SD Agricultural Heritage Museum Blog | South Dakota State University

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2011:029:034 Teal apron with multi-colored horizontal stripes.

Aprons: Functionable and Fashionable! (7/26/23)

By Staff July 26, 2023

Joan Parker of Arlington, coordinated the SDSU Apron Fashion show. The apron featured in this post was made by Mrs. Selma Lock.

96:31:07 Brochure of the Hamilton Portable Engine and Eclipse Saw Mill. This brochure contains line drawings of the equipment and a summary of it's features.

Hamilton Portable Engines and the Eclipse Saw Mill (7/20/23)

By Staff July 20, 2023

This document is an informational brochure about Hamilton Portable Engines and the Eclipse Saw Mill.

Not a blockhead, but a hat block (7/19/26)

By Staff July 19, 2023

This wooden hat block is the crown of a hat. It could be stacked on top of a brim block and attached to the base. Milliners mold fabric like wool felt over the blocks to their desired shape.

2011:040:0005 Black and white photo of a field and farmhouse. Top soil has blown in along the fence line.

Dust Bowl Destruction (7/13/23)

By Staff July 13, 2023

This photo was taken near Gregory, SD in 1934 and depicts destruction from the Dust Bowl.

2023:000:061 A-B - Idiot Stick. Two wooden pieces of a toy in the shape of a rectangular block and a pointed stick.

You may feel like an idiot, but you are not! (7/12/23)

By Staff July 12, 2023

An idiot stick, or rubber band snatch, is considered a classic Midwestern toy – but it’s really a trick.

Three college students (Darrell Spinler, Eugene Dooley, and Orville Barrington) kneel behind a pile of wool.

Sheep Shearing (7/6/23)

By Staff July 6, 2023

his photo, which was taken in May 1958, features SDSU, then South Dakota State College, alumni Darrell Spinler, Eugene Dooley and Orville Barrington. Taken on the steps of our very own South Dakota Agricultural Heritage Museum (which was then the livestock judging barn at SDSC), these three men showcase the amount of wool they’ve shorn from their sheep.

Starving Cattle (6/29/23)

By Staff June 29, 2023

During the drought and depression of the 1920s and 1930s, livestock prices dropped dramatically. The money farmers received for selling their cattle did not cover the shipping costs to send them to market. In response, the government purchased cattle and hogs with the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933 to reduce the number on the market.

Ernie Pig (6/28/23)

By Staff June 28, 2023

Many people have a jar, bowl, or coffee can that they toss their loose pocket change into, let it accumulate, and then take it to the bank to deposit of change it to bills. Some even have an actual coin bank. This fellow is a literal piggy bank!

Making Do (6/22/23)

By Staff June 22, 2023

Due to the drop in value of commodities and wages during the Dust Bowl, farm families usually had food but often lacked the cash for fuel, repairs of machinery, and household items. The Pennington County Homemakers Club learned how to make furniture from barrels, crates, and scrapped wood and used printed flour sacks or purchased fabric to upholster the furniture.

2002:037:001 Civilian Conservation Corps Hat, ca. 1933-1940

Civilian Conservation Corps (6/21/23)

By Staff June 21, 2023

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was one of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s most successful work-relief programs. The CCC, WPA (Works Progress Administration), and other relief programs helped the United States overcome economic depression and severe unemployment.

Frost Fest

Make-It Monday

Throwback Thursday

What's New Wednesday