Troy L. and Watson Parker Collection
Scope and Contents
The collection contains a vast array of materials relating to the Black Hills. There are some materials from Watson's research, but the majority of the material is ephemeral publications especially tourism. There is also a small series of postcards. There are a few older historic documents, but the bulk of the materials are from the time after the Parkers stopped managing Palmer Gulch Lodge.
Dates
- Creation: 1862 - 2003
- Creation: Majority of material found within 1957 - 2000
Creator
- Parker, Troy L. (Person)
Biographical Note
Troy L. Parker first came to the Black Hills in 1909. He was visiting college friends in Deadwood. The Hills must have made an impression on him. In 1925 John Bland, inventor and mining engineer, and a group of Chicago business men joined to establish a county club, golf course, and summer homes in the Black Hills. This syndicate bought property in Palmer Gulch near Hill City. The Parker family moved to Palmer Gulch from Evanston, IL. The partners' fortunes were reduced by the stock market crash of 1929 and Troy Parker bought them out. The Parker family ran the Palmer Gulch Lodge Resort and Dude Ranch from 1927-1962. Troy and his wife, Janet had two children, Watson and Ellen.
Known at the "Dean of Black Hills History" Watson Parker was a well-respected Historian and prolific writer on the History of the Black Hills. Watson was born in Evanston, IL June 15, 1924, prior to the family's move to the Black Hills.
During World War II Parker served in Europe and the Philippines with the U.S. Army, 1248th Engineer Combat Battalion as Staff Sergeant in the Medical Detachment. After returning home, he pursued higher education, earning his A.B. in Liberal Arts from the University of Chicago 1948 and a B.S. from Cornell University in 1951. In 1950 he married Olga Glassman Parker. Together they had three children, James, David, and Rebecca. Watson and Olga returned to Hill City and managed the Palmer Gulch Lodge from 1950-1960.
Watson then attended the University of Oklahoma where he received a Masters and PhD Western American History and Plains Indian Cultural Anthropology. In 1965 Watson moved his family to Oshkosh, Wisconsin where he taught at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh until his retirement in 1986. After retiring he and Olga returned to the Black Hills, splitting time between Palmer Gulch and Rapid City.
His first book, Gold in the Black Hills, was based on his dissertation published in 1966. His second book, written with his boyhood friend Hugh Lambert, was Black Hills Ghost Towns published in 1974. It has remained the authoritative work on that topic. Combined with his final book, Deadwood: The Golden Years, these three books are the cornerstone in any Black Hills scholars' and enthusiasts' library. In addition to these three titles, Watson wrote more than 40 articles on Black Hills and Western history and 40 scholarly book reviews. He had a gift for making scholarly topics accessible to all.
Watson was bestowed with many awards and honors. They include: the Dakota History Conference award for Distinguished Contribution to the Preservation of the Cultural Heritage of South Dakota and the Northern Plains, 1986; the Rodman Paul award for Mining History, 1993; West River History Conference Herb Blakely Award, 2007; the Westerners' Living Legend Award, 2009; and in 2011 he was inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame.
After a long battle with Pulmonary Fibrosis, Watson Parker passed away at home on January 9th, 2013. He will be long remembered for his vast knowledge of the Black Hills and as a man of strong opinions and dry wit.
Extent
15 Drawers
35 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
The order of the collection when we received it was maintained. There are six series: Subject files, Tourist pamphlets, South Dakota newspaper clippings, Tourist magazines, Maps, and Postcards.
The subject files are arranged alphabetically by subject, though the titles transcribed from the original files may not obviously reflect this. The material dated from 1875 are copies of newspaper articles printed from microfilm.
The newspaper clippings are arranged by date. The dates are scattered from 1926-1989.
The tourist pamphlets and magazines date from the 1960s-2003. They are arranged geographically and then by date. Arrangement starts with the Black Hills and then moves to South Dakota and then outside South Dakota.
The maps, typically highway road maps date from 1957-1998. They are arranged from general South Dakota maps, to specific areas within South Dakota and then places outside of South Dakota.
Most of the postcards are all of Black Hills locations are largely undated. There a few lithographic postcards. One has a copyright date of 1949. The rest of the postcards are glossy picture postcards that appear to be from the 60s through the 90s. Many of the later postcards appear to be either cards provided free to guests/patrons of the business or promotional postcards sent by the businesses.
Other Finding Aids
The finding aid for this collection is not currently available online. Contact Case Library for information.
Acquisition Information
Received December 2004.
Processing Information
Rehoused and inventoried by Special Collections Staff and volunteers spring and summer 2005. Description prepared by Bobbi Sago.
- Title
- Guide to the Troy L. and Watson Parker Collection
- Subtitle
- At the Leland D. Case Library for Western Historical Studies
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by Bobbi Sago.
- Date
- March 21, 2014
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Leland D. Case Library for Western Historical Studies Repository
Leland D. Case Library for Western Historical Studies
Black Hills State University
1200 University Street, Unit 9676
Spearfish South Dakota 57799-9676 USA
605-642-6361
Lori.Terrill@BHSU.edu