The Journey of the Rapid City Mitigation Project

Just west of Rapid City, South Dakota, amidst the ebb and flow of modern life, the Oyate Health Center (OHC) stands as a testament to the resilience and continued presence of generations of Native peoples with ties to the Paha Sapa. The 200,000-square-foot facility and its contemporary 40-acre campus hint at a much larger history. The site, determined to be eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places as a Historic District, contained 19 historic structures impacted by the construction of the new Oyate Health Center. In many cases, this meant demolition or a radical change in the district’s historic fabric. Over the course of 125 years, the campus and surrounding lands have been owned by various federal agencies, this meant working with the current stewards, Indian Health Service (IHS), to comply with their obligations under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. It is within this context that the Rapid City Mitigation Project unfolds.

Spanning the duration of the Oyate Health Center’s design and construction, many of the Mitigation Activities were new to us at the time, but the importance of scope of work was clear from the beginning. Led by Seven Generations Architecture + Engineering (7GAE) Project Coordinator, Alex Hokkanen, the Rapid City Mitigation Project is ongoing, with the installation of an interactive interpretive display inside the OHC in late December 2023 and, even more recently, public presentations in Rapid City and Pierre, South Dakota, detailing the mitigation tasks and our team’s various work products. We invite you to take a deeper look into each task and how they built off each other to mitigate the damage to this land's historic fabric, preserve what remains, and share the stories that intersect on this historical site.

Historic Context

The journey began in 2017 when 7GAE was enlisted to be the design architect for what was then known as the IHS Rapid City Service Unit or more commonly “Sioux San,” but beneath the surface lay a deeper obligation to honor the site's historic significance. The campus was once home to Rapid City Indian School (1898-1933), a government-run boarding school for Native children, and then later Sioux San (1935-1955), a hospital for Native American tuberculosis patients. In 2019, at the end of our involvement with the design, the first mitigation project task began. We were to delve into as many physical records of this history as the schedule would allow, which required a detailed plan to maximize our time conducting archival research at institutions across the country.

Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Alex and the team embarked on a journey to piece together the site's storied past, combing through thousands of documents and photographs from the National Archives and Records Administration repositories in Washington, DC, and Kansas City, Missouri, as well as the South Dakota State Archives in Pierre, SD. Their physical presence allowed the team to access objects, handwritten letters, and other records that could not be found online, as only about 2.5% of the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ records were digitized then.

In addition to these records, and perhaps most important, were the living legacies of Rapid City, the voices of those whose stories were woven into the fabric of the land not long ago. The scope of work called for the project team to conduct between 10 and 20 oral history interviews, however from early 2020 to late 2022 the pandemic made meeting with community knowledge holders, often Elders, an impossible ask. After widespread vaccination and a great deal of trust building, the team ultimately completed 14 interview sessions with a total of 17 narrators.

Engaging with community members in the Rapid City Metro area and on neighboring west-river reservations, each interview offered a glimpse into the collective memory of communities bound by shared experience and spaces. In an interview with Lakota Elder, Bev Warne, she shared a lighthearted memory of the site. Her family had moved to Rapid City when her dad returned from World War II, and Bev remembers playing with her siblings outside Sioux San as her mother checked on relatives at the hospital.

“We would walk up there and [my mother] would leave us downstairs outside because we weren’t allowed to go in,” Bev recalled. “I remember her saying, ‘Don’t use those steps, just stay away from there.’ Of course, that’s where we went. We would run up and down, up and down, until we figured it was about time she came, then we’d go play over here. I remember those steps, and they’re still there. I’m hoping they don’t destroy them.”

These personal connections were not always positive. Thus, the decision that Bev and others made to come forward and share their experiences was one based on trust. Trust in our team, and trust that we would represent, care for, and make their stories accessible in a good way. Since the team conducted their interviews, Bev and others who agreed to participate and share with us their stories have made the journey to the spirit world. We recognize the extraordinary responsibility we hold in being a part of preserving their stories and are privileged to carry their words with us.

