FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  Oct. 10, 2007
CONTACT:  Chelle Somsen, (605) 773-5521, Chelle.Somsen@state.sd.us

Pierre Railroad Bridge program coming to Cultural Heritage Center

PIERRE, S.D. -- October has been officially declared “Archives Month” in South Dakota with the theme, “Find your History in South Dakota.”

Archives Month is an annual nationwide celebration of historical records and archives, and in recognition of “Archives Month,” the South Dakota State Historical Society-Archives has a series of programs planned for the South Dakota Cultural Heritage Center.

On Sunday, Oct. 14, at 2 p.m. in the education room at the Cultural Heritage Center, Matthew Reitzel, manuscript archivist for the State Historical Society-Archives, will offer the free presentation “Pierre Railroad Bridge Construction.” This presentation will highlight photographs from the archives collection on the railroad bridge in Pierre.

"The presentation will show the progression of the railroad bridge's construction," notes Reitzel. "The scrapbook of bridge construction photos is one of many excellent pieces of history found here at the State Archives."

Other “Archives Month” programs at the Cultural Heritage Center include “Stories, Photographs and History of the Pierre Indian School” on Sunday, Oct. 21, and a film of “Oahe Dam Construction” on Sunday, Oct. 28. Both programs are free and begin at 2 p.m.

During “Archives Month,” the State Archives will also be open an extra Saturday – Oct. 20 – from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

For more information about Archives Month visit the website http://www.sdhistory.org/arc/archivesmonth.

Regular hours for the State Archives are 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. weekdays and the first Saturday of each month.