star power! - Journey Museum

STAR POWER!
Journey Museum receives $492,778 NASA grant
Center of V838 Monocerotis Light Echo, from Hubble image 2006-50. Hubblesite Archive.
The Journey Museum has received notification from NASA that it will be the recipient of a $492,778 Competitive Programs for Science
Museums and Planetariums grant for their proposal entitled “Journey Into Space.” Funding will begin August 1, 2010 and run for three years.
The grant covers costs for a Uniview GeoDome, an inflatable and portable dome, and Uniview software for use in space science programming.
It provides the salary for a science teacher who will conduct a space science outreach program to schools within the West River and surrounding state
area, stipends for annual teachers’ workshops, science space programming and events to be created and conducted by The Journey Museum.
Chuck Parkinson, incoming Chair of The Journey Board, affirms the significance of the NASA grant, not just in money but in prestige and
purpose. “In combination with the achievements of the Bush grant and Dr. Schabauer’s planetarium vision, this project is the lynch pin that
moves our museum to the next level. This brings the ‘pop’ that here is something new. [It will] broaden the capability that The Journey has to
educate—it’s the amaze factor!”
Parkinson attributes the initial programming of Journey Into Space on the Wells Fargo Theatre’s flat screen as critical to the grant application’s
success. Uniview software was purchased with Dr. Ernest Schabauer’s $25,000 gift last year. “Someone has described the Schabauer gift as the
mustard seed for success after we had not received other grants. NASA was looking for a place with demonstrated interest especially when we
wanted to focus on education outreach.”
Tom Durkin, director of the SD Space Grant Consortium, has been a consulting partner in many Journey science-space efforts. “It’s a great
addition for the entire state.” Durkin says the traveling planetarium will be “a huge giant leap” in inquiry-based education. “Kids can ask questions
and Uniview can ‘fly’ to the area in the universe that they are asking about—they can literally have a hand in the journey we can take through
space.”
Learn more at www.elumenati.com
Having a trained educator-operator to travel with the dome is essential,
Durkin says, since the person operating the system needs to be adept at its
capabilities in order to respond spontaneously to questions students ask.
Museum Director Ray Summers expresses excitement about being able to
hire a science educator who can tour with the GeoDome.
The grant application noted that South Dakota ranks 37 in the nation for
expenditures per pupil. South Dakota’s remote and under served communities
lack the resources to provide adequate materials and tools that broaden and
deepen earth and space science education. Teachers struggle to find those
extra motivational learning experiences.
Continued on page 4
The Journey Museum Newsletter Winter 2010
The Turtle
www.journeymuseum.org
Times
Signs of change and continuity
Lion country
Hay Camp exhibit plans
Ballot Box reflections
Blizzard of ’49
It’s YOUR Museum...
Winter 2010 page 2
Sioux Indian Museum
JOURNEY
SIM
TheJourney Museum
Museum
JOUR
MISSION
STATEMENT
The Journey Museum is the
education venue that serves
as a forum to preserve and
to explore the heritage of the
cultures of the Black Hills
region and the knowledge
TheJourney
Museum
of its natural environment
to understand and value our
past, enrich our present, and
meet the challenges of the
future.
Seum
Minnelusa
SIM
The Museum
of Geology
ARC
THE JOURNEY
The Archaeological Research Center
Minnilusa
Pioneer
Museum
Please direct all inquiries to:
Ray Summers, Executive Director
The Sioux
ndian Museum
(605)I394-2249
The Journey
Museum
The Duhamel
Collection
JOUR
222 New York St.
Rapid City, SD 57701
[email protected]
TheJourney
The Turtle Times is publishedMuseum
4 times a year
and delivered in print, online and email for
friends and patrons of The Journey Museum,
a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated
to preserving the heritage of the Black Hills
area. Editor: Donna Fisher
Sioux Indian Museum
Minnilusa
Pioneer Museum
Director’s Briefing
Dream! Network! Persist!
Our feature story for this issue of the Turtle Times is the fantastic
news that we were awarded a NASA grant to fund a space science
education outreach program throughout the greater Black Hills and
Western South Dakota region. This successful outcome did not occur
in a vacuum, but through many years of building our programs and
expanding our network of colleagues.
