The times are always changing, and not everything is the same as it used to be. In the late 1800s and the very early 1900s, South Dakota was just transitioning from being part of the big Dakota Territory into its own state. Throughout the gold and land rush, the stagecoach trails to the railroad, and the exploration that happened over the course of a century, the cities were constantly evolving into what they are today. Needless to say, everything looked a bit different back then!
Here are some rare photographs from as early as the 1830s all the way to the first decade of the 1900s of some of South Dakota’s major cities and landmarks in their earliest days:
- A freight team entering a very early Custer, 1876
Daniel S. Mitchell/Wikimedia
- A stereoscopic image of Sioux Falls in what was still the Dakota Territory, circa 1880s
Munson & McKay/NYPL
- An old, labeled shot of downtown Aberdeen, 1910
LOC/Wikimedia
- Coaches arriving at a hotel in Hot Springs, 1899
NARA/Wikimedia
- An awesome panoramic shot of 6th and Main in Rapid City, 1912
LOC/Wikimedia
- Birds-eye view of a bustling Deadwood, circa 1890s
Wikimedia
- One of the earliest printed illustrations of Fort Pierre, 1833
NARA/Wikimedia
- The State Fairgrounds in Huron, South Dakota, 1910
LOC/Wikimedia
- Very early shot of Vermillion in stereoscopic view, circa 1880s
NYPL
- An aerial view illustration of Watertown. There was a lot of space left to fill then. 1883
J. J. Stoner/Wikimedia
Do you recognize any of the buildings in these photos? They’re so different, it’s hard to tell, but there’s definitely a few spots that are still around in the cities today.
Daniel S. Mitchell/Wikimedia
Munson & McKay/NYPL
LOC/Wikimedia
NARA/Wikimedia
Wikimedia
NYPL
J. J. Stoner/Wikimedia
South Dakota has changed a lot over time, and it’s always fascinating to look back. Photos are some of the only ways we can really “look” back in time. Here are more amazing vintage photographs of the state.
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