Overview
Join the Minnehaha County Historical Society as we kick off the 2022-2023 History Talk season. A tour of the Stockyards Ag Experience will begin the night, then our guest speaker, Jeff Nelson, will present Lighting the South Dakota Prairie. This history talk will cover a brief history of how rural electrification contributed to transforming SD agriculture from drudgery to a leading economic engine. A story of politics, determination, and vision that built the energy foundation of today’s SD agriculture economy. From the earliest failures of the 1930’s to the development of the Missouri River and today’s modern electric grid, rural electric cooperatives have played a fundamental role in launching bio fuels, renewables, and smart grid technology along with delivering reliable and affordable electricity to every dark corner of SD.