Event
Discovery Hour with Mark Slocum
Fee:
Free.Dates & Times
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Description
Join us on Wednesday, June 25th at 9:30 am, in the theater building as Discovery Hour presents Gateway to the Hills: Rapid City and the Black Hills Gold Rush by Mark Slocum.
Born in Rapid City, SD, Mark Slocum has served as the Executive Director of the Black Hills Historical Society since 2017. In June 2025, the historical society merged with the Journey Museum where Mark now acts as Deputy Director and Director of Collections. With a degree in Art from Black Hills State University, his career includes over 15 years at the Journey Museum. Mark is deeply passionate about the history and cultures of the Black Hills, focusing his work on preserving and sharing our area’s rich heritage to the community and museum visitors.
The discovery of gold during the 1874 Custer Expedition led to thousands of gold seekers illegally entering the Black Hills in search of fortune. All of western South Dakota was part of the Great Sioux Reservation at the time of the Black Hills gold rush, but this didn’t stop the settlement of the hills. In 1876, a group of unsuccessful miners settled on Rapid Creek lay out a town that would serve miners and travelers entering the hills. This presentation will follow Rapid City’s role in the Black Hills Gold Rush and its first 100 years of history.
Reservation or Registration: No
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