Local Lou

Today we visit the Two Cemeteries historical marker on North Duluth Avenue, the quiet bluff where Sioux Falls’ earliest burial grounds once stood. Before Mount Pleasant Cemetery existed, before Sioux Falls was even a stable settlement, this hillside held the remains of the village’s first residents. We explore the stories behind those early burials: Henry Masters, the provisional governor of the squatter government; Judge Joseph B. Amidon and his son William, whose deaths during the Dakota War of 1862 changed the fate of the entire settlement; and the soldiers stationed at Fort Dakota, whose presence created a national cemetery beside the city cemetery. This marker, dedicated in 2003 by the descendants of Judge Amidon, the Minnehaha County Historical Society, and the City of Sioux Falls, opens a window into the fragile beginnings of Sioux Falls. Candlelight Cemetery Tour at Mount Pleasant Cemetery Tickets, Multiple dates | Eventbrite History of Dakota Territory https://www.google.com/books/edition/History_of_Dakota_Territory/Ui9EAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22sioux+falls+city%22+history&pg=PA103&printsec=frontcover History of South Dakota https://www.google.com/books/edition/History_of_South_Dakota/o5tQAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22sioux+falls+city%22+history&pg=PA180&printsec=frontcover History of the Minnesota Valley https://www.google.com/books/edition/History_of_the_Minnesota_Valley/GGdAAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22sioux+falls+city%22+history&pg=PA216&printsec=frontcover New Church Messenger https://www.google.com/books/edition/New_Church_Messenger/dcc_AQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22Henry+Masters%22+governor+sioux+falls&pg=PA138&printsec=frontcover Report and Historical Collections https://www.google.com/books/edition/Report_and_Historical_Collections/EmFDrioGZTIC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22Henry+Masters%22+governor+sioux+falls&pg=PA144&printsec=frontcover A Brief History of South Dakota https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/A_Brief_History_of_South_Dakota/Chapter_32

First of all, should we all get pilots licenses so we can be called Aviatrix? Nellie Zabel Willhite (1892–1991) was South Dakota’s first licensed female pilot and the first deaf woman in the United States to earn a pilot’s license (!!!) a groundbreaking achievement in early aviation. Born near Box Elder, she lost her hearing to measles as a child and later attended the South Dakota School for the Deaf. In 1927, she began flying lessons at Renner Field, soloing after just 13 hours of instruction and earning her license in 1928. Willhite became a barnstormer, stunt pilot, air‑race participant, and charter member of the Ninety‑Nines, the international organization of women pilots founded with Amelia Earhart. Despite discrimination and the challenges of flying while deaf, she became a celebrated aviation pioneer, later inducted into both the South Dakota Hall of Fame and the South Dakota Aviation Hall of Fame. More to come once Nelly gets her historical marker!! Legacy Nellie Willhite - SD Hall of Fame Programs Eloise or Eleanor “Nellie” Zabel Willhite (1892-1991) - Find a Grave Memorial https://deafwebsites.com/people/famous-deaf-people/the-life-of-nellie-zabel-willhite/ Monthly History Article | Read about South Dakota History

Listen to the remarkable story of Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte, the first Native American physician in the United States. Born on the Omaha Reservation in 1865, Picotte grew up witnessing the failures of federal agencies to protect Native health, a moment that sparked her lifelong mission. If this story moved you, share the episode with someone who loves learning about trailblazers who shaped the Plains. Follow Local Lou for more history that deserves the spotlight! Nebraska Studies — Susan La Flesche Picotte: First Native American Female Physician https://nebraskastudies.org/en/1875-1899/susan-la-flesche-picotte-first-na-female-physician/ History Nebraska — Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte https://history.nebraska.gov/dr-susan-la-flesche-picotte-first-native-american-woman-physician/ Smithsonian Magazine — The Incredible Legacy of Susan La Flesche Picotte https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/incredible-legacy-susan-la-flesche-first-native-american-earn-medical-degree-180962332/ National Library of Medicine — Changing the Face of Medicine: Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte https://cfmedicine.nlm.nih.gov/physicians/biography_253.html Nebraska Studies PDF — Letter from Susan La Flesche Picotte https://d1vmz9r13e2j4x.cloudfront.net/nebstudies/0603_0203letter.pdf PBS Learning Media — Medicine Woman Collection https://sdpb.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/medicine-woman/#.WmpVxEtJmCe Historical Marker Database — Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=206828 Lincoln Public Art — Dr. La Flesche Picotte Sculpture https://www.lincoln.ne.gov/City/Departments/Parks-and-Recreation/Parks-Facilities/Public-Art/Dr.-La-Flesche-Picotte Picotte Center — Official Site https://picottecenter.org/

Eeek I am ready to put the episode out but have not written show notes, what to do, what to do? I am going to publish and note later, or at least with intent to note later. Listen to this episode to hear some rock solid history! Links below! Throwback Thursday: Sioux Quartzite Iowa's Geological Past: Three Billion Years of Earth History - Page 38 books.google.com › books Wayne I. Anderson · 1998 Northwest Iowa Plains | Iowa Geological Survey - College of Engineering | The University of Iowa https://www.google.com/books/edition/Iowa_s_Geological_Past/D2kzQ5RC4JMC?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA38&printsec=frontcover Charles Abiathar White - Wikipedia Gitchie Manitou State Preserve | Department of Natural Resources

Come along on my recent visit to the Oahe Dam during the South Dakota State Historical Society conference in Pierre. What begins as a look at one of the largest rolled‑earth dams in the world becomes a deeper exploration of the complicated history behind its construction, including the flooding of more than 200,000 acres of reservation land belonging to the Standing Rock and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribes. Oahe Mission Historical Marker The Oahe Dam & Lake Historical Marker Dammed Indians Revisited — South Dakota Historical Society Press Outlet Works, Oahe Dam, Missouri River, South Dakota - Google Books Oahe Dam: Standing Rock’s Earlier Experience with Environmental Racism; and More DAPL Updates |