with live interviews on "washington journal." >> for the next hour, and exclusiven. a for six years, we have traveled to u.s. cities, bringing that literary scenes and historic sites to our viewers. /citiestour.span.org >> on our visit to souix falls, south dakota, we spoke with senator john thune. we asked the senator about constituent work, the economy, and what events in the state's history most interest him. raised were you born and -- where were you born and raised? a small town on interstate 90, a stopping place for people headed to the black hills, mount rushmore, yellowstone, points beyond, so a lot of motels, restaurants, filling stations, and all of my siblings, and my parents for that matter worked in one of those types of establishments ready much every summer. >> what was it like growing up in south dakota? a greatthune: background. i love this day. it is very beautiful to me. i love prairie. i like white-open spaces. part of that is because of where i was raised. i am an outdoors person. particularly through the different seasons of the year. and in growing up in a small town and going to a small school, you have opportunities to do a lot of things. i get to participate in all the sports. i played tuba in the band. -- my mom insisted i took six years of piano. a a chance to become well-rounded and balanced person. and gives you an appreciation for the rural major of our state and how the midwest sort of fits into the broader american story. so growing up in the planes was a great -- plains was a great experience. >> when did you get into politics, and what did you want to share with your constituents were outside of south dakota -- about what matters here in south dakota? senator thune: it is important for people who come from more populated areas of the country to understand what makes us tick out here. i think there is a -- agriculture is our number one industry. my involvement legislatively centers around the agricultural committee. i have been on the ag committee the entire time i have been in congress. i am on a committee that has a so impact on south dakota, it is the internet, broadband, high-speed internet services delivered to rural areas. to help people understand that the way of life that we have out toe and how important it is the national narrative. i think sometimes people live in populated centers of the country perhaps do not have an for rural areas of the country and how important to oure to us as well, national success and our national prosperity. as an elected official from the start of the country i think is you try to share the that, convey that message, and and my colleagues appreciation for what makes south dakota take, what our -- tick, what our unique challenges are, and how we need to work together to become stronger. >> in regard to agriculture, can you tell about the importance of it here and how it impacts the rest of the united states? senator thune: it is the number one industry in south dakota. we have four times as many cattle as we do people. and corn and beans and wheat, you know, all those things are critical to the state's economy. world, and the oftentimes people do not realize a lot of where their food comes from. remindn opportunity to them, help deliver that message on a daily basis. statek if you look at our and the crops that we raise and grow here, we literally feed not only the united states, but the world. we fit into that economy in a big way. and i think again, sometimes it is important when we are having debates about farm bill's and farm policy that people from other parts of the country understand the significance of that and what it needs again to the health and vitality of the nation as a whole. the farm bill, what are the major issues you are focused on? senator thune: this is a tough time on the farm. farm economy has been rough now for several years in a row. we had a significant drought event this summer in south dakota which will affect and knock down some of our yields this year. the next farm on bill, trying to identify those areas where we think we can start shaping a bill that reflect the economic times we are in. there are 13 titles of the farm bill. i have ideas i think for every title. have rolled out five different bills so far, one dealing with commodity title, one dealing with conservation, one dealing with disaster, health, so we're looking at a range of issues that impact agriculture. for the most part people want to have a good strong crop insurance program. that has become the benchmark safety net for agriculture. it is the opportunity for people to ensure them selves against the risks involved with farming and ranching. there is the conservation title of the farm bill, something that we want to give farmers who want intot more of their lands conservation programs, that they are able to do that. it is good for soil health. it is an opportunity to it generate additional income. we're looking ways we can restructure those programs and make them more efficient and more effective. and the safety net programs in the farm bill, too. the disaster program is something i authored many of the programs that exist in our farm programs today. i was able to get those extended in the 2014 farm bill. those impact western south dakota where you have a lot of droughts. in 2012 and 2013, the livestock forage program, i