Identity elements
Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Title
Date(s)
- 1912-2000 (Creation)
Extent
7.31 linear feet (5 record boxes, 5 document cases, 1 half-document case)
Name of creator
Biographical history
The General Federation of Women’s Clubs (GFWC) traces its origins to 1868, when Jane Cunningham Croly founded the Sorosis Club in New York City. In 1889, she united women’s clubs nationwide to form a national federation.
In South Dakota, the women’s club movement was spearheaded by Clara D. Coe, founder of the Round Table Club of Deadwood (1887). Coe organized the Black Hills Federation of Women’s Clubs in 1897, which joined the national GFWC in 1898. As the appointed Federation organizer for South Dakota, Coe convened a meeting on December 8, 1899, in Deadwood, and reconvened it on January 15, 1900, where the South Dakota Federation of Women’s Clubs (now GFWC of South Dakota) was formally established. The group affiliated with the national GFWC on March 1, 1900. Its first state convention was held June 14–15, 1900, in Aberdeen, with thirteen clubs represented and Winona Axtell Lyon elected president.
The organization aims to unite non-partisan, non-sectarian women’s clubs throughout South Dakota to foster collaboration and promote intellectual, moral, and social advancement. It is divided into six districts and governed by elected officers and board members, including the editor of The South Dakota Clubwoman and the Director of Junior Clubs. Committees and departments mirror national GFWC priorities in areas such as arts, education, conservation, international affairs, and public policy.
The Brookings Civic League was founded on April 12, 1912, by forty local women responding to civic needs in partnership with Mayor A. A. Harris and the Commercial Club. Early initiatives included organizing waste collection and enhancing public sanitation. The League affiliated with the South Dakota Federation in 1914 during the women’s suffrage campaign and contributed to wartime efforts by establishing the Brookings Chapter of the American Red Cross. In 1919, it helped form the City Federation of Women’s Clubs to coordinate local women’s organizations.
Throughout the 20th century, the Brookings Civic League led local improvement projects, including health campaigns, urban beautification, tree conservation, and educational support like school milk programs. It also operated a rest area for rural women and played a foundational role in creating the South Dakota Art Museum at South Dakota State University.
As municipal services expanded in the later 20th century, the League shifted focus to social and philanthropic activities. It continues this legacy through events such as the annual Craft & Collectibles Fair, which supports the South Dakota Art Museum.
GFWC Brookings was founded on March 24, 1977, as Community Federated Women and formally affiliated with GFWC in 1983. Its members were active in the City Federation and structured the club according to GFWC departments. Projects have included youth leadership programs, wellness initiatives, legislative awareness, and fundraising for South Dakota Public Broadcasting.
The concept for a state art center was first proposed under the presidency of Mrs. Herbert Kenyon (1947–1949). In 1950, the South Dakota Federation endorsed the creation of a Memorial Art Center, building on its decades-long promotion of cultural enrichment through circulating art collections. The South Dakota Board of Regents approved the placement of the center at South Dakota State University in Brookings. Fundraising yielded nearly $350,000, supplemented by a federal grant and a $55,000 contribution from the Federation. Construction began in 1969, and the Memorial Art Center—now the South Dakota Art Museum—was dedicated in May 1970.
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
The General Federation of Women’s Clubs of South Dakota (GFWC of SD) Records document the organizational, civic, and cultural activities of the state’s women’s club movement from the early 20th century through the late 20th century. The collection provides insight into statewide club administration, local club initiatives, civic improvement efforts, and the promotion of public service, education, arts, and women’s leadership.
The records include administrative materials such as constitutions and by-laws, directories, newsletters (The South Dakota Clubwoman), handbooks, program suggestions, publications from GFWC departments, legislative alerts, project guidelines, and conference materials. District V records are particularly robust, containing minutes, correspondence, club reports from various South Dakota communities, and membership data.
A substantial portion of the collection pertains to GFWC Brookings and the Brookings Civic League, including minutes, reports, scrapbooks, photographs, and documentation of programs such as the FREE Enterprise Program and Youth Improvement initiatives. These materials reflect community-based projects, public health and education support, and civic engagement.
The records also extensively document the Memorial Art Center Campaign, including architectural plans, correspondence, fundraising and financial records, publicity materials, and historical background. This segment captures the GFWC’s central role in establishing what became the South Dakota Art Museum on the campus of South Dakota State University.
Photographic materials span nearly 1,300 images and depict club events, members, and sponsored activities. The collection as a whole illustrates the GFWC of SD’s lasting impact on civic life, education, and cultural development across South Dakota.
This collection documents a grassroots civic organization, women’s leadership, and public service in South Dakota. It offers valuable source material for researchers studying women’s voluntary associations, local history, civic improvement movements, and the evolution of cultural institutions in the state.
System of arrangement
This collection is arranged into series:
- Administrative
- Brookings Civic League
- GFWC Brookings
- Memorial Art Center Campaign
Conditions of access and use elements
Conditions governing access
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Physical access
Technical access
Conditions governing reproduction
Reproduction of materials from the collection is subject to the following conditions:
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Languages of the material
English
Scripts of the material
Language and script notes
Finding aids
Acquisition and appraisal elements
Custodial history
Immediate source of acquisition
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
Accruals
Related materials elements
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related archival materials
Related descriptions
Notes element
General note
Copyright and Use Statement
In Copyright This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses, you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
Materials in this collection may be subject to Title 17, Section 108 of the United States Copyright Act. Users are responsible for ensuring compliance with copyright, privacy, trademark, and other applicable rights for their intended use. Obtaining all necessary permissions is the user's responsibility. Written authorization from the copyright and/or other rights holders is required for publication, distribution, or any use of protected materials beyond what is permitted under fair use.
Specialized notes
Alternative identifier(s)
Description control element
Rules or conventions
Sources used
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- South Dakota Art Museum (Subject)
- General Federation of Women's Clubs of South Dakota (Subject)