SD Agricultural Heritage Museum Blog

Joseph Hutton’s depth of knowledge of soil science and contemporary farming practices allowed him to foresee the destruction of the soil more than 20 years before the Dustbowl happened. He strongly believed that soil was the source of all life and warned of its misuse.

• Throwback Thursday

Bells have been used to ornament horses since ca. 800 BCE.  It was believed that the bells attracted good luck and acted as a charm protecting against disease, injury and evil.  Fancy brass bells also provided an opportunity to show off wealth and social status. The practical use of bells on horses, wagons and sleighs is to warn pedestrians and other drivers of on-coming traffic. 

• What's New Wednesday

magine a stretch of Land that is completely quiet and has been mostly undisturbed. Something like that is almost unimaginable in today’s world, but back in the early 1900s reality was far different than we know. This image is from a glass lantern slide from the J. G. Hutton Collection at the museum.

• Throwback Thursday

Hog scrapers are used to scrape the small hairs off hog hides which removes some bacteria and gets the hide ready for the next step in meat processing. Before scraping the hair off, the butcher could either soak the carcass in warm water or singe the hair with fire before scraping to make the process more efficient. These scrapers are made with a wooden handle and a slightly domed iron scraper. Other designs included a full iron design for the handle and scraper. In large scale meat processing today, scrapers are no longer used extensively as the same process can be automated by fire, soaking, then tossing the carcass in a tumbler that takes any remaining hair off. This hog scraper was used by the Meats Lab located in the Stock Judging Pavilion before it was repurposed into the Agricultural Heritage Museum.

• What's New Wednesday

This photograph shows a young man, Charles Lewis, Fedora,SD sitting on his father’s new tractor. tractor. Charles is just 10 years old in this photo and is on top his dad’s 1936 CC Case tractor which he bought new for $1,050. This tractor brought so much attention at the time that the local school dismissed early so that all the kids could come and admire such a wondrous machine.

• Throwback Thursday

The South Dakota State University Alma Mater (The Yellow and Blue) was the creation of N.E. Hansen, a horticulture professor and the namesake of Hansen Hall, and Francis Haynes who was a music professor. Initially, when Francis Haynes wanted a new song for the college, he sent an ad out in the newspaper calling for a contest for the best song that would be used as the schools Alma Mater. After receiving zero submissions, Haynes wrote music and Hansen, who was an amateur poet, wrote the words. An interesting thing to note about the lyrics on the original score is that they refer to “S.D.S.C” or South Dakota State College, which was the name of the school until 1964, when it was changed to South Dakota State University. Other than switching the “C’s” for “U’s”, the Yellow and Blue is sung and played the same as it always has been since its publication in 1907.

• What's New Wednesday

One of the many incentives to move westward during the mid-19th century 1800s was the 1862 Homestead Act. This congressional act made it possible for anyone who is at least 21 years of age and head of household to “stake your claim.” A claim was 160 acres of land. To obtain this land would have to first file for an application. Then you would improve the land by building a house, planting crops and trees and maintain them showing you could manage it. Finally, you would receive the deed to your land certifying it as yours. The photo above shows a sod shanty on a claim of land near Arlington in 1884.

• Throwback Thursday

This Snow knocker hammer has a wooden handle and an iron head with a flat face on one side and a long 5 1/4 inches spike on the other and was homemade. Hammers like this one are used to clean ice out of horse hooves. As horses walk through snow, some of it sticks under their hoof and gets compressed into ice every time they take a step. Removing the ice mass helps the horses balance and prevents injury. The sharp tip was used to pick under the ice mass and the flat hammer head was hit with another hammer to chisel the ice out. This was often done before bringing a horse into a stable or other indoor area to prevent injuries to the horse from tripping or slipping on a slippery surface. Removing the ice build up also keeps the horse from slipping when going up a hill.

• What's New Wednesday

This photograph pictures the South Dakota Brotherhood of Threshermen Band on June 13, 1931. Thirty-four individuals are pictured here all dressed in a uniform of bib overalls, straw hats and bandanas.

• Throwback Thursday

This leather saddle was acquired from the Antelope Range Station in Buffalo. At 8,300 acers, the station was South Dakota State University’s largest research station. The land was given to SDSU in 1947 to be used for the research of resource protection for cattle ranching and sheep production. The research ended and about 4 years ago the station was closed. The saddle itself has wooden stirrups and is covered in decorative designs that were stamped/tooled into the leather. The saddle was bought in Rapid City from the Duhamel Co., who’s saddles and leatherworks were very well known and sought after at the time.

• What's New Wednesday