delivered over $200 million of assistance to ranchers and southwestern south dakota. we are looking for ways to help ensure that the ag center of our economy stays strong, farmers ous, and we can preserve that important part of our economy that really does feed not only united states, but the world. >> what do you see as the biggest challenge for south dakota going forward in that area? senator thune: i think right now the future of agriculture to me is bright because we're adding 80 million to 100 million people to the world's population each year, and that the demand for food will increase. i think the united states is uniquely positioned because of our technology. we are incredibly productive relative to other places, to continue to grow the opportunity we have to make a difference, to feed the world. so as i look at the future, i think it is bright, and a lot of it consists of opening up more markets. of trade -- the issue is important to south dakota, it is important to agriculture generally. when we start talking about trade with asia, transpacific partnership, that the, bilateral trade agreements, those are vitally important to the future of agriculture. that is an important thing. value-added agriculture, where into the biofuels industry out here. you can raise corn, fitted to the livestock, but one of the uses of it is fuel. we want to look for ways to open up more markets, increase the man for agricultural products that helps makes farmers and ranchers in this part of the country more prosperous, and i would argue, the entire economy of the country more prosperous. >> as chairman of the commerce committee, what are the things you are most concerned about in regard to south dakota and souix falls? the farm toe: market transportation system, because agriculture is about1/3 of all the rows across we plant and up being exports. that means you got to have trucks, rail, ships, or to the gulf coast. wherever the market or the moment is, you got to have an efficient farm to market transportation system. i have worked aggressively to make sure we have a an efficient, reliable real network. we reauthorize the surface transportation board a few years ago in response to a crisis we had in south dakota and across the entire midwest and it rail service issues. i think we have made significant improvements that will be very helpful in the future. highways are very important, the travel industry in south dakota. you can see a lot of traffic on interstate 90. any people headed to the black hills and mount rushmore and points beyond, so investing in our highways and roads, we have increased the funding for the state there. and i think in the area of aviation, making sure we have affordable rates when it comes industry using airline in south dakota, making this a place people can get to in a reasonable way is another important feature of what we do in transportation. the other thing, take issue, is technology. as i mentioned in earlier, high-speed internet service, broadband made available to any part of this country. in the rural areas of south dakota, where you might have somebody who wants to start a business out of their living room. as long as they have access to the internet and high-speed services, they can do that. but there are places in our country that do not have that yet. connectivity of the future. we have 16 billion handheld devices in the world today. by 2020, they say there will be 50 billion to 200 billion of those. we need more spectrum. we passed a bill to the senate and august that will be taken up by the house that increases the amount of spectrum available for commercial use. that benefits not only south dakota, but all areas across this country. we are constantly looking for ways that the work that we do can in a positive way impact what is happening here in our economy in south dakota. those aren't couple of devils that i would say, dissertation and technology in particular, in addition to the work any ag committee. >> to explain to somebody in california or in the east coast, where does south dakota fit -- how would you describe it to others? senator thune: a lot of people in those parts of the world describe us as flyover states. soulnk it is the heart and , the center of gravity in the country. i think the middle of the country has always been a place where hard work really matters, where you value some of those just sort of foundational principles that help to build this country. we have a lot of people who grow up out here who have to survive some pretty tough winters and grow up doing hard things. so they develop a work ethic that i think is anywhere i go, both here in the country in the united states or around the world for that matter, a lot of times i will visit military installations in other countries around the world, and have had chances to work and interact with troops that have been deployed there from south dakota. the thing that always pops up is the work ethic. i think the center of the country is near and dear to the pulse of the country. really people out here are as good as they come. we have a work ethic that is second to none, and we tried to create an environment here that is welcoming, that is warm, people are friendly, and i think i am always looking for opportunities to make south dakota a place where people want to do business. we