S02 E07 South Dakota: Allies in Suffrage, Powerhouse Couples & The Flying Squadron

In this episode, Liz Almlie talks about the struggle of the suffrage movement in South Dakota by visiting sites along the National Votes for Women Trail. 

We visit sites of the events and activists in the SD votes for women campaign. 

• Learn about the “Flying Squadron” suffrage rallies in the town of Lead where women gave street speeches and held rallies at the Homestake Opera Theater. 
• Alice and John Pickler were a political power couple that fought doggedly for suffrage despite being frequently ridiculed. 
• Mamie Shields Pyle, operating from her home in Huron, was a leader in the movement lobbying legislators and the public, including speaking year after year at the state fair. 
• Zitkála-Šá was a Yankton Dakota writer, musician, educator, and political activist. She fought for rights of American Indians including for citizenship and for women’s suffrage, often speaking at the Capitol in Pierre.

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Liz Almlie is a Historic Preservation Specialist with the South Dakota State Historic Preservation Office and is NVWT State Coordinator. She has researched the suffrage movement in South Dakota extensively and has an M.A. in Public History.

Links to People, Places, Publications

• South Dakota and the 19th Amendment (here)
• Alice and John Pickler, South Dakota Public Broadcasting (here)
• Pickler Suffrage Collection, South Dakota State Historical Society (here)
• Visit the historic Pickler Mansion in Faulkton (here)
• Mary Shields Pyle Biographical Sketch (here)
• Visit the historic Pyle House Museum in Huron (here)
• Zitkála-Šá Biographical Sketch (here)
• Visit the South Dakota State Capitol in Pierre (here)
• Visit and see a play at the Grand Opera house in Pierre (here)
• Visit the former St. Charles Hotel in Pierre (here)
• “Flying Squadron” or “Suffrage Special” speaking tours (here)
• Visit the Homestake Opera House in Lead (here)

CM Marihugh is a public history consultant and currently conducting independent research for a book on commemoration of the U.S. women’s suffrage movement. She has an M.A. in Public History from State University of New York, and an M.B.A. from Dartmouth College.

Learn more about:

• National Votes for Women Trail (here)
• National Votes for Women Trail - William G. Pomeroy historical markers (here)
• National Collaborative for Women’s History Sites (here)

Do you have a question, comment, or suggestion? Get in touch! Send an e-mail to NVWTpodcast@ncwhs.org