"One of the most significant WPA projects in Rapid City was Camp Rapid. Construction of permanent buildings began on June 25, 1934 and one year later, Executive Order 7034 allowed the WPA to begin hiring men to take part in… read more
"Canyon Lake Park was developed around the 1890s by the Upper Rapid City Company, who planted the Lombardy poplar trees that still line the roads of the park. Dr. Valentine McGillycuddy was a partner in the company that planned to… read more
"R. L. Bronson, secretary of the Rapid City Chamber of Commerce, first propositioned the idea of a Dinosaur Park to federal agencies after visiting the Chicago Century of Progress Exposition and viewed a mechanically operated reproduction of a brontosaurus. The… read more
WPA crews built the South Dakota Governor’s Mansion in 1936 in the capitol city of Pierre. In 2004, it was purchased and moved 175 miles to Rapid City, but in 2013 was sold at a foreclosure auction. It remains privately… read more
"The South Dakota School of Mines and Technology took advantage of the New Deal program when it received a $95,000 federal grant that it combined with a $120,000 appropriation from the 1941 South Dakota state legislature to construct the OHarra… read more
CCC and WPA crews constructed this football stadium for the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology in Rapid City. From the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology Quarterly: “With the help of Works Project Administration (WPA) laborers and… read more
“In an effort to preserve the rich history of Rapid City and the surrounding area, WPA Project 1112 began in 1937 in an effort to construct a massive, native-stone edifice to house various collections of historical artifacts. Early in 1936,… read more
“The Rapid City Carnegie Library was constructed in 1915 at what is now 700 Kansas City Street. The library became part of the WPA legacy when workers carefully constructed matching extensions on each side of the central portion. Completed in… read more
A substantial waterworks construction project in Rapid City, South Dakota was undertaken during the Great Depression with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA supplied a $85,130 grant for the project, whose total cost was $189,357. Work… read more
“It was not uncommon for WPA employees to work side by side with Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) members on projects throughout the Black Hills and in Rapid City. Some of these projects included landscaping work that utilized native stone in… read more