The 2006 – 2009 Bush Foundation grant just completed was the
transitional opportunity for the museum, increasing the number and Raymond Summers,
quality of our education programs and dramatically expanding new Executive Director
opportunities for growth. The list of unanticipated new opportunities that
have come our way in the past four or five years is truly amazing; but most would have not
been possible had we been satisfied with the status quo.
As Education Director Diane Melvin and I tried to find the common thread, we realized
that the key has been persistence and the confidence gained through the support of colleagues
plus the little successes and disappointments along the way. We knew, for example that we
could earn the big grants so didn’t give up after the disappointment of not getting an IMLS
or NSF or the two previous attempts at a NASA grant. We had established a network of
professionals within secondary schools, higher education and institutions of informal education
that would result in success.
A great example of networking is our recently opened mountain lion exhibit. As a result
of the Bush grant, Teacher Ambassador Brenda Murphey proposed a curriculum trunk on the
mountain lion; she contacted SD Game Fish and Parks, and obtained two lion pelts to be a part
of the project. She hoped we could permanently display a complete mountain lion; the merits
of her dream were immediately recognized. After a successful fundraising campaign netting
nearly $3600, our 130-pound lion is now the centerpiece of a revitalized forestry exhibit.
Check out his picture on page 5 and don’t miss meeting him in the museum!
Our association with the South Dakota Space Grant Consortium has been a portal to
incredible opportunities. Diane is a member of the State Management Team. Although very
demanding of her time, work on the team has provided a state-wide network of scientists and
educators who have been essential to our growth.
Members of our Board of Directors have also been instrumental. For example, Neal
Larson has greatly expanded our opportunities with the BH Institute of Geological Research,
and Nancy Anderson-Smith of SDSMT has added a wealth of knowledge and contacts.
Dr. Ernest Schabauer’s gift of the Uniview planetarium software provided a “seed.”
Without doubt, the association with the Minnesota Planetarium Society and now the NASA
funded-space science outreach with the planetarium will be another significant boost to our
growth and will continue to enhance our public value.
Please share your enthusiasm for our growing museum with a friend; remember, too,
that we have corporate and individual memberships that make great gifts. Thank you for
your support.
In Praise of the Prince
Photo Exhibit by Dick Kettlewell
in The Adelstein Gallery
February 28 - May 23, 2010
“The exhibit is dedicated entirely to a South Dakota
native son –the antelope or pronghorn. I like to call the
antelope the prince of the prairie.” ~Dick Kettlewell
The Journey Museum •Your Black Hills’ natural and cultural history museum
• 222 New York Street • Rapid City, SD 57701 • 605-394-6923
Hours: Daily 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Sunday: 1-5 p.m.
•www.journeymuseum.org
Winter 2010 page 3
Interpretation–Continuity team walks Journey floor, plans new signage
Tourists and museum regulars love the wonderful film shown in the
Wells Fargo Theatre every day. They’re awed by the mystery of the star
room and happily wander through our rich collections. Now, the Interpretive Continuity Committee members are “walking the floor” to make
museum visits even better.
“We agreed that the working title of our whole exhibit is ‘A Journey
through Time in the Black Hills.’ The Journey film appropriately sets the
tone in both chronological and humanities style and our job is to carry
this forward throughout the floor,” said committee chair Karen Miller.
Other committee members include Paulette Montileaux, Reid Riner
and Kristi Thielen of the Journey staff, Minnilusa Archivist/Curator
Carol Evan Saunders and volunteers Donna Fisher, Alvis Lisenbee, Tom
Loomis, Wini Michael, Kenny Putnam and Camille Riner.
The team focused on closing words in the film visitors see in the
theater just before they enter exhibit hall: “The journey continues.”
“We became aware that the museum experience will be both forward
and backward journeys of understanding in time,” Miller said. “Just
geology or paleontology specimens and exhibits of natural and cultural
history deepen our understanding of the past, so developing technology
in the future will change what we understand about both past and present. Here at the museum, our journey continues, too.”
