LibGuides: Primary Sources: National History Day 2024

Finding a Topic: Turning Points in South Dakota History

Turing points in history is a wide theme and can be interpreted in many ways. Below are a few sample topics of turning points related to South Dakota.

Famous People

Wild Bill Hickok (James Butler Hickok) - Sheriff, killed in Deadwood
Calamity Jane (Martha Jane Cannary) - Wild west figure
Laura Ingalls Wilder (Author)
Seth Bullock (1st sheriff of Deadwood)
Poker Alice (Alice Ivers Tubbs) (Gambler)
Jack McCall (Wild west figure, killed Wild Bill Hickok)
Al Swearengen (Ellis Albert Swearengen) (Brothel operator in Deadwood)
Potato Creek Johnny (John Perrett) (gold miner)
W.E. Adams (store owner and community leader in Deadwood)
Joe Foss (WWII pilot, politician)
Ben Reifel (Oceti Sakowin member, U.S. Senator)
Crazy Horse (Ogalala war leader)
Adam Vinatieri (Football kicker)
Ernest O. Lawrence (Invented the Cyclotron, physics)
Lawrence Lessig (Internet activist, copyright activist)
Harvey Dunn (WWII artist)
Oscar Howe (American Indian artist)
L. Frank Baum (writer)
Touch The Clouds (Miniconjou Teton Lakota chief and scout for the US Army)
Russel Means (American Indian activist)
Rain In The Face (Hunkpapa Lakota chief)
Red Cloud (Ogalala Lakota chief)
Niels Henson (Botanist)
Korczak Ziółkowski (Sculptor of Crazy Horse)
George McGovern (former U.S. Senator & presidential candidate)
Theodore Schultz (Economist and Nobel Prize Winner)
Hubert Humphrey (U.S. Senator & U.S. Vice President)
Tom Daschle (U.S. Senator & Minority & Majority Leader of the Senate)
Tom Brokaw (television broadcaster)

Topics

Battle of Wounded Knee
Discovery of dinosaur Sue
SD 4th Infantry
African American farmers
"North by Northwest" filming
Canton Asylum for Insane Indians
Chinese Immigrants (or any other ethnic groups)
Statehood
Battle of Little Big Horn
"Children's Blizzard" of 1888
Black Hills gold strike
Fort Laramie Treaty (giving Black Hills to the Lakota Sioux nation)
Railroad built across South Dakota
Prohibition
Natural disasters such as fires and floods
Establishment of national parks and monuments
Creation of dams on the Missouri

Finding Primary Sources

Most of the databases listed in the Databases tab on this page are available to anyone. Some of them may be limited to use by South Dakota State University students/faculty/staff or in the library building.

Below are some databases that have South Dakota related documents:

South Dakota Archives Collection Indexes
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This page contains indexes and guides to collections available in the South Dakota State Archives Research Room. Many of the actual collections are only available in the South Dakota State Archives in Pierre.

ArchiveGrid This link opens in a new window
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ArchiveGrid includes over 5 million records describing archival materials, bringing together information about historical documents, personal papers, family histories, and more. With over 1,000 different archival institutions represented, ArchiveGrid helps researchers looking for primary source materials held in archives, libraries, museums and historical societies.
This database is provided by the South Dakota State Library and the Institute of Museum Library Services.
Archives Unbound This link opens in a new window
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Archives Unbound presents topically-focused digital collections of historical documents that support the research and study needs of scholars, researchers, and students at the college and university level. A multi-disciplinary resource, collections cover a broad range of topics from the Middle Ages forward-from Witchcraft to World War II to twentieth-century political history. Particular strengths include U.S. foreign policy; U.S. civil rights; global affairs and colonial studies; and modern history.
This database is provided by the South Dakota State Library and the Institute of Museum Library Services.
American Historical Periodicals from the American Antiquarian Society This link opens in a new window
American Historical Periodicals from the American Antiquarian Society provides a history of the American people and a testament to the growth of the nation from the colonial period through to the twentieth century. The periodicals focused on American concerns and were predominantly published in the United States or Canada, though some were published overseas by Americans living abroad.
Indigenous Histories and Cultures in North America This link opens in a new window
This collection provides historical and personal stories about early contact with European settlers and the political, social, and cultural effects of contact on American Indian life. Materials include treaties, speeches, diaries, artwork, rare printed books, newspaper articles, and photographs.
American Indian Newspapers This link opens in a new window
American Indian Newspapers includes digital files of 49 newspapers from a range of Native American communities in the United States and Canada from 1828 to 2016 (most of the coverage is from 1970-2016).

Included in the collection are national periodicals as well as local community news and student publications. The range of subjects from an Indigenous perspective, include the civil rights era and American Indian Movement (AIM), education, environmentalism, land rights and cultural representation.
Indigenous Peoples: North America This link opens in a new window
Indigenous Peoples: North America provides users with a robust, diverse, informative source that will enhance research and increase understanding of the historical experiences, cultural traditions and innovations, and political status of Indigenous Peoples in the United States and Canada.
Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers This link opens in a new window
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Search America's historic newspaper pages from 1777-1963 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present. Chronicling America is sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of Congress.

Finding Secondary Sources

These databases will help you find articles on your topic. They are available from the South Dakota State Library and are available for any South Dakota Resident to use.

State Library Database List

Academic Search Premier
Black Freedom Struggle
Digital Library of South Dakota
HathiTrust
Indigenous Peoples of North America
Introduction to U.S. History (all 3 databases)
Masterfile Complete
Overland Journeys: Travels in the West 1800-1880
Primary Search
South Dakota Historical Newspapers

Primary Sources: National History Day 2024

Theme

Finding a Topic: Turning Points in South Dakota History

Famous People

Topics

Finding Primary Sources

Finding Secondary Sources