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Gladys Pyle (1890–1989) was a South Dakota politician and the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate without prior appointment. She was also the first female Republican senator, the first female senator from South Dakota, and the first to serve without marrying.

A graduate of Huron College (1911), Pyle taught high school from 1912 to 1918 before entering politics. She became the first woman elected to the South Dakota House of Representatives (1923–1927), later serving as Secretary of State (1927–1931). In 1930, she ran for governor but lost after multiple recounts. She also served on the State Securities Commission (1931–1933) and worked in life insurance.

Pyle and her family were active in the women's suffrage movement, frequently hosting meetings at their home. In 1938, she was elected to the U.S. Senate to complete Peter Norbeck’s term, serving briefly from November 9, 1938, to January 3, 1939.

In 1981, Jeanette Kinyon and Jean Walz began researching Pyle’s life for a biography, gathering materials from interviews, manuscripts, letters, and news reports. This collection represents a selection of their research.

Ben Reifel (1906–1990) was the first Lakota Sioux elected to the U.S. Congress. He was born September 19, 1906, in a log cabin on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, the son of a German American father and a full-blooded Lakota Sioux mother. An enrolled member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, he was given the Lakota name Lone Feather. Reifel grew up bilingual and attended both a reservation boarding school and a local county school, completing the eighth grade at age sixteen. After working on his parents’ farm, he studied at the School of Agriculture in Brookings, South Dakota, and later enrolled at South Dakota State College, graduating in 1932 with a degree in agriculture. He financed his education through one of the first federal loans available to Native American students and was elected president of the Students’ Association in his senior year. In 1933, he married Alice Janet Johnson, and they had one daughter, Loyce Nadine.

Reifel began his career with the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) in 1933 as a farm agent on the Pine Ridge Reservation and was soon promoted to field agent, where he helped implement the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934. His work advancing agricultural programs and economic development earned him recognition across South Dakota reservations. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army, rising to Lieutenant Colonel and distinguishing himself in the European theater. Following the war, he returned to the BIA, serving as Tribal Relations Officer and later as Superintendent of the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota. In 1949, he entered Harvard University, earning a master’s degree in 1950 and a doctorate in public administration in 1952. He then returned to the BIA as Area Director of the Aberdeen Area Office, overseeing federal Indian programs in South Dakota, North Dakota, and Nebraska.

In 1960, Reifel resigned from the BIA to run for Congress. He was elected as a Republican to represent South Dakota’s First District and served five terms. In Congress, he focused on agriculture, Native American education, and civil rights. He advocated desegregation in Indian schools, was instrumental in bringing the Earth Resources Observation Systems (EROS) center to South Dakota, and supported the creation of the National Endowment for the Humanities. As a member of the House Agriculture Committee and later the Appropriations Committee, he defended farm subsidies and advanced irrigation projects critical to the regional economy. He chose not to seek re-election in 1970.

After leaving Congress, Reifel continued public service as chairman of the National Capital Planning Commission, Special Assistant for Indian Programs to the Director of the National Park Service, and Interim Commissioner of Indian Affairs under President Gerald Ford. He was active in civic organizations, particularly the Boy Scouts of America, receiving the Silver Antelope, Silver Beaver, Silver Buffalo, and Gray Wolf awards. He also served on the National Council of the Protestant Episcopal Church and as trustee and board president of the South Dakota Art Museum, where he established its first Native American collection.

Reifel received numerous honors, including the Department of the Interior’s Distinguished Service Award and honorary doctorates from South Dakota State University, the University of South Dakota, and Northern State College. After the death of his first wife, Alice, in 1972, he married Frances U. Colby. He continued his advocacy for Native American rights and education until his death from cancer on January 2, 1990. His legacy endures in his contributions to Native American policy, public service, and South Dakota’s cultural and political life.

David Richards grew up on a ranch along the Belle Fourche River, approximately 20 miles east of Sturgis, South Dakota, during the 1930s. He attended a one-room rural school and enrolled at South Dakota State College in 1946, graduating in 1950. As a student, Richards participated in various academic and extracurricular activities. He worked on a joint research project with institutions in Ames, Iowa, and the University of Minnesota to identify effective chemical dwarfing agents for lawn grass, and later conducted a senior project on budding and grafting evergreens. He was active on the Rifle Team, served as president of the Presbyterian student group, and was a member of ROTC.