have a lot to sell, and suppose that story does not get told. >> as senator, what do you find your biggest challenge? senator thune: when you represent a rural state, you are always outnumbered in the congress. but the thing about the senate that is unique -- in the house you literally -- california has a few for members in the house and texas has 31 and new york has 29 or something like that, and we have 1. i could have my discussions in a phone booth. to always have to find ways make alliances. the senate is not unlike the house, but at least you have equal representation. can find states positioned like yours and develop and build alliances they give you the ability to influence in a more significant weight what happens. it is always challenging coming from a rural, sparsely populated to those ofmunicate your colleagues who represent bigger states with big cities why it is important that we have a transportation program, for example, that provides terstatese to in across south dakota. it is part of a national transportation system, and if you are going to be competitive in the marketplace, you have to have an efficient way to get your goods and people to their destinations. when it comes to agriculture, trying to convince people from other parts of the country why it is important we have farm programs, why it is important we provide assistance to agriculture that ensures that andculture is prosperous that we continue to have family farms. i think that is probably the biggest challenge, is that you are inevitably in many cases talking to people, trying to communicate with them about your priorities, trying to get them to lie into the things you need to a coverage for your state, that in many cases they do not have an appreciation of or understand. >> for you, what would you like to people of the state here maybe remember you by or what you best represent and what most concerns you, is a person who lives in south dakota? senator thune: i think -- i want people to think of me as one of them, as a small-town guy who is out there trying to make a difference for his state and for his country. and i think the terms of the things that you want to converse legislatively, generally they revolve around what can you do or have you done to improve the standard of living, the quality of life, opportunities for the people you represent. in many cases, i think that for me is an intergenerational thing. you want to think about the next version. they can't thank grow up in that dakota -- the kids grow up in south dakota, that their dreams can take them, and follow opportunities, but secondly, to try to create enough opportunities in south dakota that if they choose to stay here they can. it is always been sent our biggest export is our kids. we raise them here, they grow up with that great work ethic and great set of heartland without use, and they go someplace else and work some place else and raise their families there. for me it is really about providing those opportunities for the next generation, and if live int the chance to south dakota, that they had the best infrastructure, whether that is roads, highways, whether that is air service, that they have the best opportunities and access to technology and health care. and one of the things about technology, it makes the world so much smaller. you can live in areas where you a mayo,have access to but if you have a community that althsome sort of an ehe service or telemedicine or a way of addressing health care needs through technology, you can bridgesake some of the that sometimes are harder for states like ours, you can really more reasonable, more accessible thing for people in the state. when i look at the state, it is always with an eye about how we can make our young people more successful and give them an opportunity and a chance to live and work and raise their families in south dakota. >> is there a certain era or story in south dakota's history that you find it interesting to remember and why? senator thune: having grown up out here, you're appreciate the history of your hometown and how everything got out here. my grandfather came here from norway in 1906. when he came to ellis island, the only english they knew were coffeeds apple pie and which they learned on the way over on the boat. they had a sponsor in south dakota, so they came out here to work on the railroads. that is the time when they were building the railroads across the country. and they learned the language and saved enough money to start a merchandising company, which later became a hardware store, and there is still a hardware store in mitchell, south dakota, that bears the name of thune hardware. it is an example of the greatness of this country that a couple of norwegian brothers can come to a state like south dakota and work in a great industry like the transportation industry, when the railroad industry was in its heyday, and then as entrepreneurs, start a business. that is the american dream. that is a personal story from me. and i think of the history of the state. there is a lot of fascinating stories that go back 150 years, when people were first starting to settle in south dakota. i was just reading a book about calvin coolidge and how he spent the summer of 1927 in the black hills. a fascinating story. he announced from rapid city that he would not run again