October Meeting

 October 1, 2024

"The Black Hills Through Photos"  

presented by Meg English

Tuesday October 1st, 2024

This program begins at 7pm at the 

Spearfish Senior Center,

1306 Tenth Street, Spearfish, SD

Please join us as the public is invited. 

March 5   "The History of Case No  1

the First National Timber Sales"

     Tom Troxel

7pm  Spearfish Senior Center

1306 10th Street

The Public is Welcome

February Monthly meeting

"Frank Thomson, 93 Years of Adventures" 

presented by Paul Higbee

Tuesday February 6, 2024 7pm MST

 held at the Spearfish Senior Center

 1306 Tenth St, Spearfish, South Dakota

THE PUBLIC IS WELCOME                            

Great opportunity

September 3- Chris Hills, “Forgotten Prospectors of Tinton”

Sept 3, 2019 at 7:30

Chris Hills will present
the "Forgotten Prospectors of Tinton" on Sept 3 at 7:30 for the first presentation of the season for the Spearfish Area Historical Society at the Spearfish Senior Citizens Center.

Public is welcome.

Tom Louks will present "A Visual History of Spearfish/Dakota Territory - 1875 to 1910" on March 5

The Tuesday March 5 presentation will be on "A Visual History of Spearfish/Dakota Territory - 1875 to 1910 Postcards and Stereo Views" by Tom Louks.

This program of the Spearfish Area Historical Society was originally scheduled for Oct 2018 but is now being presented on March 5, 2019 at 7:30pm at the Spearfish Senior Citizens Center. 

"An Evening with a Wyoming Cowboy" -- Wilbur Newland

Wilbur Newland

 Wilbur Newland presented "An Evening with a Wyoming Cowboy" on Jan 8, 2019 for the Spearfish Area Historical Society at the Spearfish Senior Citizens Center. 

Wilbur Newland shared cowboy stories (such as cowboy bedroll etiquette), and recited cowboy poetry and Shakespeare for 72 people at the event. 

Backdrops included a typical cowboy tent, a rodeo painting, and a rolling screen presentation of beautiful Black Hills and SD prairie photographs. 

Wilbur Newland "An Evening with a Wyoming Cowboy" - Jan 8, 2019 Spearfish Area Historical Society

"Ft. Meade - Dakota Territory" presented by Randy Bender

Randy Bender presented "Ft. Meade - Dakota Territory" through songs, stories and interchanging costumes to approximately 110 people at the Spearfish Senior Citizens Center on Tues Dec 4, 2018.   

Randy's characters were real people who were buried at the Ft. Meade Cemetery (located at the top of the hill south-west of Ft Meade with a great view of Bear Butte).

Besides the great characters portrayed, there were tidbits of information about Ft. Meade soldiers who were also tasked to do carpentry work, care and shoe-ing for horses (a farrier), and just about anything.  Pay was $13.00 a month.  Sturgis was know as "Scoop Town" because it scooped up a soldier's pay. 

In 1901, Ft Meade forbid wine and beer sales at the Fort, so the sales soared in Sturgis.

Ft. Meade was known as the "Peace-keeper Post", making strides at keeping the peace in difficult times.

In 1892, Ft. Meade was instrumental in starting the ritual of standing and removing hats for the playing of the Star Spangled Banner.  Soon, all U.S. Military Institutions were following that ritual.  In 1931, the song was made the U.S. National Anthem.  Randy led the audience to sing a rousing rendition of the Star Spangled Banner. 




Randy brought in antiques from the Fort and also a recent find to be placed at the Ft. Meade Museum.  It is a remnant of the U.S. Prigate Constitution ship keel made into a picture frame with a print picture of the ship.