Museum of Geology History

The Museum is as old as South Dakota Mines. In 2010 both celebrated their 125th anniversary.

The  Museum was constructed in the Old Prep Building in 1885, the first home for the Museum of Geology, begins. Professor G.E. Bailey of Hill City provides over 5000 mineral and fossil specimens that form the foundation for the Museum of Geology. An alligator snout collected on this expedition becomes the first specimen curated into museum collections (SDSM 001). The Museum of Geology’s public floor opens, attracting 4,000 visitors in 1923, 8,000 in 1924, and 12,000 in 1925.