for president in 1928. but there is a loss of history associated with this state and a lot of great people over the years who called it home, and we want to make sure those and future generations have that opportunity as well. >> why was president coolidge in south dakota? senator thune: they said he had out issues, so he had to get to ierher elevations, a dr climate, and he had just vetoed a farm bill. his staff thought it was a good idea for him to connect with the rural people in this country. they look at wisconsin, the black hills, and he went back and said it is the black hills. we got to go to custer state art. the governor a south dakota at the time, they had not finished the road at the time, so they had to hurry to get the road finish. summer. was there all he drove in from custer state park every day from rapid city. he spent the morning there, and then he would drive the hour back to custer state park. he did a lot of trop fishing that summer. spent a lot of time at rodeos. a fascinating story, but it came down that he went somewhere every summer, and that particular summer he decided to come to south dakota. >> did he enjoy it? senator thune: if you look at -- if you talk to people who covered him at the time, you look at the stories that were written at the time, it sounds like he made the most of the experience. he startedbout how wearing cowboy boots and cowboy house, and it would -- hats, and ummeruring that s that he went up there, and you can probably achieve it mount pressure to his commitment to it. they had a ceremony where the sculptor was there, and coolidge committed federal money to its come and that is what launched the mount rushmore that we know today. i think he had a lot to do with that shrine of democracy getting done. >> why did you choose to read that book? senator thune: local author, interested in the history of south dakota, and always curious like you are. why did he come to south dakota? we always knew the story, and so it was an interesting read, and there are lots of stories that historyt our state's that do not get told and need to get cold, and i'm glad somebody took the time to research that until that one. do you see south dakota going in the future, and maybe since we are here in sioux falls, talk about sioux falls as well. senator thune: sioux falls has become a powerful economic engine, and not just for south dakota. it is a regional -- it is a hub. i thought a little bit about tech and financial services, and agriculture, we have tremendous health care footprints here. it is a huge driver of jobs in our economy. so we got to bang major health care systems that are very regional, and we have become a hub in terms of shopping. so the city continues to grow. and i was a kid, these used to come down here for basketball tournament, and i think at that time sioux falls was 75,000 people. now this area is 250,000 people. it is really growing. -- it is a great workforce. no personal or corporate income tax rate a quality of life that is second to none. the downside of south dakota is sometimes in the winter there are 40-below when-chills, -- wind-chills, and you have to get through that. if you want to raise a family and want to have access to a lot of things, not what have to deal with headaches that come with a big city, plus have the opportunities you have in a big city, facilities like this, this is a really wonderful place. -- we are proud of it. i am proud of our state. we have a number of communities that are doing well and growing. it is a challenge for the small communities, the more rural communities, and given the changes that are taking place in agriculture, to maintain their populations. arees like sioux falls doing great and are a real magnet for people ages, but we are seeing a lot more young people moving back to south dakota. and that is really encouraging to me and exciting for me. >> senator, thank you very much. senator thune: thank you. >> we're in the home and lucien, home of the -- museum, home of richard franklin pettigrew, who served in the senate until 1901. he lived in the home from 1911 until his death in 1926. , this was one of the most modern homes you would find. it had gas and electric lights. it even had telephone, which is interesting because a few miles away from here, out on the farm in minnehaha county, people were dies withoutd windows or doors. this home was top for the dakota territory at the time. pettigrew was born in for my in 1848. his parents moved west to evansville,sconsin, south of madison, in 1852. that is where he really grows up. he eventually attend beloit college in wisconsin and reads law both at the university of wisconsin and in a law firm in madison. himself he finds looking for a summer job, and he comes west to dakota, part of a government surveying party. when he first passes through the 1869, it wasf actually an army post on the side of the city called for dakota, their sins by -- garrisoned bicycle committee. he spent the summer working as a surveyor, working with a surveyor, and learning the business. in september they passed act to what would be sioux falls on their way back to wisconsin, and they discover that for dakota has been abandoned by the army, and mr. pettigrew takes the opportunity to claim a quarter section of land under what was called the preemption act, and we