What was it like when Germans from Russia immigrants set foot in Dakota Territory in the 1870s?

That’s the theme of a program scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 4 at Pioneer Hall adjacent to the Heritage Hall Museum & Archives complex starting at 3 p.m.
This is the final installment in a three-part series of moderated panel discussions that have explored the 150th anniversary of the wave of Germans-from-Russia migration to North America that began in 1874. The venue has been changed from earlier programs because of the growing attendance.

Dan Flyger, Marnette (Ortman) Hofer, Norman Hofer and S. Roy Kaufman are providing unique perspectives on different aspects of this story. That includes the history of Hutterite, Lutheran, Low German Mennonite, Reformed and Swiss Amish immigrants who all settled in southeastern Dakota Territory in the 1870s.

Here’s the focus of the Aug. 4 program.
• How/why the various groups decided to settle in Dakota Territory starting in the 1870s.
• What they had to deal with when they arrived.
• Why/where they settled in "villages.”
• Their priorities when they arrived.
• Their most pressing challenges.
• How the groups – based largely on their unique faith traditions – interacted with each other.

The first program, held at the Bethel Church on June 2, explored what prompted German-speaking people to settle in Russia starting in the 1700s. The second program, held at the Prairie Arboretum Interpretive Center on July 14, explored their travels from southern Russia to Dakota Territory.

Admission to the program includes the opportunity to tour the museum before and after the Sunday program – 1 to 5 p.m. Regular summer hours are Mondays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and other times by appointment from May through September.

About the museum

Located south of the Freeman Academy campus and on the northern edge of the 40-acre Prairie Arboretum, Heritage Hall Museum & Archives tells the story of Germans-from-Russia immigrants and others who settled in southeastern Dakota Territory in the 1870s. The museum complex includes two large exhibit halls featuring everything from old cars and buggies to Native American artifacts to agricultural equipment to local business history to household items and musical instruments. The archives/library includes more than 10,000 books, maps, periodicals and photos. The complex also includes four historic buildings: a one-room schoolhouse, two early rural churches and a 140-year-old pioneer home.

Heritage Hall Museum & Archives traces its roots back to the winter term of Freeman College in 1911, but today operates as an independent, nonprofit organization.