through June depending on temperature and location.

We call the flower the pasque, which is taken from the French word paques meaning Easter, but others call this graceful harbinger of spring prairie smoke, goslinweed, prairie crocus, and May flower.  Its Lakota name is “hosi’ cekpa” which translates to “child’s navel”--a wonderful description of the plump flower buds that resemble a newborn’s navel before it heals.  Its scientific name is Anemone, which means windflower. 

The pasque does not have true petals but rather 5 - 7 sepals that resemble petals.  The entire plant is covered in fine hair-like fuzz to insulate it from the cold.  These perennials only grow on southward facing slopes and prefer well-drained, sandy, and gravelly soils.  The flowers bloom before the foliage appears.  In our state, pasque flowers were once found in abundance in areas of natural prairie east of the Missouri River as well as in the foothills of the Black Hills.  Agriculture and ranching have eliminated much of the pasque’s natural habitat, but the hardy plant can still be found, just not in the abundance of earlier days.  The South Dakota legislature named the pasque as the state’s official flower in 1903.

DPM is new Administrator of All-Dakota High School Art Exhibition

For the first time this spring, the DPM will be involved in an event created especially for high school art students.  We will serve as sponsors and administrators for the 13th annual All-Dakota High School Art Exhibition held at the Granary Rural Cultural Center in rural Groton.  This year’s event will take place April 24 and 25; identical programs will be given each day so schools have the flexibility to attend the session most convenient to their schedules.  So far over 100 students from high schools in both Dakotas have registered to spend a day in the country working with professional artists who will demonstrate their unique crafts.  This experience is valuable especially to the student in a small school whose access to art and art professionals is limited.  Students also have the opportunity to bring a piece of their original artwork to be judged both by their peers and by professional judges.  The student whose art is deemed “Best in Show” by the professionals will receive a $500 bond for his/her effort.  Most of the DPM staff will be at the Granary these two days to assure the event runs smoothly for all involved, teachers, students, and artists.

Student artwork will be available for public viewing Saturday and Sunday, April 26 and 27, in the Granary exhibit hall.  Viewing hours will be 10am – 5pm Saturday, and noon – 5pm Sunday.  For driving directions to the Granary go to the DPM website www.dacotahprairiemuseum.com and click on the All-Dakota High School Art Exhibition link for a map to download.

April Fool Fun Returns to the DPM

We had so much fun with our 2007 April Fool’s contest that we are going to do it again in 2008.  Last year we hid something in every exhibit that obviously was out of place, for example a cell phone in our 19th century parlor and a box of Jello in the prairie kitchen. 

We have similar pranks planned this year, so be sure to visit the DPM during April to try your hand at outsmarting the museum staff by finding all our surprises.  It’s easy to participate, and you might win a prize.  This is great family fun.  Hope to see you at the DPM in April.

Highlights from the 2007 Annual Report

• Visitors came from 47 states and the District of Columbia
• Visitors came from 6 Canadian Provinces
• Visitors came from 13 foreign countries
• Volunteers shared 2899 hours; a contribution worth $16,959.15 ($5.85/hour)
• 60 local student groups came for tours
• 50 out of town student groups came for tours
• Staff visited classrooms117 times to present programs
• 40 Education kits were sent to classrooms throughout the area
• Staff presented a total of 516 programs
• 74,394 people participated in some way in DPM programming

Fun Facts

• The first chain store to come to Aberdeen was Woolworth’s in 1911.
• JC Penney opened in 1924 at 419 S Main Street.
• In 1913 the Aberdeen Central men’s basketball team won the state tournament by defeating Montrose 21 –12.
• Roncalli High School made its first trip to the state basketball tournament in 1968.