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Falls Park
On the Big Sioux River, Sioux Falls,
South Dakota 
This is
picture of the Falls Park in the summer, however, we did NOT go in the
summer.
As you will see, these pictures were taken in March of
2009...still very cold in Iowa. The temperature was 2 degrees
actual...not feels like. It was so cold stepping out of the Yukon you
felt like your face was on fire. It was very nice, just cold,
cold, cold.
Hazel O'Connor
With a pioneer spirit, Hazel O'Connor has continually led the way toward
a better Sioux Falls. One of her many special concerns has been the Big
Sioux River and the Falls, the City's namesake. As a leader of the city
federation of Women's Clubs, she urged the restoration of Falls Park and
continues to be its greatest champion. As a charter member of the River
Improvement Society (RISE), she has worked for the realization of
today's Big Sioux River Greenway. Her vision, perseverance, and
dedication is an inspiration for her generation and for future
generations to preserve the quality of life in Sioux Falls.
"Without water there would be no river. More important, without water
there will be no life." - Hazel O'Connor - 1977.
This plaque is placed in appreciation from a grateful community.
River Improvement Society (RISE) - City Commission - Sioux Falls Park
Board, 1981.
This
is NOT the Dubuque House but a Horse Barn that is somewhat typical of
the early 20 century barns in South Dakota. It is now an art gallery and
is located in Falls Park.
The following information comes from a
historical marker that was located about 100 feet from the barn.
The
Dubuque House
The Dubuque House, Sioux Falls first hotel, was built about 350 yards
due west of this spot by Wilmot W. Brookings and members of the Western
Town Company of Dubuque, Iowa, in September 1857. In the previous year,
they had staked out a 320 acre claim and established the town of Sioux
Falls. Minnesota Territory, on the west side of the Big Sioux River. The
new town-site was northwest of a large wooded island, originally called
Brookings but later renamed Seney.
Although Dubuque house was built for visitors and prospective settlers,
it may have also served as a meeting hall, freight station and post
office. It appears in the field notes and on the first map of Sioux
Falls made by a federal surveyor in August 1859, the only building shown
within the town-site.
The primitive hotel was built of rough undressed blocks of Sioux
Quartzite, found in the stone outcroppings which surround the Falls of
the Big Sioux River. No photographs or sketches of the hotel are known
to exist but it was probably a rough rectangular-shaped structure
featuring a single open room with a loft above and a cellar below.
Sleeping accommodations were crude, with cloth sack mattresses filled
with prairie grasses on rough wooden cots or on the floor, with animal
skins and blankets for covers.
Dedicated in 1997 by the Minnehaha County and South Dakota State
Historical Societies. Minnehaha Century Fund and Blake Law Offices.
Sioux Falls Park
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