Because The Journey Museum’s appearance and content have evolved Interpretation Continuity team members Kenny Putnam and Tom Loomis
discuss how to incorporate existing sign locations into new design. Photo by
over its thirteen-year history, this is an opportunity to strengthen conDonna Fisher.
tinuity of presentation on the museum floor,” says Miller. Working on
coordinated signage is a major focus.
During the walk-through assessment sessions, the committee evaluated far more than text and type faces, however. “Control the clutter and
coordinate the learning” becomes the guideline of planned exhibit labeling. Exhibit items will be numbered so visitors can refer to attractive
notebooks nearby for information in depth. Comprehensive and appealing signs, consistent in style, are needed to replace gaps in interpretation
left by a dwindling docent program and the ill-fated sound sticks. “That’s the first priority,” says Minnilusa Archivist Saunders.
But the larger continuity question is how to improve the interpretive flow throughout the museum with questions, interactive experiences
and storytelling displays. Here are some hints about longer range changes you might see in the months ahead:
•Signage inviting young visitors to ask questions and learn skills to understand the museum exhibits of the future.
•The kid-popular Deadman’s Hand permanent installation needs improved history interpretation. It may become a focus for living history
presentations. In other words, Wild Bill isn’t the only story we know how to tell here in the Black Hills!
•Vignettes of moments in time with cutaways of rooms in the Pioneer Museum’s Visible Storage will illustrate life styles of the Founders
and entrepreneurs—Dr. McGillicuddy, Joe and Alice Gossage, Duhamel, Behrens and others.
•More cognitive connections between geology and paleontology exhibits.
•Watch the story walls become the “Treasures of the Museum” section.
The committee has also proposed the development of smaller temporary exhibits in each of The Journey’s four museum collections. These
specialized exhibit spaces can present new research and showcase The Journey Museum as a constantly evolving place.
As the process moves forward, the committee has proposed establishing a criteria committee to vet exhibit and interpretive ideas and proposals so the continuity can continue after this committee’s initial effort is finished in 2010. Such a committee will contain a mix of outside and
inside professionals, experienced docent volunteers as well as general museum visitors.
The Museum Board had budgeted some money for the project but lots of volunteer help with researching, writing, dusting, measuring and
moving can stretch those interpretation/continuity dollars. Donated funding will be needed for development of interactive interpretive media.
Businesses and families with historic connections to the area may wish to sponsor some of the proposed exhibit remodeling or additions. Call
Kristi Thielen or Ray Summers if you’d like to be part of this continuing journey.
Crossing the Plains with Custer Horsted Exhibit closes Feb. 21
Storyteller Series : Adelstein Gallery Sundays at 2 p.m.
Jan. 31: “Custer Expedition Photo Sites, Lost & Found”— Paul Horsted
Feb. 14: “After Custer: Black Hills photographers, 1874-1900” — Robert Kolbe, Dakota Images
Winter 2010 page 4
NASA grant process and goals from page 1
Cluster of Massive Stars in Nebula 30 Doradus. Hubble site photo 199903
Thanks to donations from Nash Finch Company, Greater Dacotah
Chapter of Safari Club International and museum supporters,
Teacher Ambassador Brenda Murphey’s mountain lion has moved
from a taxidermist’s freezer to the redesigned forestry exhibit. The
130-pound adult lion had killed a llama near Custer so it was taken by
SDGFP staff about a year ago.
As part of her research in creating an Education Department traveling
trunk, Brenda acquired two lion hides thanks to John Kanta, Regional
SD Game Fish and Parks Manager. The other hide has been tanned,
its skull bleached and its claws processed so students whose
teachers use Brenda’s trunk, The Journey of the Felis Concolor, can
actually touch and sense a lion’s size and power. Call Diane Melvin to
learn more. Photo by Donna Fisher.
