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The Ben Reifel Papers document the career of Ben Reifel, the first Lakota Sioux to serve in the U.S. Congress, highlighting his work as a legislator, his tenure with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and his advocacy for Native American communities. The collection includes correspondence, photographs, audiovisual materials, memorabilia, and scrapbooks that provide insight into his contributions to public service and Native American affairs. As a pioneering Native American leader, Reifel played a key role in shaping policies related to education, healthcare, and economic development. This collection serves as a valuable resource for understanding his lasting impact on indigenous representation in government and South Dakota's political landscape.

The activities series contains records of Reifel's involvement with various organizations and initiatives, including the Boy Scouts of America, the National Park Service, and the Dakota Territory Citizen Certificates project. It also covers his efforts in Native American affairs, congressional trips, and public events. The awards and honors section features certificates, plaques, medals, and other recognitions Reifel received throughout his career, including awards from the Boy Scouts of America, Sioux tribes, and South Dakota State University.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs materials include correspondence, newsletters, and newspaper clippings that document Reifel's work in advancing Native American education, healthcare, and policy. The campaign series provides an in-depth look at his political career through financial records, advertisements, schedules, and materials related to the South Dakota Republican Party platforms.

Correspondence within the collection spans from Reifel's tenure with the BIA through his congressional career, featuring letters exchanged with prominent political figures such as Barry Goldwater, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, and George McGovern. The family history section contains biographical materials, educational records, military service documents, and personal writings that provide insight into his early life and career development.

Memorabilia in the collection includes campaign materials, presidential inauguration items, and personal artifacts such as a U.S. Annotated Code book with Reifel's name embossed on the cover. The photographs offer a visual record of his political career, community interactions, travels, and personal life, particularly highlighting his work in Congress and his connections with Native American communities.

The audiovisual materials consist of campaign advertisements, legislative discussions, interviews, and speeches on healthcare, agriculture, and public service. These recordings also include public appearances and fundraising events. Scrapbooks primarily contain newspaper clippings and campaign materials that document Reifel's public image and key political milestones.

Collected materials include books, periodicals, programs, and poetry reflecting Reifel's diverse interests and professional pursuits. His speeches and writings consist of transcripts and drafts of addresses given at events such as Memorial Day ceremonies and commencement exercises.

Overall, the Ben Reifel Papersprovides a comprehensive view of his contributions to public service, Native American advocacy, and South Dakota’s civic and political landscape. It serves as a valuable resource for researchers seeking to understand his legislative impact, community engagement, and personal legacy.

The Bill Nibbelink Papers documents Nibbelink’s involvement in the development and promotion of alcohol fuels in South Dakota, reflecting his collaboration with Congressman Tom Daschle and regional organizations during the late 1970s and early 1980s. The collection includes a range of government and industry publications on ethanol, such as materials produced by the U.S. Department of Energy, the Department of Agriculture, the Solar Energy Research Institute, and local advocacy groups like the South Dakota Alcohol Fuels Association. These materials illustrate a critical moment in the push for renewable energy solutions in the Midwest and highlight Nibbelink’s role in distributing and producing outreach materials to support the cause.

In addition to energy policy materials, the collection contains assorted campaign memorabilia and planning documents, including a 1978 recount handbook from the contested congressional election in Moody County. These records offer insight into grassroots campaign operations, local political strategy, and the resourcefulness of early campaign efforts with limited funding. The presence of "Get Out The Vote" materials and memorabilia spanning from 1978 to 2004 captures the longevity of Nibbelink’s political engagement.

Also included are constituent correspondence files known as robo letters, which detail how Daschle’s congressional office handled communication with constituents during his early terms. These are complemented by logistical materials such as South Dakota trip schedules, contact lists, and a congressional telephone directory, providing a fuller picture of day-to-day congressional operations.

Photographs, press clippings, and a 2015 interview with Nibbelink round out the collection, adding visual and personal context to the professional and political records. Altogether, the collection serves as a valuable resource for studying early renewable energy advocacy, political campaigning in rural America, and the evolution of constituent service in congressional offices.

The Frank E. Denholm Papers primarily document Denholm’s service as U.S. Representative for South Dakota’s First Congressional District from 1971 to 1975. The collection reflects his advocacy for rural America, particularly through his work to reinstate the Rural Electrification Act and support legislation on agriculture, rural water systems, and rural development. It includes extensive press releases, congressional reports, financial disclosures, and newspaper clippings related to his legislative activities.

Campaign materials feature prominently, with county-level organizing documents, bumper stickers, advertisements, and memorabilia spanning multiple election cycles. The collection contains correspondence, including exchanges with political figures such as George McGovern, Richard Kneip, J. Edgar Hoover, and Tom Daschle.

Denholm’s earlier and later careers as an FBI agent, sheriff, auctioneer, and attorney are also represented. Non-congressional files include his work in law enforcement, his private business ventures, and his involvement in regional civic life.

