Museum's History

Founded in 1967 by South Dakota State University, the State Agricultural Heritage Museum is dedicated to the preservation and the interpretation of objects related to South Dakota agricultural history and rural heritage from 1860 to the present. It is concerned not only with crops, livestock, and related technologies, but also with human experiences that have been shaped by the state's diverse environment. The museum's permanent exhibit "Dreams Fulfilled and Dreams Forgotten," illustrates South Dakota's rural and agricultural heritage and includes a restored 1915, 65 horsepower steam traction engine, an original 1882 homestead shack, and a replica 1915 farmhouse. Special exhibits change throughout the year. The annual Winter Exhibit runs from mid November through early January. Built in 1918, the Stock Judging Pavilion served as the primary livestock teaching facility at South Dakota State University until 1977. In that year it became the headquarters of the State Agricultural Heritage Museum, a program of the South Dakota State University. For its first 70 years, the Stock Judging Pavilion served as an instructional center for stock judging and meat science and was home of the Little International, a yearly agricultural exposition. Today, the pavilion continues to serve agriculture by housing the museum's exhibits that record and preserve the agrarian heritage of South Dakota. The pavilion's neoclassical architecture is similar to that of other livestock pavilions built on college campuses and state fairgrounds between 1900 and 1925. The Stock Judging Pavilion was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. The exterior has been restored to its 1925 appearance. Comments or questions, please e-mail us at: sdsu.agmuseum@sdstate.edu