With the inflatable planetarium (25-foot diameter, 13 feet at apex, meets
federal guidelines for handicapped and elderly accessibility), we can offer inspiring
programming to a much larger audience than otherwise would have been possible
here at The Journey, says Summers—settings like the Black Hills Stock Show,
Central States Fair, communities’ Space Days, etc. The GeoDome we’ll purchase
is the same one used by The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) for training. The images give our audiences the same NASA and Hubble
database used in programs at Adler, Hayden and other great planetariums.
Partnering with both youth and adult learning communities is “old stuff”
for The Journey Museum. Black Hills Astronomical Society (BHAS) began
meeting at the museum four years ago. The Journey Museum and BHAS are
affiliates of the South Dakota Space Grant Consortium. Through collaboration on
various programs and events, BHAS programs came to be a part of The Journey
Museum.
“We currently network, collaborate, and share resources with many people
who are from schools and universities, businesses, organizations, non-profits,
research centers and other museums who have common interests, common needs,
and common attitudes about networking and collaboration. We have developed
working relationships that are beneficial for us all and our numbers continue to
multiply,” says Education Director Diane Melvin. “It is through these relationships
that our opportunities continue to grow.”
Grant writing is a very interesting process, says Melvin. “Patience comes first
and then persistence. To me, grant proposals are a lot like recipes. One needs a
reason, the right ingredients, in the right proportions for the proposal to have a
successful outcome. If it doesn’t work, a review and redo might produce desired
results. Receiving a notice of denied funding spurs me to review the submission
for all of the ingredients, especially the reason. Just one approval for funding is
the driving force to work even harder at finding more and more opportunities.
Timing is everything.”
And this time, the timing was right indeed! Congratulations and best wishes
on the journey toward these exciting goals!
ase d
uir y-b ech
q
n
i
e
Enabl ive high-t
rs
im me ventures
ace.
ad
th/sp
r
a
e
in
Chris & Felicia Cammack, owners of Prairie Mountain Cast Rock &
Wildlife Studio in Union, SD, prepare the new exhibit where the lion
joins a mounted wolf. Photo by Diane Melvin.
act
h imp ing
g
i
h
Bring rogram m
ep
ls,
scienc ion’s scho o n d
a
to reg y gro ups
it
n
u
co m m events.
Enco u
rag
yo uth e reg ion’s
t
career o pursue
s in S
TEM*
fields.
Contin
ue
partne strateg ic
rship
STEM* s w ith
organi -base d
zation
s
agenci , an d
es.
*Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)
We’re About Education
Diane Melvin, Education director
Kristi thielen, Programs and Marketing Director
The Insider­— News Briefs from the museum
Winter 2010 page 5
Journey’s premier drama, The Children’s Blizzard,
plays Feb. 5-6-7 in Wells Fargo Theatre
This winter’s cold and snow set the stage for remembering how early homesteaders
on the Great Plains faced the tragic blizzard of January 1888.
Krisiti Thielen’s pen and her cast of young adults will bring those memories to
The Journey stage.
What made the storm so deadly was the brief spell of balmy weather that preceded
it. People left their homes to do chores, go to town, attend school or enjoy mild
weather. The blizzard struck suddenly at mid-day. Sometimes the storm is called The
Schoolhouse Blizzard because so many children and teachers were caught in school
houses or frozen trying to get home.
In the storm which visited Dakota Territory, Montana, Minnesota, Nebraska,
Kansas and Texas in January 1888, the mercury fell within twenty-four hours from
74o above zero to double digits below zero. In Dakota, the mercury dropped to 40o
below zero, according to Encyclopedia Britannica. “In fine clear weather, with little
or no warning, the sky darkened and the air was filled with snow, or ice-dust, as fine
as flour, driven before a wind so furious and roaring that men’s voices were inaudible
at a distance of six feet.”
Winds behind the fast-moving cold front and the powdery nature of the snow
reduced visibilities on the open plains to zero. Thousands of people got caught in the
blizzard. Approximately 500 people died of hypothermia.
Why is Thielen writing a play on such a grim topic for her young players?
“Obviously, the topic is seasonal, but The Children’s Blizzard offers important history
to know,” Thielen says. “This is The Journey theater season’s prestige show, a serious
piece like last season’s story of the 1972 Rapid City Flood.”
