Nearly 600 images that depict life in South Dakota more than a century ago were recently released to the public by the South Dakota State Historical Society.
A total of 589 images from the Lester Black Collection in the society's archives were digitally scanned so they can be viewed online at http://bit.ly/10pSSLy, according to a news release.
The photos were originally on glass plate negatives, which were the first mass-produced film made available to photographers. The film, or plates, was made by coating a piece of glass with an emulsion that would remain light sensitive when dry.
The collection has several images from area towns, including Redfield, Waubay and Gettysburg. It also includes photos showcasing a variety of topics, including sod homes, American Indian encampments, floods, railroad scenes, stone artifacts, farm scenes, automobiles, a balloon flight, baseball games and family portraits.
A grant from the city of Deadwood and the Deadwood Historic Preservation Commission helped pay for the project.
The South Dakota Digital Archives website was launched in January 2012 by the state archives to provide people digital access to unique historical records. More than 33,000 total images are available for viewing.
