Lightning, like social media, strikes SD media
Courtesy of Tom Warner

Black Hills Knowledge Network Lights Up Local Information

Maybe it happens at dinner one night. Someone asks a question. No one knows for sure. Someone else tries Google. Maybe you have your answer in seconds. Or maybe not. If it’s a question about your neighborhood or your community, you might not find anything at all. In the age of Google, the most elusive information is local.

 

So the Black Hills Area Community Foundation got together with a team of librarians to create the Black Hills Knowledge Network, an online resource for everything local in the Black Hills. Our librarians are organizing news stories, city council minutes and research reports to give you the history of an issue. Visit our virtual community archives to see historic photographs or find data on issues. We have information on how to start a business, train for a new career or get involved with volunteers doing good work in your community. The document library for the history of this project can be accessed to view the mission statement, presentations about the project, and more.

Multimedia

Audio
Radio Program Focuses on Black Hills Knowledge Network and Local Information Needs

Stephanie Bents, from the Rapid City Public Library, and Suzanne Martley, from Rapid City's Sustainable Cities Taskforce, talk about the Black Hills Knowledge Network's role in making local information accessible. Listen to the podcast.

Featured Articles

Media & Information

Newspapers

Rapid City Journal -- www.rapidcityjournal.com

Native Sun News -- www.nsweekly.com

Black Hills Pioneer -- www.bhpioneer.com

Custer County Chronicle -- www.custercountynews.com

 

Mayoral History of Rapid City

What is the name of the Rapid City mayor who served three separate terms? Which mayor created a band and taught each band member to play? Compiled by Kay Rippentrop, all mayors of Rapid City from 1889 until present times are featured with a one-page biography and picture. Answers to above: Wood and Emrick respectively.

Poverty Rates by County

With western South Dakota home to the three counties with the highest povety rates in the country, maps developed by the U.S. Census help put these numbers in a national context.

2012 South Dakota Legislature

As the South Dakota Legislature begins its 2012 session, you can find the information you need to understand what laws are being proposed and to learn how you can make sure your voice is heard. 
 
Track upcoming hearings and votes on the Legislature's official calendar.
 

U.S. Agricultural Census Provides Data on Production and Rural Life

Agriculture plays a huge role in the economy and culture of many Black Hills communities. Every five years the U.S. Department of Agriculture conducts the national Census of Agriculture. We have posted summaries from the 2007 census for each Black Hills county.

more

Stories of the Black Hills

January 2, 2012 08:37 AM
Stylist to Mrs. Coolidge

An enterprising hairdresser from Denver moved to Rapid City in 1927 to attend First Lady Grace Coolidge during her summer White House stay in the Black Hills.

July 8, 2011 06:59 AM
Disney Buys "The Family Band"

Childhood memories of the family band on the Dakota frontier produce 1960s Disney production.

June 25, 2011 02:47 PM
Woman Pathbreaker in the Mining Industry

Peggy Keenan shuttled between the Holy Terror mine and the streets of New York in the early 1960s to build a successful mining company. For women aspiring to careers in fields traditionally dominated by men, she was a path breaker.

William Howard Taft campaigning in South Dakota.
June 17, 2011 08:41 PM
President Taft Visits the Black Hills

Crowds turned out to catch a glimpse or shake the hand of President William Howard Taft when he came to the Black Hills in 1911 seeking support for his embattled administration.

June 11, 2011 11:43 AM
World War II Closed Homestake Gold Mine

 

When federal officials, in response to wartime needs, halted gold-mining, nearly 2,000 employees at Homestake Mine lost their jobs and subsequently joined the armed forces or moved. 

more