Local Lou

Let's head to Yankton Trail Park and explore the historical marker for Wallner Gardens! Wallner Gardens, a family farming venture established in the 1910's by F. X. Wallner, a plant science expert and one time president of the South Dakota Horticultural Society. The business grew from a roadside vegetable stand to a successful retail and wholesale enterprise on the fertile land in Sioux Fa...

Come along to uncover a possible historic hotspot in Garretson, South Dakota. We will get to know the infamous outlaw Jesse James as he rides into Dakota Territory during his daring escape after the famous Northfield Bank Robbery of 1876! Visit www.localloupodcast.com for links

From 1887 to about 1913, East Sioux Falls thrived as a community near the Big Sioux River. Founded by C.W. Hubbard as Ives, it became East Sioux Falls, known for quarrying Sioux quartzite. The town prospered, shipping stone to various cities and attracting stonecutters from Europe. This was a company town and when quartzite was no longer in high demand the town quietly dissolved... Quarrying sure...

What do Twain, Longfellow, Whittier, Lowell, Hawthorne, Emerson and Bancroft have in common? Maybe you guessed they are all literary greats, and sure that’s true but also, they all had a school named for them in Sioux Falls South Dakota!   Local Lou Podcast Transcendentalism - Definition, Meaning & Beliefs | HISTORY   Transcendentalism | Definition, Characteristics, Beliefs, Authors, & Fac...

In this episode we will delve into the historical significance and a brief overview of the Queen Bee Mill at Falls Park in Sioux Falls. We will start with the historical marker that stands guard by the ruins of the mill, eager to share its history to the visitors of Falls Park. Check out www.localloupodcast.com Commercial West - Google Books   City of Hustle - Google Books   The Queen Bee Mill (sd...

Come along for a tour of historical markers in Downtown Sioux Falls! Our main focus will be on railroad history, and we are going to find a bunch of historical markers that talk about the importance of the railroads as we explore. This was originally a one night only bus tour for the Minnehaha County Historical Society History Talk held at Start Up Sioux Falls May 16th 2024.

This is the story of a historical marker that found a forever home at Terrace Park in Sioux Falls, only to disappear! Local Lou Podcast - The Phillips House

Dr. Josiah Phillips brought his wife Hattie to abandoned Fort Dakota in 1870, where they would live in the officers quarters until moving into their first home in 1873 near 11th and Phillips Ave. In this episode explore more about the lives of the namesakes of the busiest street in Downtown Sioux Falls. Star Tribune Minneapolis 10/11/1885  Argus Leader 1/7/1934  Argus Leader 5/1/1983 Hattie’s Plaq...

Sleepy Hallow had the headless horseman and Sioux Falls has a beheaded Union Civil War Soldier.... Statue. We are starting with the historical marker Seacoast Gun, but then we are hopping to the history of the location itself. There is not a historical marker for Lyon Park but there are some great plaques that talk about the park and its history and the little mystery of that statue.  South Dakota...

The unlikely origins of Sioux Falls annual St. Patrick's Day Parade. Argus Leader 2/23/1981  Argus Leader 3/4/1980  Argus Leader 3/13/1922  Sylvia Henkin Obituary (1921 - 2018) - Sioux Falls, SD - Argus Leader (legacy.com)   Sioux Falls - Google Books  

The Sioux Falls Regional Airport, was established in 1939 with a Works Progress Administration grant of $165,000. Soon three runways were constructed, along with a terminal building, and a hangar. There was an unsuccessful movement to name the airport "Tennant Field" in memory of World War 1 veteran pilot and early Sioux Falls aviator Harold Tennant. South Dakota State Historical Society...

Small towns are where everyone knows each others business but happens when bad blood turns into a cold blooded murder? Platted by Benjamin Richards in 1888 naming the townsite after his sons Benjamin and Clarence the small town of Ben Clare was meant to be a spot where farmers could get supplies and ship crops on the railroad without going all the way to Sioux Falls. The townsite however gets sold...

An almost forgotten airport in the midst of what is now one of the busiest areas in Sioux Falls. This historical marker is hidden in plain sight on Kiwanis Ave near 46th street and tells us about the 21 year long run of Soo Skyways Airport.   Let's take off and learn some of Sioux Falls early aviation history! For more information check out https://www.localloupodcast.com/episodes-of-local-lou...