Visual documentation includes nearly 1,500 photographs and slides, many related to campaigns, official travel, and public events, as well as oversized items such as campaign posters and scrapbooks. Audio-visual materials include reel-to-reel recordings and 2-inch quad video tapes of campaign advertisements and congressional work.

The collection also features materials related to Denholm’s wife, Mildred Niehaus Denholm, who was active in his campaigns and participated in Congressional Wives’ organizations. Born May 9, 1927 in Andover, South Dakota, Mildred Denholm was a teacher and trained secretary with additional studies in music. The papers include her biographical information, correspondence with Frank Denholm, and documents relating to her role in the Congressional Women’s Club. She passed away on August 14, 2014.

Additional material includes Denholm’s autobiographical writings, family history, South Dakota State University coursework, speeches, public statements, and memorabilia such as awards, plaques, and a pen from the Nixon White House. The papers offer insight into South Dakota political history and mid-20th century rural policy advocacy.

The Denholm Papers serve scholars of political science, rural history, South Dakota state politics, and 20th-century congressional history by preserving a detailed account of one legislator’s efforts to shape federal policy to better serve rural constituencies.

In 1978, Daschle was elected to the United States House of Representatives, winning the race by a margin of 110 votes, following a recount, out of more than 129,000 votes cast. Daschle served four terms in the House of Representatives and quickly became a part of the Democratic leadership.

At the 1980 Democratic National Convention Congressman Daschle received 10 (0.30%) delegate votes for Vice President of the United States. Although he was not a candidate, Daschle (along with others) received votes against incumbent Walter Mondale, who was re-nominated easily.

he U.S. House of Representatives papers is composed of some campaign files and voting record information. Also included is "The Daschle Record" which contains 12 books compiled by his staff containing Daschle's voting record, sponsorships, and summaries of committee and subcommittee records from 1979 to 1986.

Due to the size and scope of the Daschle collection this collection was minimally processed. This means that material was placed in acid-free folders and containers, but processing at the item level was keep to a minimum. Only folders that had little or no description were looked into with more depth. Artifacts, such as plaques, framed items, textiles, art, and other three-dimensional items, were separated and placed in appropriate storage. Photographs were also separated and placed in proper storage containers.

Dates for each folder were chosen on what could be quickly ascertained. The dates are meant to give researchers a general idea of the dates of the material that is in each folder. These dates were selected on what could be quickly ascertained. If there was a range of dates covering material, then the earliest date was chosen.

In the 1986 election, Daschle became South Dakota's junior senator by winning 52 percent of the vote in a tight race with Republican Senator James Abdnor. Senator Daschle was appointed to the Finance Committee during his first year in the Senate, an unusual honor for a freshman. In 1988, he became the first South Dakotan ever to hold a Senate Leadership position when he was named the first ever co-chair of the Democratic Policy Committee by then Senate Majority Leader George J. Mitchell.

When Senator Mitchell retired in 1994, Daschle ran for the post of Democratic Minority Leader and won, 24-23, over Senator Christopher Dodd. Only Lyndon B. Johnson had served fewer years in the Senate before being elected to the Leader position.

Senator Daschle served as Minority Leader from 1994 to 2001, when the Senate became deadlocked with 50 Democrats and 50 Republicans for the first time in the Senate's history. Daschle became Majority Leader for 17 days, from January 3 to January 20, because the new congress took office before a new presidential administration. Vice-President Al Gore acted as ex officio President of the Senate to give the Democrats a majority.

Daschle and Trent Lott, the Republican Leader, negotiated for five weeks to invent new rules to share power in an evenly-divided Congress and finally came up with an agreement that was passed unanimously by the Senate. In May of 2001, Republican Senator Jim Jeffords became an Independent, which gave the Democrats a majority in the chamber to make Senator Daschle Majority Leader once again, from June 6, 2001-January 3, 2003. After the 2002 election, Daschle again became Minority Leader for the 108th Congress until his defeat in the 2004 election.

Tom Daschle lost the 2004 election to John Thune by 4,534 votes, a 49%-51% margin. He had been the Democratic Leader for ten years, two years longer than Lyndon B. Johnson, and was the first party leader in a half-century to be voted out of office.

The U.S. Senate papers series of the Daschle Papers is composed of records created by Tom Daschle and his staff during his tenure in the U.S. Senate. Included are trip schedules, speeches, sponsored and cosponsored legislation, and administrative files including financial disclosures, appointments and schedules. This series does not contain much material related to Daschle's campaigns for voting records during this time.

The trip schedules and files regarding his frequent trips back to South Dakota, including quite a few of Daschle's "Trip Notes" which are Daschle's notes to his staff regarding his impressions of the details of the trip and issues and concerns encountered on the trips that he wanted his staff to address.

Also included are files on the Whitewater issue during the Clinton administration, veterans issues, Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota Water Projects, the accident of South Dakota Governor Mickelson, and aviation issues.