PIERRE, S.D.—The South Dakota State Historical Society is taking advantage of the digital age, to the benefit of those who enjoy reading about the state’s past. The first 32 years of South Dakota History, the society’s award-winning quarterly journal, are now available online free of charge.

To access the nearly 400 articles now online, go to the website of the South Dakota State Historical Society, www.history.sd.gov, and select “Publishing,” then click on “SDSHS Press” and look under “Journals.”

Every volume of South Dakota History carries a wide range of articles, from scholarly studies to memoirs that give readers a taste of life in the past. Topics include American Indian history and traditions; military history; homesteading and agriculture; politics; mining, industry, and labor; art and architecture; histories of women and the state’s ethnic groups; and many others.

South Dakota History’s unique features include “Dakota Images,” which has profiled the lives of more than 150 important South Dakotans; “Dakota Resources,” a useful guide to research collections; and “Historical Musings,” a forum for the region’s leading historians to talk about their craft. An online index of more than 16,000 entries helps readers find specific people, places and events.

South Dakota History started in 1970 and has won multiple national awards, including a 2011 Leadership in History Award from the American Association for State and Local History. It is both an invaluable resource for researchers and an engaging read for anyone interested in South Dakota’s past.

To keep up with current articles, join the South Dakota State Historical Society and receive four issues each year. A subscription to South Dakota History is a benefit of membership in the South Dakota State Historical Society. For information on membership, call (605) 773-6000. To purchase individual issues, call (605) 773-6009.