South Dakota State Historical Society South Dakota State Historical Society The South Dakota State Historical Society is South Dakota's official state historical society and is located in Pierre, South Dakota at 900 Governors Drive. It is a part of the Department of Education The South Dakota State Historical Society was founded in 1862 as the Old Settlers Association of Dakota Territory. In 1901, the South Dakota Legislature established the Association as the official state historical society. In 1975, the State Archives were incorporated into the Society, which continues to operate them and also functions as a public library. In 1989 the Culture Heritage Center was
History of South Dakota History of South Dakota The history of South Dakota describes the history of the U.S. state of South Dakota over the course of several millennia, from its first inhabitants to the recent issues facing the state. Human beings have lived in what is today South Dakota for at least several thousand years. Early hunters first entered North America at least 17,000 years ago via the Bering land bridge, which existed during the last ice age and connected Siberia with Alaska. Early settlers in what would become South Dakota were nomadic hunter-gatherers, using primitive Stone Age technology to hunt large prehistoric