“I try for variety to give the young people broad experience. We’ve had festive
fun with December’s children’s play and we experienced historical comedy with the
1940s Radio Play. Now we need some meat and vegetables of serious drama after
we’ve had our fruit and dessert,” says Thielen.
The Children’s Blizzard opens Thurs. Feb. 5 at 7 p.m. with a matinee at 2 p.m.
and an evening show at 7 p.m. on Sat. Feb. 6. Sunday’s performance is a matinee.
Tickets are available at The Journey desk.
A pronghorn buck pokes his head up over the tall grass of
early summer on the South Dakota prairie as the prince
surveys his domain. Photo by Dick Kettlewell for “In Praise of
the Prince” exhibit celebrating the pronghorn, coming to the
Adelstein Gallery in March.
Krafka and Dunsmore continue Shady Lady shenanigans for Education Department fund-raising Feb. 11 and March 11
“Two Shady Ladies” (Mollie O Krafka and Marcia Dunsmore) offer two more shows of parody
songs and hysterical history to benefit The Journey’s Education Dept. in the Wells Fargo Theatre.
Tickets are $12 ($10 current museum members) for the 7 p.m. performances.
Hear all about ‘Calamity Bill and Wild Jane’ in some hilarious revearsals on Thurs. Feb. 11.
Don’t miss Krafka’s and Dunsmore’s stories of ‘Soiled Doves and Miners’ on Thurs. Mar. 11 in the
last in a series of six shows.
Mollie O is the creative and zany wordsmith behind 25 years of success for T.R.A.S.H., the
medical auxilliary’s fund-raising efforts for many area cultural and civic groups. Marcia is the keyboard goddess and group’s manager. Both have been wonderful friends of the Museum.
•Your Black Hills’
natural and cultural
history museum
It’s YOUR Museum...
The Journey Museum
• 222 New York Street • Rapid City, SD 57701
• 605-394-6923
Hours: Daily 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Sunday: 1-5 p.m.
•www.journeymuseum.org
It’s YOUR Museum...
The Sioux Indian Museum
Paulette Montileaux, Director
Winter 2010 page 6
Ballot Box points to history of Indian enfranchisement
Search out the battered ballot box displayed in the Story Wall that addresses
treaties between the Lakota/Dakota and the United States Government. Let’s reflect on what that artifact suggests about the journey by Indian people from sovereign nationhood to dispossession and reservations to full citizenship including
voting rights. The journey is as battered as this historic artifact.
The relationship between the United States and the American Indians has
been one of ambivalence. In the early days, Indian tribes were recognized as
independent nations, dealt with through treaties. Later, after conflict over land
rendered the Indian tribes powerless, Indians were often treated as conquered
peoples. Tribes were pushed in 1830 with the Indian Removal Act to lands ,
known as reservations, set aside by the government and held in trust for the Indians.
When commissions negotiated relinquishments, representatives of the U.S.
Government either did not or chose not to understand that warrior chiefs and
This ballot box was presented to the National Museum
other headmen were not necessarily those vested by their people with political
(Smithsonian) in 1906. Research revealed that Woodville
Fleming of North Carolina was sent on a commission to
powers to sign treaties or cede land.
the (North) Dakota Indians in 1892-93 to negotiate the
Larry McMurtry in his 1999 portrait of Crazy Horse, writes, “The issue of
relinquishment of and removal to reservations. At the time of
chieftaincy remains ticklish because, through long usage, most of those who
Mr. Fleming’s mission, this ballot box was given to him and
read about the Plains Indians, and some of those who write about them, come to
remained in the family’s possession until it was presented to
the Smithsonian.
assume that the Indians who proved most successful in councils and parleys with
Whether this ballot box was the one used by the Dakota
whites were really chiefs back home, when in many cases they were not.” (p.25)
Indians to vote on these negotiations is not certain, but it does
Yet formal photographs and names on documents (accompanied by Xs and the seem very likely it was “the first used by the Dakota Indians”.
phrase “his mark”) purport to illustrate decisions made for Indians by their elected Other information says that it was also used by the Oglala
Sioux Indians prior to 1906. The ballot box was transferred to
leaders.
the Sioux Indian Museum in 1944.