Architectural Documentation

With archive research and oral histories in hand, the focus shifted to preserving any physical remnants of the past in digital form. Armed with 360-degree laser scanning technology, the team set out to document the interiors and exteriors of 19 historic structures that the Oyate Health Center's undertaking would impact. As fate would have it, the scanner proved unpredictable, and the data collected by the team's scanner was corrupted.

Some believe perhaps this was caused by the Unknown, as the site and its history are very emotionally charged. Others couldn’t explain why the data was lost. Unable to diagnose the issue, the team worked to piece together the fragments of information they had, supplementing scans with photographs and other documentation to create plans and elevation drawings of each structure. The drawings are now complete, and final steps are underway to submit a few final historical forms to the South Dakota State Historic Preservation Office.

Rehabilitation Plan

It proved a delicate task to honor the past while embracing the future, as almost all the contributing structures were ultimately demolished and those that remained lost much of their context. However, three of the structures showed potential for reuse: a concrete root cellar, a retaining wall including the stairs where Bev and her siblings played, and a horse barn. Tasked next with creating a rehabilitation plan, the team ideated ways to breathe new life into these structures while respecting their character defining elements. While out of our scope for the mitigation project, the implementation of these rehabilitation plans is an obligation of the IHS, and although it has not yet occurred, we hope to see some of our proposals come to fruition for the benefit of relatives receiving care at the OHC and staff.

Sensitivity Training

Before construction began, every contractor working on the site participated in sensitivity training that included cultural competencies, understanding the history of the site, how to behave on the site, and how to treat the site. In normal conditions, a construction site can be a rough place, and because of the site’s long history of human habitation activity, contractors needed to be trained as additional eyes for any cultural materials that might be uncovered during the undertaking.

Before any permanent structure stood here, this site was used by Indigenous peoples since time immemorial as a place to set up camp and overlook what would become known as Rapid Creek. Thus, the team had an archaeologist onboard in Rapid City to respond to unanticipated discoveries. Some of the findings included medicine bottles, marbles, handwritten letters, a disciplinary paddle, and other remnants from the two primary periods of significance: the boarding school and the sanitarium eras. Lithic artifacts such as a hand axe were discovered as well, giving the team a glimpse at what life was like in the region here centuries ago. Many of these items are now showcased within the interactive display designed and fabricated to interpret the history of the land now occupied by the Oyate Health Center.

Pictorial Display

As the Oyate Health Center project neared completion, we began to think about how best to share our findings from the mitigation tasks with the wider community. Our original scope of work was to provide 12 framed 16x20in historic photographs to display throughout the clinic. Soon after beginning this task, we gave the IHS a recommendation that not only was this type of display insufficient, but we could do better. We proposed an interactive multiple panel interpretive display that included two touch enabled monitors with audio capability. If accepted, the proposed design would permit the team to share more of our findings but designing a static display and an interactive display proved to be very different. How much so, we didn’t know at the time. Still, our team believed it was critical not just to showcase an assortment of images related to the site’s history, but to provide the necessary supporting context and make it accessible for relatives of all ages to navigate through it themselves at their own pace.

The monitors embedded within the display contain a breadth of content, such as snippets of each narrator’s oral history interview brought to life in their own voice and with a tap of the screen. By selecting a narrator, visitors listen to stories of heritage and resilience. In addition to the interviews, users can tap through a series of objects that were found on site and categorized by their affiliation with daily life, education, or healthcare. Based on their interests, users can learn more about three varying objects that fall into these categories. On the other screen, a timeline of press articles beginning in the late 1800s, providing an unfiltered and contemporaneous account of the happenings in and around Rapid City.

“There’s minimum interpretation on our part here,” Alex explains. “We wanted to show viewers what people were saying about the site at the time. Some things might raise eyebrows today, but they show the prevailing thoughts about what was going on at the site throughout history, whether that was during the Boarding School or the Sanatorium eras.”

