Leland D. Case Library for Western Historical Studies - BHSU

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Spearfish, SD
Leland D. Case Library for Western Historical Studies - BHSU

Case Library houses the special collections and archives at Black Hills State University. Visitor parking is available.

Selected items from Case Library collections can be viewed in the Digital Library of South Dakota: https://explore.digitalsd.org/

Location:
Case Library is located in the Jacket Legacy Room on the second floor of the Student Union on the Black Hills University Campus. For directions and a campus map visit: https://library.bhsu.edu/case/info/directions.cfm

09/05/2026

Who remembers the J Bar M Western Shop on the corner of Main and Hudson Streets? It opened in July of 1972 in the Valentine and Wolzmuth building, which was built in 1899. The building still stands in downtown Spearfish.

From the Father Eugene W. Szalay Collection. View more images from the collection here: https://tinyurl.com/BHSU-Szalay

Help us celebrate the founding of Spearfish in 1876 by tagging your historic photos of the town with

08/29/2026

Two bygone traditions related to initiating freshman BH students were the wearing of beanies and the whitewashing of the "H." This photo shows freshmen from 1961 participating in both!

From the University Archives. See more images from BH's history here: https://tinyurl.com/BHSUarchives

08/22/2026

Lead, South Dakota, photographer W.B. Perkins took this photograph of a natural arch in 1908. Does anyone know where it is?

From the F. L. Cook Photograph Collection. See more images from the collection here: https://tinyurl.com/BHSU-CookPhoto

08/15/2026

Shown here is Black Hills College in Hot Springs, which was run by the Methodist Episcopal Church. Construction began on the building in 1888, located on what became known as "College Hill." It is said to have been the first stone building built in the city. The college held its first classes on September 11, 1890, with 24 students enrolled. Financial difficulties forced the school to close in the fall of 1900. The building was purchased by the city of Hot Springs in 1911 and converted into a public high school. The building was destroyed in a fire in January of 1924. The present Hot Springs High School building was built on the same site.

From the William J. Collins Collection. See more images from the collection here: https://explore.digitalsd.org/digital/collection/Collins

08/08/2026

As we continue to celebrate the history of Spearfish's founding in 1876, here's a look back at the intersection of US Highway 14A (Spearfish Canyon Highway) with Colorado Boulevard as it was in October of 1968. In view is the Spearfish golf course, Rose Hill Cemetery, and the city's old landfill.

From the Black Hills National Forest Historical Collection. See more images from the collection here: https://explore.digitalsd.org/digital/collection/BHNF

08/06/2026

Spearfish Historical Photo Exhibit now on display at BHSU's Library:

In celebration of the 150th anniversary of the founding of Spearfish (1876-2026), the Leland D. Case Library has created a photo exhibit highlighting the first 75 years of Spearfish's history.

"Remembering Spearfish: 150 Years of Community" is on display on the 2nd floor of the E. Y. Berry-Library Learning Center on the Black Hills State University campus. The exhibit is free and open to the public.

For information about hours and additional information on the exhibit visit: https://libguides.bhsu.edu/Spearfish150

08/01/2026

Watson Parker visited the town of Oelrichs in southwestern South Dakota in the summer of 1982. Shown here is the post office building, which was built in 1919. A post office was first establish there in 1885.

From the Watson Parker Ghost Town Notebooks. See more images from the collection here: https://explore.digitalsd.org/digital/collection/WPGhosttown

07/25/2026

People flocked to Roubaix Lake in August of 1937 to cool off. According to Forest Service estimates, about 200 people were there at the time of this photograph.

From the Black Hills National Forest Historical Collection. See more images from the collection here: https://explore.digitalsd.org/digital/collection/BHNF

07/18/2026

In 1956, BH's first gymnasium was demolished to make way for a new gymnasium-armory. It had been built in 1918 and was named after our first president, Fayette L. Cook. (The replacement gym would also bear his name.) As the beloved building came down, it inspired a painting and a poem by BHTC art professor Mar Gretta Cocking.

07/11/2026

Like Spearfish, Lead is also celebrating the 150th anniversary of its founding this year. This view shows the town in 1900. Happy 150th Lead!

From the W. R. Cross Photograph Collection. Cross was a Hot Springs-based photographer who worked in the Black Hills beginning in the late 1880s until his death in 1907. See more images from his collection here: https://explore.digitalsd.org/digital/collection/WRCross

Address

1200 University Street, Unit 9676
Spearfish, SD
57799

Telephone

+16056426361

Website

https://www.bhsu.edu/archives/

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