In 1887 Congress passed the Dawes General Allotment Act which granted
~U.S. Department of the Interior Indian Arts and Crafts Board,
citizenship only to those Native Americans who gave up their tribal affiliations.
Sioux Indian Museum photo.
In the new states of the Dakotas, the Dawes Act opened Indian lands for white
settlement. Some Indians acquired U.S. citizenship through treaties while other Indians, like some in the Dakotas, became citizens through
procedures established in the Dawes Act and its amendments.
Eighty-six years ago, with the passage of the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924, Native Americans were first granted U.S. citizenship and
the corollary right to vote. This was 54 years after African-American men were formally enfranchised with the 15th Amendment (1870), and
four years after women received the same right with the 19th Amendment (1920).
Though Congress granted citizenship to all American Indians, voting rights were still subject to regulation by the states. Many states construed voting laws against Native Americans, because Indians
were not considered “landowning” or “tax-paying” citizens,
since they lived on “government-owned” land (reservations).
Many Indians sued, and eventually the courts declared such
disfranchising unconstitutional. Native American people were
not given full voting rights in every state until the late 1940s
to mid 1950s. The State of South Dakota repealed its law
prohibiting Indians from voting and holding office in 1951.
In 1960 Benjamin Reifel was the first and still is the only
American Indian from South Dakota elected to Congress.
Reifel served five consecutive terms in the United States
House of Representatives from 1960-1970. Reifel had worked
for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, served in the United States
Army during World War II, and returned to the Bureau of
Indian Affairs until his decision to run
for political office.
Native Americans have been elected
to the SD State House and Senate although not in numbers reflecting South
Dakota’s demographics. The little ballot
box and the history it symbolizes may
Delegation of Sioux chiefs to ratify the sale of lands to the U.S. government.
suggest that the journey continues to
Bell, C. M. (Charles Milton), photographer. c1891. Library of Congress
unfold.
~by Paulette Montileaux
American Memory.
and Donna Fisher
Congressman Reifel photo courtesy of South Dakota State Historical Society.
Minnilusa Pioneer Museum
Reid Riner, Director
Winter 2010 page 7
Summer Adelstein Gallery exhibit to feature ‘Hay Camp’ revisited
“Hay Camp,” the gallery exhibit scheduled to go up in June, will be a fascinating look at the history of this area. Starting with the
geological/paleontological history of the area in the lobby, the exhibit will move into the archeological/anthropological background inside
the Adelstein Gallery. From there, we will delve into the white settlement of the area.
Black Hills Hay Camp; Images and Perspectives of Early Rapid City, written by David Strain, is a look at these early days of Rapid City.
Dave is planning to reissue the book with the opening of the exhibit.
Hay Camp was the original, unofficial name of Rapid City. As the town grew and developed, the name changed to one given the creek
by the Lakota—Minnilusa or fast (rapid) water. Hence, Rapid Creek gave the name Rapid City to the town.
The exhibit will contain pictures, artifacts and stories about the people, places and events that shaped Rapid City from inception through
the 1930s. In an attempt to reach all learning types, there will be visual, auditory and hands on learning experiences. Additionally, there will
be tables set up for children to experience the history of Rapid City.
The organizing committee has been making
plans for this future exhibit for the last two months. A
project of this scope takes a great deal of preparatory
work. The basic outline needs to be developed and
subcommittees assigned to complete a plethora of
tasks. As the curator of this event, it is my job to
make certain that the exhibit flows and fits together.
I’ll be working with each of the subcommittees to
ensure that the overall concept remains true to the
original vision.
The exhibit will include such notables as John
Brennen, V.T. McGillycuddy and Grace French.
Buildings of the original downtown area will be
spotlighted as well as the events (good and bad) that
brought Rapid to where it is today. We are including
a great deal of information in a relatively small place,
but hope that the significance of the material given
won’t be missed.