are standing in the middle of it. gets elected to the territorial legislature in 1873, just before his 24th birthday. claims that the reason he got elected is because he knew all the farmers. they saw his name on the ballot. they knew him because he had surveyed their land. so he goes and serves in the territorial legislature, has some very colorful stories about not exactly like a legislature we think of today. in fact, one member shot another member in the middle of session. pettigrew was in a fist fight on the floor of the legislature. of really the way we think the legislative process today. but pettigrew was very successful at it. 1879, he traveled out to the new city of deadwood in the black hills and attributes that trip to getting the black hills vote, and in 1880, he became the territory's representative to congress. representatives did not get to vote, but he spent two years as the territorial representative, returned to dakota, and was returned to the territorial legislature for another term. when south dakota became a state in 1889, pettigrew was one of two men elected, the other being gideon moody, and to determine term, theywo-year drew straws. pettigrew got the other term, six years. while pettigrew seems like a real pack rat, he picked up souvenirs everywhere he went, whether he was surveying or traveling to china and japan. we have a number of artifacts that he collected and brought home. some are more domestic. se that hearge va brought home to present to happy,e to make her but also things that he picked up the probably have more personal meaning. all have a little story to them. but mostly it is just travel souvenirs. probably the one exception to that is a cane that was presented to him by liliokulani, the last ruler of the hawaiian islands, in recognition of the work he had done on her behalf. pettigrew was one of those individuals who was described as an anti-imperialist in a time when many of the powers were having imperialistic interests, china,larly in japan, the near east, but also the hawaiian islands. peoplejust one of those that i think wanted everybody to be treated fairly. u.s. tooky that the over the hawaiian islands may have been less than exactly ideal. and pettigrew really took the case and actually opposed the treaty of acquisition, the accessing hawaiian islands in 1887, something that did not end there himself to members of his party at the time. when he and his career in the legislature in 1870, he is a strong republican, and he remains with the republican party through the economic crash of 1893. ,nd at that time, he moves along with a lot of people in the midwest part of the country, camp.he populist there was a national party, the populist party. it survives in some form today in this part of the world. and heme a populist, supported william jennings bryant's run for the presidency in 1896. in 1900as defeated, and and group was defeated in a bid for another term. senate,ears after the he became a democrat. so he really moved through the political spectrum over a period of about 30, 35 years. we hope that when visitors come to visit, they will get a little taste of what life was like as a pioneer, and the tremendous changes that pettigrew went through in his lifetime. >> man has lived on the side of what is sioux falls for thousands of years. 1850's,ently, in the two rival companies, one from dubuque, iowa, and one from st. paul, minnesota, both set their sights on the falls of the sioux river as a townsite. -- andstressing me interestingly, both towns said parties. they established a townsite. it was really speculation. they claimed the land. a planted it off into lots and platted it off into lots and waited for settlers to come buy lots in town that the not exist yet. that started in 1857, and in the 1850's, they got along well with the indians who happened by here on their way other places. were 42860, there people living in sioux falls. the summer of 1862, there was some conflict with the sioux indians in what was called the sioux uprising by some. started in august 1862. the territorial governor ordered that the big sioux river valley be evacuated. at about the 27th of august, 1862, all the people who lived here were evacuated and abandoned the side of sioux falls. the site of sioux falls remained abandoned until may of 1865, when the u.s. army located a fourth here on the site of sioux falls. -- a fort here on the site of sioux falls. the fort at sioux falls, fort dakota, was really one of many forts established throughout the region, and it was really i think established to provide a sense of safety and security for those settlers here in dakota and also provide a perception of protection for the state of minnesota, which is just a few miles to the east of us. in putting together this exhibit, we were really lucky in many regards. we have a number of original accounts of the fort, probably accounthe best being an by the post surgeon. an official report that was written by him about the living what thes at the fort, structures were, their sizes, how they were built. it talks about the different kinds of trees that are along the big sioux river and the kinds of animals and fish that are available and around. this is all important because it really impacted how these men lived here on the frontier. another great account was flight, and