The Mabel K. Richardson Collection is made up of distinct manuscript collections focusing primarily on South Dakota and the surrounding region. These papers include correspondence, photographs, journals, scrapbooks, maps, and other manuscript materials. The Richardson Collection covers a wide variety of subjects but concentrates on the people, places, and events in South Dakota's cultural, political, and economic history.

The papers of many South Dakota elected officials are found in the collection, including governors, state legislators, U.S. Representatives, and U.S. Senators. Highlights include the papers of U.S. Senator James Abourezk (1971-1979), Dakota Territorial Legislator Horace J. Austin, U.S. Senator (1865-1867,1891-1891) and South Dakota Governor Peter Norbeck (1917-1936), U.S. Representative William Williamson (1921-1933), and South Dakota Governor Richard F. Kneip (1971-1978).

• Instructions for Navigating and searching through finding aids in ArchivesSpace

• Dakota Territory's Governors and Delegates; South Dakota's Governors, US Senators, and US Representatives

Go to these histories first:

 Schell, Herbert S. History of Clay County, South Dakota. Vermillion, SD: Clay County Historical Society, 1976. Location: Main Collection and Chilson Collection, F657.C6 S34x.

 Sterling, Everett W. Vermillion story, the people and events in Vermillion’s founding in 1859 and growth through the first 100 years. Published on the occasion of the Vermillion Centennial, August 1959. Vermillion, SD: Vermillion Chamber of Commerce, 1959. Locations: Main Collection and Chilson Collection, F659 .V4 S7x. L

A more detailed list of histories and other resources about Vermillion, Clay County, Dakota Territory, and South Dakota.