~Carol Evan Saunders, Archivist/curator Minnilusa Pioneer Museum
Few who lived through 1949 blizzards will forget impact
Arriving just after New Years and extending into late February, the blizzards of 1949 brought brutal cold, winds and heavy accumulations
of snow. Much of the northern plains, including western South Dakota were buffeted by 50 to 70 mph winds and sub-zero temperatures.
Although 30 inches of snow fell near Rapid City over the period,
high winds created 30 foot drifts and made travel impossible. Winds
averaging 56 mph gusted to 72 mph or higher. An Ellsworth AFB
wind indicator registered gusts above 90 mph.
Snow blocked highways and railroads; rail traffic was at a
standstill for several weeks. As fast as roads got plowed out, new
snow and strong winds drifted them shut again. Smaller communities
and rural areas were the hardest hit where some roads were not
opened until May.
Cattle and sheep perished; some ranchers lost entire herds. It was
estimated that more than 16,000 head of cattle were lost while most
sheep ranchers suffered a loss of at least one-fourth of their flocks.
A West River “air lift” flew tons of Red Cross food to isolated
towns and ranches and dropped feed for cattle and horses. Private
planes (some 65 were operating at least part time) delivered groceries
and medicine, or flew doctors in and sick people out. Over the Pine
Ridge and Rosebud Indian reservations, the Air Force sent several
cargo planes to drop parcels of food by parachute to the isolated
residents; over 8,000 pounds was dropped in a single day. State and
federal emergency relief included help from the Air Force and the
Army. More than 100 bulldozers and snow vehicles operated around the clock.
Many in the West River country will forever recall 1949 as the worst winter ever. Severe winter weather persisted for more than seven
weeks of the new year, developing into a state of crisis that did not abate significantly until February 22 when the cold spell finally broke.
The Journey
Winter 2010 page 8
Museum
NON-PROFIT ORG
US POSTAGE
PAID
PERMIT #618
RAPID CITY, SD
The Museum Alliance of Rapid City
222 New York Street
Rapid City, SD 57701
It’s Your museum...
www.journeymuseum.org
The Journey Store
Joan Hunter, Manager
Everything’s on the Move!
If you peeked into the doors of Rapid City’s best shopping venue in early January, some corners showcased world class chaos. “Everything’s
on the move!” laughed Journey Store manager Joan Hunter. When the store re-opened Jan. 17 after the museum’s holiday hiatus for cleaning,
shoppers saw lots of changes.“We’ve been moving cases, sorting merchandise and generally giving the store a fresh look.”
An expanded pioneer section with South Dakota-made products takes center stage against the glass wall of the Sioux Indian Gallery,
creating a South Dakota panorama. Wood panels behind the sales counter now display art and photography by South Dakota artists.
“Going green” products snuggle against the sales counter by the door. A birch tree offers a temporary home for the popular critters made
from the self-regenerating Buri sugar palm. Its long, thick leaf stems provide the fiber from which the bodies of the adorable BrushArt™ animals
are made. The brush is trimmed and bent, and other plant parts attached for eyes, ears, legs, etc. What could be more eco-friendly? Soy candles,
products of recycled paper and fiber keep nature-loving gift buyers wellsupplied with possibilities.
Another birch tree holds the beautiful collection of dream catchers
made by Lakota artisans from traditional natural materials. Along with
children’s and adult books about the Plains Indian history and culture, the
quality objects in the Native American corner offer unique gifts to send to
family, friends and business associates in other parts of the country and
around the world.
Who moved the shop’s kid magnet—the polished rock bin? Where’s
the antique counter holding artisan jewelry? Joan’s staff have relocated
these popular shopping spots to the center of the store.
Wait! They didn’t mess with our favorite sale corner, did they? Check
out even more items gleaned from the entire stock including books at
great prices.
Measuring aisle space for ADA compliance, Diana Hudson checks the polished
rock bin’s new home on The Journey Store floor. Photo by Donna Fisher.
The Journey Museum •Your Black Hills’ natural and cultural history museum
• 222 New York Street • Rapid City, SD 57701 • 605-394-6923
Hours: Daily 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Sunday: 1-5 p.m.
•www.journeymuseum.org