his reminiscence as a longtime sioux falls residents about what life was like at the fort really provides an insight. and he talks about being able to go down to the falls of the big sioux river and catch enough fish to feed the whole company and talks about the company commander allowed them to go buffalo or elk hunting. and so you get this sense of the great bounty that the prairie in the area have. we used those accounts -- there is a lot of photographs. the army sent photographers here intake pictures of the fort 1866. again, in 1868, and we know another photographer was here in 1869. so you get a sense of how that fort evolved over time. when the army abandoned the fort in the summer of 1869, it left behind about 18 different structures of various sizes. settlersmy left, started moving in, people like richard franklin pettigrew. pettigrew spent his first winter living in one of the rooms of the old eric's at fort dakota. barracks at fort dakota. left, a lawsample log that wasa secured in 1872 white one of the settlers who had served at the fort. erhardt had been a german immigrant who had worked in the brewing industry. when he was mustered out at fort dakota, he remained here in the laterfirst, unsteady, and working for as a brewer in sioux falls. he is the one who saved this buildingthe barracks and in 1929 donated it to the pettigrew museum in sioux falls. the army actually abandoned the post in late june of 1869, and soldiers from the fort moved west to the missouri river, to fort randall immediately. what they left behind was what became the basis of the new community of sioux falls, and really, the heart of the city was fort dakota. people in the northern plains refer to many ways life in this part of the country has been recorded, either through letters or diaries or journals or photographs or objects as well. varietiesy different of ethnic cultures that have lived here. what we wanted to accomplish in emphasizing the materials you moren this exhibit is that information can be gathered by just using the records that we have on the second floor, our research core, the archives themselves, and then a research volume of 40,000 volumes on the american west. human habitation in the planes from inke from -- date this part of the country from well before the current era. date northpologists american indians as far back as 10,000 to 12,000 years ago, plains culture. what you see in this exhibit here is much more recent, perhaps about 1700, but it is still pre-contact. indate the contact period this part of the country from about the 1740's, when there was a french expedition along the missouri river by brothers and about 1743., so the materials that you see here would date from before that time. and one object that i would point to in particular would be in this red effigy tablet. mineral, certain harvested or quarried in a strong vein of soft stone of up and down the northern plains between minnesota and the dakotas. it was used for a number of objects such as this board, which has been incised buffalo figure, and it was also used for the cutting of tobacco and the use of the pipe and prayer before a hunt out onto the plains. in addition to the place we have here, which we will see a much larger representation of so you can see the buffalo, there also is a pipe bowl that was carved from the same soft, read the stone that was quarried along the border between south dakota then the stem and of that was also used with the beadwork that became emblematic of the plains indians. the winter count would have been a form of the history book for the lakota people, in the sense wouldhe tribal elders have decided among themselves as to what event in the previous year was most important to them. and then on the buffalo hide, such as we had here in this glyph or an, a symbol representation of that particular event would be -- would appear. from thisat particular winter count, which is called the red horse owner's winter count, which is unique in -- sense that there are there is actually a legend that goes along with the glyphs. so we know this would have been year thathower in the that represents. and we know from the documentation that has been done by answer propolis -- anthropologists the year of that particular event. or we would know for example some of those earlier years there, dating back to -- you can see maybe the coming of the european-americans, starting to come in here, and perhaps the measles, and then certainly an outbreak of measles which devastated tribal populations, wiping out entire villages. with contact of european-americans coming up the missouri river, or down from canada. the hunters of the beaver would carrying measles and other diseases that would have been no way that the plains indians would have had a way to be inoculated against those. land,lotment of the skipping down here to the dividing of the land, which would have been a very foreign concept to plains indians. plains indians were certainly very scarce in their protection of their land from other tribal people, but the dividing of the two and the resettlement on reservations would have been a very foreign concept to then. -- them. and you can see the measles and the other infections coming, battles and forts, various attacks are represented in this red horse owner's winter count. we have moved now from the