The interpretive display was installed in December of 2023, but that process was not without its own unforeseen challenges. After a printing mishap caused the finished panels to miss their shipment window to the OHC, Alex had to find an alternative solution to ensure the installation went up in time. In the midst of a severe winter storm pummeling southwest Michigan, Alex rented a Chrysler Pacifica and made the white-knuckling, 17-hour drive to Rapid City with the seven display panels in tow.

Installation began on a Tuesday afternoon and took two working sessions to complete. This labor of love marked the culmination of years of research, planning, and dedication to accurately share the history of this site. Now, the interpretive display stands as part of a world class permanent art collection within the Oyate Health Center and serves as a physical reminder of how our stories intertwine, connecting us to the past, present, and future.

Interpretive Booklet

In tandem with the pictorial display, the team set out to create an interpretive booklet that would serve as a guide to the site's history. Responsible for producing the first 1,000 copies of the booklet, the team is designing the 30-page book to mirror many of the topic areas included in the display with the addition of more detail on specific items that may not have been covered in great depth due to spatial limitations. With much of the focus going into the pictorial display and its installation, the interpretive booklet is an ongoing task.

‍Property Eligibility Reevaluation

Yet another question for the project team was the site’s eligibility for listing on the National Register. While the district was previously deemed eligible for National Register listing, our team was tasked with a thorough assessment of its integrity after the construction caused significant changes. The addition of a 200,000 square foot building and the associated demolition of most contributing structures significantly altered the historic context. The team found that the district, as a whole, no longer retained sufficient historic fabric to warrant listing on the National Register.

However, the individual structures that remained retained sufficient historic features to be considered eligible for listing. “We don’t know what will happen with that for sure,” Alex says. “The actual process to pull together the documentation needed to list a building or buildings on the National Register can be long and arduous.” With the assessment completed and the team’s scope of work concluded, the process of applying for historic designation, should it be desired, now lies with the Great Plains Tribal Leaders’ Health Board.

Presentations

Now, with the groundwork laid and the story of the Rapid City Mitigation Project ready to be shared, the team has begun a series of presentations aimed at engaging the wider community impacted by or interested in the new Oyate Health Center and the site’s history. The task required them to conduct three presentations: one for the general public in Rapid City, one at a state or regional historic preservation professional meeting or conference, and one at a location or event to encourage attendance by tribal citizens. The team’s first two presentations focused on outreach to the public, with one held at the Rapid City Public Library and the other at the Journey Museum.

“While the initial intent was for all the presentations to be summative, we wanted to conduct the public presentations as the work was unfolding in an effort to get the word out and engage with those who had connections to the site, positive or negative,” Alex recalls. “And we got both in the questions and statements from the community. The project team became something akin to diplomats during these first two presentations. The answers we could give were based on the limits of our contract and, as such, our responses were not always what people wanted to hear.”

Each presentation marked a step forward in the team’s effort to share their findings and build bridges of understanding. Most recently, Alex presented to the South Dakota State Historical Society in April 2024, meeting the second presentation requirement to speak at a professional conference. Alex is also preparing to speak on this project at this year’s Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, & Museums Conference in the Fall.

As we reflect on the journey of the Rapid City Mitigation Project thus far, the road ahead remains promising, but not without its challenges. The team’s final presentation must be held at a location or event to encourage attendance and from tribal members who are spread out across vast distances. “No such place exists in west-river South Dakota,” Alex expresses. “And the only event that would come close to gathering tribal citizens from multiple reservations is a powwow, but this type of cultural event is, of course, not set up for a slideshow presentation, nor should it be. We are working through this with the client now.”

The collaboration and dialogue brought about from this project foster a deeper sense of community and connection for the relatives receiving care at the Oyate Health Center and the greater Rapid City community. Section 106 mitigation activities were a new scope of work for us at the time, and as we continue to navigate the complexities of historic preservation, the Rapid City Mitigation Project serves as a reminder of our team’s growth and our commitment to cultural responsiveness in design.

“If we got this project today, there are absolutely things we would do differently,” Alex says. “Architecture, like Law, is a practice, right? We will continue to evolve and get more adept at working in these contexts and designing historically sensitive, culturally reflective built environments.”