Journey Museum, Rapid City, SD

The Journey Museum in Rapid City South Dakota takes visitors through the history of the Black Hills. It starts with Native American creation stories before meandering through geology, paleontology, archaeology, Native American inhabitants of the area, and pioneers of the west. The museum sits on seven acres of land. Part of the land houses gardens, while the rest is a large building with the exhibits.

The archaeology exhibit provides information regarding Homo Sapiens early ancestors such as ancient hunters that used to live in the Black Hills. The exhibit depicts inhabitants that would have been alive during the ice age to the mining settlements of the 19th century. The display is set up like a real archaeological dig, where visitors are allowed to touch artifacts that date back 10,000 years.

A presentation at the Journey Museum is the Duhamel Collection. The collection is of Native American artifacts that Helen and AF Duhamel collected. They donated the assortment of objects in 1985. There are many items of Sioux arts and crafts. The display pieces were collected at the Pine Ride, Rosebud, and Cheyenne River reservations.

The Geology and Paleontology section of the museum houses dinosaur skeletons and rock formations which have gold inside. The display begins with a presentation of billions of years ago in which the Black Hills began to form based on geological events. The region dates back 2.5 billion years ago. Many of the dinosaur bones in the exhibit were found in the Black Hills.

Journey Museum also has an exhibit for the Minnilusa Pioneers. This section presents artifacts like clothing, pistols, and other gear pioneers used to travel to the Black Hills. It depicts mountain men, miners, and military expeditions. The exhibit begins with the first European settlers in the area, moving on to the Battle of Little Big Horn and the events of Wounded Knee. Other historical milestones are depicted as well.

Sioux Indians lived in South Dakota. The museum tells the story of the Lakota Nation which spans 200 years. The exhibit has stories from Lakota elders and their descendents. They tell of how they lived, played, hunted, and survived. Traditions are also shared in the stories such as the legend of the sacred Paha Sapa or Black Hills.

The last exhibit which is always there is the Western Native Gardens. The gardens are filled with food, plants, and flowers. It is possible to have a garden at the museum as a way to support the community.

From time to time the museum has other exhibits which come for a few weeks or months. The Pennington: A County, A Courthouse exhibit is ending in mid June. This exhibit depicted the county, the 1922 Courthouse, and the history of all things Pennington.

Journey Museum is open all year except for important holidays. It is open in the summer from 9am to 6pm. During the winter, hours are 10 to 5pm. Admission to the museum is between $5 and $7 depending on the age of the visitor.