area where the early contact between the dakota and lakota people and to perhapsericans, more of an emphasis upon the enemy -- the european-american experience itself. we are changing voices and looking for documents that tell us in the words of the people themselves or in their own objects what that experience was like. and one of the interesting questions and material that we have that actually relate to this is, how did people get into this part of the country, which would have been at some distance and before trains? they would have come up the missouri river, as lewis and clarke did in their own boat, but the steamboat came along in the 1840's, for sure. wheelis is a captain's from an early steamboat on the missouri river. we have in our collections a set of letters by a woman whose name is lily hayes. this particular letter from 1874 favorites.y she writes, i waited with trunks packed for three weeks. at last the boat came on-site and we started on our journey up the river. this missouri river is unlike any river you could dream of. some very broad and in places shaallow. the channel is not in the same place. this is an eyewitness account of her first view of the missouri river, that she is now going to go up to the cheyenne reservation and become a missionary teacher. others --heter and willa cather was a writer of ins and lived the experience herself, and became a pioneer for the writers who came after them. in particular, a writer like herbert krause, that we have use grew up, german extraction, groep and western minnesota on a farm. he and his family were almost enurious farmers. use wanted to move away, and he went to the iowa's school, and he received a call from a augustana college to come and establish a writing school in sioux falls, south dakota. when he ultimately wound up establishing is the center for western studies, and we have a number of connections with the writers from this particular area of the country. krause became a writer in residence, and we have a writer hicks.dence, patrick was known for the descriptive nature of his writing. from 1939 toels the "wind without thrasher," a 1946 novel, and "the oxcart trail." trail" kind of ended krause's novelistic career, and from there he turned to essays. one of the authors that looks up to krause was frederick manfred. this representation that we have right here of frederick manfred's briefcase and his typewriter, a page from one of his ministers, and the very desk that he wrote at are located here. and these are photographs of fred manfred. here is fred manfred who stood six feet nine inches tall. and here he is in his buckskin boots. and i will mention that word buckskin in a particular way. and behind us here, right in front of the desk, are those actual buckskins. but he is most famous for the novel "lord grizzly," the story of a mountain man, a historical character in the 1820's. he traveled up the missouri river with a military expedition. and there he had the unfortunate experience of an encounter with a grizzly bear. and the grizzly bears were famously or notoriously present in the plains. grizzly,"el, "lord manfred describes for us some of hugh glass' experience. he ate and drank and slept all through the day. he ate and drank and slept all through the night. he slept on the sandbar. one arm late protectively over the half eaten -- when the wolves and coyotes and vultures threatened, he fought them off, roaring and gesticulating wildly. sometimes hunger walk in. sometimes slavering, snarling wolves woke him. a full belly always put him to sleep. in talking to students, when we talk about what is it that is distinctive about the great plains, the northern great plains where we live, i often like to point out the fact that it is the immediacy of history. and i think for these writers as well, in the case of frederick manfred, he farmed for a number of years along with his father, but it would have been his grandfather who would have been the first generation that would have moved into this part of the country. in the case of krause, the same would have applied. his grandfather would have been from germany, and moved here, one of the early immigrants to this part of the country. in order to understand themselves and understand what their role might have been in this asked area called the plains, they only needed to go back one or two generations. again, what is unique about this part of the country is this immediacy. unlike some of the other areas of the countries that go back to hundred, 300, 400 years, period forthe contact the dakotas is much more recent. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] itour visit to south dakota is an american history tv exclusive. we showed it to introduce you to c-span cities tour. for six years, we travel to u.s. cities, bringing the history seen and historic sites to our viewers. watch more at c-span.org/citiestour. >> c-span, where history unfolds daily. 1979, c-span was created as a .ublic service later, former nfl player has a form on genetic brain injuries. michelle talked about her life in the white house and after her tenure as first lady at the annual pennsylvania conference for women. creator and is the executive producer of grey's anatomy. she moderated the discussion. this is just over an hour.

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