MINNEHAHA CENTURY FUND
The Minnehaha Century Fund
is a private, non-profit, tax-exempt corporation, located in Sioux Falls.
It is managed by a board of directors of nine members who are interested
citizens and representatives of historical and preservation organizations
in Minnehaha County. The work of the Fund is supported by a permanent endowment,
to which gifts are encouraged. The Board meets quarterly.
The purposes of the Minnehaha
Century Fund are:
To establish a systematic
program to create and place permanent historic markers, monuments and memorials
on or near the sites of significant historic events or locations within
Minnehaha County.
To establish a permanent
endowment fund of which the annual earnings will be used to carry out the
purposes of the Fund and to increase the value of the endowment fund through
gifts from all appropriate public and private sources.
To develop interpretive
and educational programs for the public benefit, concerning the value and
importance of the preservation of the historic heritage of Minnehaha County.
HOW AND WHY THE FUND BEGAN
Strong communities are the
result of shared values, traditions and an understanding of the past events
that make up their heritage. A community that has no knowledge of its history
is rootless. Communities must know their past in order to build a productive
future. Visible markers and monuments make community history come alive
and provide an important sense of dimension.
A system of historical markers
can do much to educate youth in local history, to build a sense of pride
and unity among its citizens and to increase the community attractiveness
to visitors. It can assist in the development of a local tourist industry,
increase property values and in many ways, improve the quality of life.
The Minnehaha County Centennial
Commission established to help commemorate the centennial of South Dakota
statehood, has provided leadership and financial support for the establishment
of the Fund as a lasting legacy for the benefit of coming generations.
WHAT THE FUND DOES
LOCATES HISTORIC SITES
- White explorers and traders arrived in
Minnehaha County over 200 years ago. Native American occupation dates back
thousands of years. Ancestors of most present residents began arriving
in the middle of the last century. The Fund seeks to locate the sites at
which they lived and worked, to tell their fascinating history.
GATHERS INFORMATION ON SITES
- Finding reliable information about historic
sites often requires careful, painstaking research. Separating hearsay
from reality is necessary to understand how past generations lived and
what really happened in their time.
CHOOSES SITES TO BE MARKED
- There are literally hundreds of historic
sites in Minnehaha County, many of which deserve to be marked. The Fund
seeks to mark those that can best help us to understand and interpret our
history.
ASSISTS PRESERVATION GROUPS
- Many Minnehaha citizens are willing to
help meet the costs of historic markers and memorials. The Fund encourages
individuals, families and organizations to contribute to the cost and to
contact the Fund, to learn how they may help.
- Organizations such as the Minnehaha County
Historical Society and other groups receive financial grants from the Fund
to help place markers and memorials at historic sites.
CONDUCTS EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
- Providing information on Minnehaha County
history and the importance of teaching through markers and memorials is
an on-going effort of the Fund. Speakers are available for organizational
meetings. Advice and consultation services are offered on request, to assist
in these efforts.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
- If you know or learn of historic sites
in Minnehaha County that are not marked, which you feel should be, contact
the Minnehaha Century Fund and give information about the site.
- Do everything you can to preserve historic
sites from destruction. Help protect historic buildings, locations of events,
Indian sites, pioneer settlements, wagon trails and other places or things
that were part of community and county history.
- Do everything you can to help educate
our youth and the public about the importance and value of local history.
Arrange for programs, speakers and other activities for local schools and
organizations.
- Help encourage gifts to the Minnehaha
Century Fund to be used to help place historic markers and memorials in
Minnehaha County. Urge local organizations to support historic markers
in your community. Urge people to establish permanent endowments, which
can be named for them or their family, to establish markers and memorials
at schools, parks and at historic sites. Plan to include the Minnehaha
Century Fund in your own will and encourage friends to do so.
For Information Contact
Minnehaha Century Fund
P.O. Box 87999
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
57105
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