Blood Run by Byron Schrick
Professionals and lay people alike have recognized the significance of Blood Run. French explorers began mapping and documenting their research of this site in the 18th Century. Amateurs, such as the Pettigrew family (displayed in Sioux Falls), continued the research and data collection we are building upon today.
During the 1980s, a sand mining operation stumbled across cache pits, which was used by Native Americans to store grain and other items. The estimated timeframe these pits were in use was from the 1500s to 1715 or so. This find was a remarkable time capsule revealing much about their lives. Archeologists were brought in from surrounding areas. They established from this discovery that as many as 5000 (possibly more) people lived in this area year-round.
The Lyon County Historical Society members have also advanced the cause of maintaining and building upon the knowledge base for Blood Run history. Many members have a long commitment to this group and several past members have descendants still active in the group today.
I first became involved in the Lyon County Historical Society around 2000. Nadine Pettengill (a World War II vet) had been enthusiastic about Blood Run for several decades. She tasked me with introducing this rich history to our community by doing presentations in local schools, to better share this history of our local area.
Although the Iowa site has many remnants of history in the land still today, such as some remaining burial mounds and pitted boulders, this has proven less than engaging to most visitors. For that reason, many current and past members have put a tremendous amount of time and effort into developing a master plan for a Blood Run historic site.
In 2013, South Dakota’s plans resulted in the opening of Good Earth State Park with an impressive facility that is able to provide visitors with a comprehensive display and visitor-friendly education of the past Blood Run residents. At the time of its opening, there was a significant amount of discussion and planning devoted to a joint state park by both of the states’ governors. As I recall, there was even discussion of having a corridor of historic sites that included Gitche Manitou and Pipestone National Monument.
The “Friends of Blood Run” was certified by the State of Iowa as a non-profit in February 2020, but many of the members have been at work for many years prior. The work included laying out objectives around land acquisition and having functional access to the Iowa site. At present, planning should probably include having resident living quarters on site and having a multi-purpose, secure facility for both artifact storage and a collection display. There has been discussion around how to address the preservation of early settler’s sites, and even including some earlier Native American cultures such as the Woodlands. Eventually, we could reintroduce the objective of our joint State Park.
The objective of moving forward on Iowa’s Blood Run preservation, the exhibition of the archeological resources that is respectful of Native American values, and providing an informative, enjoyable experience for visitors is no longer a focus. I feel it is very important for us to return our focus to the Iowa master plan for the site that will be available for visitors when South Dakota is ready to combine forces and the artifacts become available.
Over the years, we’ve seen approximately 270 visible burial mounds be reduced to around 70 identifiable mounds due to development and farming. The Lyon County Historical Society has had priceless artifacts stolen due to not having a secure facility. We have many artifacts that could be recovered from the site and knowledge that could enrich our community, yet no way to share the full collection of information without a facility that fully communicates this rich history.
South Dakota’s Good Earth facility’s value is evidenced by how many visitors it’s seen. In recently contacting the Good Earth State Park, I was advised that they recorded 20,358 visitors checking in at their front desk in 2021. (This does not include visitors enjoying the hiking trails or special events.) Iowa has its own unique story to tell with our collection of artifacts and history kept in our lands. By not having a facility, we are missing out on a rare opportunity to create a place worthy of telling our history to visitors local and far away. We will continue to press toward honoring the work that has been passed along to us by past generations. We also appreciate any support from our community to help us create this resource for our future generations.