After college, Richards returned to Meade County, where he became a dedicated rancher and agricultural leader. He served as president of the Meade County Stockgrowers, was involved with the Meade County Farm Bureau for over 60 years, and helped organize Ag Unity. In 1958, he received the Outstanding Young Farmer Award from the Sturgis Jaycees.

Richards was a long-time admirer of Niels Ebbesen Hansen, a pioneering horticulturist known for introducing hardy plant varieties suitable for the harsh climates of the Northern Plains. Hansen’s career with the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station produced a wealth of bulletins, circulars, and scientific manuscripts. After Hansen's death in 1950, Richards received permission to salvage numerous discarded documents from his office, recognizing their historical significance. His efforts preserved a valuable collection of Hansen’s writings, correspondence, research materials, plant catalogs, and travel records. Additional contributions by Helen Hansen Loen further enrich the understanding of Hansen’s personal and professional legacy.

Marilyn Richardson was born on May 22, 1934, and graduated from Box Elder High School in Brigham City, Utah, in 1952. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech with a minor in Dance from Brigham Young University in 1956. In 1963, she completed a Master of Arts degree from Pennsylvania State University with a major in Theatre Arts and a minor in Arts Education.

Richardson joined the faculty at South Dakota State University (SDSU) in 1964, teaching in the Health, Physical Education and Recreation (HPER) Department. At that time, Frost Arena had not yet been constructed, and she conducted dance classes in makeshift spaces, including an old barn. In 1968, she initiated the Annual Student Dance Concerts. By 1976, she had established a dance minor within the HPER Department. In 1980, she launched the Experimental Dance Concert, which was presented on the distinctive stage of the South Dakota Art Museum.

Throughout her career, Richardson expanded performance opportunities for SDSU dancers, creating both experimental concerts and main stage productions that emphasized choreographic and performance development. She founded the Motion Machine, a student performance company that toured regional elementary schools. This initiative provided SDSU students with experience in touring and outreach while also introducing schoolchildren to dance in an innovative and accessible format.

In addition to her work in dance instruction and choreography, Richardson contributed to SDSU theatre productions, offered private dance lessons, and served on numerous local, state, and national committees. She also pursued writing projects and participated as both a touring artist and artist-in-residence through the South Dakota Arts Council.

Marilyn Richardson retired from SDSU on May 15, 1994. She is the mother of three children and married to Jay Richardson.

Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge is located in Brown County, northeastern South Dakota, near the city of Columbia. It was established in 1935 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as part of the National Wildlife Refuge System. Encompassing over 21,000 acres of wetlands, grasslands, and open water, the refuge was created to protect and enhance migratory bird habitat, particularly for waterfowl.

It is recognized as a Globally Important Bird Area and a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention. Sand Lake provides critical breeding, nesting, and migratory stopover habitat for hundreds of bird species, including ducks, geese, herons, and endangered whooping cranes. The refuge also supports a variety of mammals, amphibians, and fish species.

The refuge is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and includes facilities for research, conservation, and public recreation, such as birdwatching, environmental education, photography, and regulated hunting and fishing.

The Saturday Literary Club, founded in 1897 with 14 members, was the first women’s club organized in Brookings, South Dakota. Dedicated to social engagement and cultural enrichment, the club played a significant role in the community’s intellectual life.

The National Chapter of Scabbard and Blade was established in 1904 at the University of Wisconsin. The 1st Company, 6th Regiment was installed at South Dakota State College on May 15, 1927.

Scabbard and Blade aimed to raise the standard of military drill in American colleges and universities, strengthen relationships among military departments, encourage the development of efficient and capable officers, and foster camaraderie among cadets.

Membership was open to R.O.T.C. cadets enrolled in the advanced course and was based on standards similar to those of other honorary fraternities. Candidates were expected to demonstrate qualities such as efficiency, patriotism, obedience, honor, courage, and good fellowship.

The organization remained active at South Dakota State University until sometime in the 1970s.