50 Years of Preserving South Dakota History
The South Dakota Hall of Fame Visitor & Education Center, located in Chamberlain, SD
For the last 50 years, the South Dakota Hall of Fame has cultivated a unique collection of South Dakota History. This history serves as a vehicle for inspiring excellence in others across the state.
Inductees in the South Dakota Hall of Fame come from all walks of life, and their legacies have the power to connect and inspire generations. Our mission at the South Dakota Hall of Fame is “To Champion a Culture of Excellence” to honor, inspire, preserve, and educate others about the rich histories of excellence in South Dakota and beyond. Our diverse programming uses this history to inspire in a variety of ways.
Legends and Learning Program
The Legends and Learning program is a free educational program designed to inspire future leaders of tomorrow by sharing the legacies of South Dakota Hall of Fame Inductees.
This program is available to all without charge and offers teachers, students, and everyday citizens the opportunity to utilize South Dakota stories for educational, professional, and inspirational purposes.
We have recently recreated the Legends and Learning program to better share this history in 4th-grade classrooms. It features legends like Billy Mills, who made an impact on not just South Dakota but the whole world through his Olympic career.
Explore Billy’s new Legends and Learning page here.
Legacy of Achievement Program
The legacies of South Dakota Hall of Fame Inductees are nothing short of inspiring. The 782 legacies serve as an in-depth catalog of South Dakota history. These legacies are shared in various ways, including detailed biographies found in the Inductee Directory, inspiring Legacy Interviews, and over 50 episodes and counting of the Legacy Podcast.
The power of a legacy is that it continues to grow throughout one’s lifetime and beyond. The legacies housed in this program are periodically updated by the Inductee or Inductee representative and serve as an evolving collection of history.
Click here to explore the Legacy of Achievements program.
The Visitor & Education Center
The South Dakota Hall of Fame’s heart lies in the Visitor & Education Center, located centrally in Chamberlain. Our Visitor & Education Center houses unique exhibits that feature physical pieces of our great state’s history.
The Center is continually updating and building new exhibits–some new ones to look forward to in 2024 include: Empowering Legacies: Women's Impact in South Dakota, the Nine Native Nations of South Dakota, and updates to the Miss South Dakota Exhibit.
The Visitor and Education Center’s hours of operation are:
January 1 – May 24
Monday – Friday | 9 am – 5 pm
May 25 – September 14
Monday – Saturday | 9 am – 6 pm
September 15th – December 31st
Monday – Friday | 9 am – 5 pm
Closed on Holidays during regular hours of operation
Group tours and private events can be scheduled by calling us at 605.234.4216 or email info@sdhalloffame.org
We are proud of South Dakota’s rich history, and our role in sharing it for generations to come. As we celebrate our 50th anniversary in 2024, we also celebrate the excellence of South Dakota history.