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    Codington County Historical Society

    4.0 (1 review)

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    10 years ago

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    Laura Ingalls Wilder Memorial Society

    Laura Ingalls Wilder Memorial Society

    4.5(14 reviews)
    41.3 mi

    We came into town not knowing what to expect. But what a lovely tour and town! We were short on…read moretime so we did the half tour. Our guide Nivea was wonderful and very informative. My daughters and I have read the books and were so excited to see the things we read so many times come to life. My husband who had no idea what any of this was about really enjoyed it too. After the tour we went on our own to the cemetery to pay our respects and finally to the cottonwood trees Pa had planted and still exist on the original homestead. I highly recommend seeing the trees as well... what a beautiful place!

    I can't say that I'm a huge Laura Ingalls Wilder fan, either of the books or of the television…read moreseries, but I was interested in seeing this interesting tidbit of history that is located quite simply in the middle of nowhere. My stop here was completely fortuitous and was unplanned. Thankfully, I arrived just before the last tour of the day! It was the sign on US Highway 14 pointing the way caught my eye. As I mentioned, Laura Ingalls Wilder is mostly known for the series of childrens books that were turned into a television series in the 1970s and 1980s, "Little House on the Prairie" that starred Melissa Gilbert as Laura and Michael Landon as her father. They spent a significant amount of time here in De Smet and these are the original structures, which have either been restored or moved to the site from their initial locations. I was able to join a half-tour with a helpful and excited docent who does have a script but also has a good depth of knowledge about Wilder and her history. It was quite interesting and I learned a lot about life on the South Dakota prairie in the 1880s. It was not a pleasant time to be here but now that it's 2022, it's sure better! [Review 17848 overall - 54 in South Dakota - 1369 of 2022.]

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    Laura Ingalls Wilder Memorial Society - Gift shop

    Gift shop

    Laura Ingalls Wilder Memorial Society - Laura Ingalls Wilder Historical Homes

    Laura Ingalls Wilder Historical Homes

    Laura Ingalls Wilder Memorial Society - Laura Ingalls Wilder Historical Homes

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    Laura Ingalls Wilder Historical Homes

    Terry Redlin Art Center - 06.02.23

    Terry Redlin Art Center

    4.6(7 reviews)
    2.7 mi
    $

    What a special, special place. And it's all free…read more I'll be honest, I was not all too thrilled about coming here, but I could've spent all day here. Too bad I only had an hour here before they closed because I felt I needed at least two. Terry Redlin's work is spectacular. You can see and feel the heart and soul in each and every one of his paintings. And his talent is incredible, truly unmatched. I especially enjoyed his America The Beautiful series and His First series. And I have to note that the ladies working here are so sweet and such a delight. They were all helpful and just absolute dolls. Make sure to buy something from the gift shop or one of his pieces as this is how they stay in business.

    Being only remotely familiar with Terry Redlins work we decided to stop at his Museum on our way to…read morePierre. As we entered we were warmly greeted by the female director who explained everything the Museum has to offer including 3 separate galleries, 160 original oil paintings & 3 gift shops. There is no admission fee & you can likely spend 1 - 1.5 hours looking & browsing. We were amazed at all of his beautiful paintings & reading about his journey through life not to mention the many, many awards he had received over decades of his work. All in all we thoroughly enjoyed our time here & we both became big fans of Terry Redlin the artist & Terry Redlin the man.

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    Terry Redlin Art Center - 06.02.23

    06.02.23

    Terry Redlin Art Center - 06.02.23

    06.02.23

    Terry Redlin Art Center - 06.02.23

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    06.02.23

    The Granery Sculpture Garden

    The Granery Sculpture Garden

    5.0(1 review)
    68.3 mi

    ** This is my 100 "first to review" - Getting it all into Yelp one new review at a time…read more.. To say this is off the beaten path is an understatement. You will likely need to read a good old fashioned map, or GPS to find this place. But, once found, well worth it. I found it because I saw a sign )(Granery Sculpture Garden) by the side of the road, and a few miles further another sign, and since I have yet to regret a detour, off I went. One way in is a more or less gravel road, so be prepared to go slowly and carefully if you find yourself heading in that way. This is a small sculpture garden in South Dakota. Its connected to a museum in Aberdeen - the Dacotah Prairie Museum. http://www.dacotahprairiemuseum.com/granary/about.html There are a number of outdoor sculptures that "tell the story" of the plains Indians, the settlers coming west and more. Its well designed, the path leads you through it the right way without any thought on your part. There are two buildings, one is a museum/store I believe (it was closed when I was there), the other is a community space where students and local area people can display their artwork as well as create it. That building was open and its quite nice to see the artwork. About the Granary - from their website. The Granary Rural Cultural Center is a unique gathering place for people to celebrate the culture and art of the Northern Plains. The 2.3 acre campus is located in rural Brown County, South Dakota, in the heart of the fertile James River Valley, one of the greatest grain producing regions in the US. The park-like campus includes the Granary Memorial Gallery, a 1928 wooden granary converted into five art exhibition rooms; Putney Hall, a restored 1912 town hall moved to the campus in 1996; a gazebo with seating for 40 and an outdoor barbeque pit. The Granary's "Walk with Dakota" interpretive landscape and sculpture garden tells the story of the region's Native American people and the coming of the white settlers searching for a brighter future as they claimed thousands of acres of free land in Dakota Territory. The purpose of the Walk is to examine the relationship between humans the the Dakota environment through art, landforms, and natural vegetation. Click here to view the Granary Campus Self-Guided Tour brochure John Sieh, Granary founder, once said about his vision for the cultural center "We want to celebrate the land and the animals and the people who live here through the arts. We think the fact that it's rural--and very rural--is what makes it unique." Mr. Sieh and his family donated the Granary to the people of Brown County in the spring of 2012. The Dacotah Prairie Museum, a longtime program partner of the Granary, has accepted responsibility for maintaining the Granary, its campus, its programs, and its purpose for the benefit of the public. The Granary Logo was designed by artists at Northern State University in Aberdeen, SD, and is a visual tribute to the land, agriculture, wildlife, water, sky and the native people of the Northern Plains.

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    The Granery Sculpture Garden

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    Codington County Historical Society - museums - Updated May 2026

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