PRESERVATION THURSDAY: IDA CROUCH-HAZLETT’S BLACK HILLS WOMAN SUFFRAGE CAMPAIGN

DEADWOOD – Deadwood History, Inc. and the Deadwood Historic Preservation Commission will host a presentation by Black Hills State University Professor Kelly Kirk at 12:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 20, 2020, at the Homestake Adams Research and Cultural Center (HARCC), 150 Sherman Street, Deadwood. The event is wheelchair accessible. Please feel free to bring your lunch.

From April to August of 1898, Ida Crouch-Hazlett, a professional woman suffrage organizer with the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA), toured the mining towns of the Black Hills. She traveled by herself through these communities, attempting to revive local suffrage organizations, develop leadership, and raise funds for the statewide campaign. Throughout her travels, she corresponded regularly with the leadership of the state Equal Suffrage Association, updating them on her successes and perceived failures. These letters not only document the ups and downs of life on the campaign trail, they also provide unique insight into the 1898 campaign, the struggles that existed between the state and national suffrage organizations, and the difficulties of campaigning in a rural state.

Kelly Kirk is an instructor of history, the Director of the University Honors Program, and the Director of the Veterans Legacy Program at Black Hills State University. Along with serving as the education co-chair for the Her Voice, Her Vote Suffrage Centennial, she has been researching, writing, and publishing on the woman suffrage movement in South Dakota, with a special focus on the Black Hills. She also serves on the South Dakota Humanities Council and Grace Balloch Memorial Library Board of Trustees. Originally from North Dakota, Kirk graduated with her BA from Black Hills State University before completing her graduate work at Montana State University-Bozeman, where her research focused on women’s political experiences in the American West.

Preservation Thursday is co-sponsored by the Deadwood Historic Preservation Commission, Deadwood History, Adams-Mastrovich Family Foundation, A&B Business Solutions, Deadwood Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau, and Saloon No. 10.

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Photographs available upon request.

We inspire the global community by preserving and celebrating the cultural heritage of Deadwood and the Black Hills in the context of the American West through exceptional exhibits, innovative educational programs, and access to extensive collections in unique settings.

Adams Museum, Days of ’76 Museum, Historic Adams House, and Homestake Adams Research and Cultural Center (HARCC)

This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer.