CULTURE + ENTERTAINMENT
“In October 1890, Minnehaha County employees began moving into the newly-constructed Minnehaha County Courthouse,” described Nelson. “The building served as the county courthouse for the next 72 years. After a new county courthouse opened in 1962, the original courthouse sat mostly empty.” The 1970s brought workers, researchers, and restoration specialists to kick off the building’s new life as a museum. Each exhibit over the last 52 years is brought to life by the staff. Nelson says team members research topics of interest on their own in addition to their regular job duties. “Once the exhibit script is researched and written, the exhibits staff comes up with a design that we build in-house with panels, cases, platforms, mounts, and interactives,” he explained. “The collections staff handles all of the artifacts that are included in each exhibit and make sure they are handled safely and won’t be damaged while on exhibit for 18- 24 months.” Volunteers are included in most projects every step of the way as well. The Siouxland Heritage Museums are primarily funded by the City of Sioux Falls and Minnehaha County, along with support from their membership group, The Siouxland Heritage Museums Alliance .
FAMILY ISSUE april 2026
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