An Irish immigrant family that had only been in Dakota Territory for a few months suffers unbearable loss when on an unseasonably warm winters day turns into a 3 day blizzard in January of 1873. Those who live in Sioux Falls in modern day know that our weather can turn on a dime, but take yourself back to the pioneer days when there was no meteorologist to warn you of a dangerous storm rolling in....

Exploring a Sioux Falls neighborhood's over 70 year holiday tradition, a one night illuminating event. Local Lou Podcast - Luminary Lane

2023 was a big year for Dorothy's Tree, an evergreen that has been decorated every year for a few decades in honor of Dorothy's Weir. So how does that change when the tree begins to die? Let's explore this piece of Sioux Falls Holiday History! https://patreon.com/LocalLouPodcast?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=join...

Why does Melvin Grigsby have a historical marker in Mckennan Park? Because he owned a home there before it was a park, a home Helen Mckennan would later own, the same home she would donate along with the land for the park to the city in her will upon her death. The same donation that started the whole controversy we talked about in the episode A Park Born in Controversy. Col. Melvin Grigsby (1845-...

Welcome to the Local Lou Podcast! I am thrilled to have you here today as we explore fascinating local history. In this episode, we'll delve into a bust dedicated to Helen McKennan and her contributions to the McKennan Park Historic District, established in 1984. We'll also introduce you to four significant figures from Sioux Falls' history: Helen Gale McKennan, Artemus Gale, Frances C...

The historical marker A Park Born In Controversy is located in Mckennan Park in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. In this episode of Local Lou we will read the historical marker and learn about 4 different men that will be involved in the controversy; W. H. Lyon, Col. Melvin Grigsby, Mayor Frank Pillsbury, and Mayor W. T. Doolittle. Don't worry in the next episode we will learn more about the controv...

This episode of Local Lou partners with the Sioux Falls Food Tours check out their website for the 190 Savor Tour or if you live in or are visiting Sioux Falls, book a public or private food tour in Sioux Falls. Sioux Falls Food Tours - Upcoming Public Tours (sufufoodtours.com) Announcing Savor Food Tours – Explore, Eat, Experience | Sioux Falls Food Tours (sufufoodtours.com) Location  Falls Park...

Here is a little remembered piece of Sioux Falls South Dakota history. A several year wave of grasshopper invasions hit Dakota Territory but did you know these invasions were widespread from Canada to Texas? Beginning in 1873, for four consecutive summers great swarms of grasshoppers riding prevailing winds reached the Midwestern states and territories where they landed and destroyed farmers'...

We are heading down to Falls Park to check out the historical marker Prison Quarry! Newspapers.com https://www.argusleader.com/story/life/2014/10/05/looking-back-state-prison-complete/16586823/ Bulletin of the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics - Google Books   South Dakota State Penitentiary :: SD Dept. of Corrections   South Dakota State Penitentiary - Wikipedia   Wallace L. Dow - Wikipedi...

I was recently asked to speak at the Friends of the Big Sioux River Film Festival, at the historic State Theater in Downtown Sioux Falls. In this BONUS EPISODE of Local Lou you will get to hear my talk in its entirety as well as a little more information about Seney Island and my process behind giving this talk.  As always thank you so much for tuning in to hear me gush about local history!&n...

It is finally time to talk about my favorite cemetery. I am so thankful they have a historical marker!  Localloupodcast@gmail.com Local Lou (@localloupodcast) • Instagram photos and videos 7 Historic Cemeteries in Sioux Falls You Should Explore Today – Family Memorials By Gibson (gibsonmonuments.com) https://woodlawncemeterysf.com Glidden Chapel - Mount-Pleasant-Cemetery-Sioux-Falls-South-Dak...

I know links in the notes are so boring right but if you are into it I really suggest checking out the links in the notes there is some interesting stuff. "The View from the Front Porch: William McKinley and the Campaign of 1896" - Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums (rbhayes.org) Speeches and Addresses of William McKinley - Google Books Presidential Visits to South Dakota (sdpb...