README

These photos are from a collection taken in the 1870's and 1880' throughout
Dakota Territority.  The three here are all believed to be from the 1870's,
as early as 1873.  Each of them has a very interesting story, and I only
know a very small portion of the stories.  They are from the W. H. Over
museum in Vermillion, SD.  Please give them credit when/if you use them.
They are not owned by the Museum, but on loan from a private individual. 


PoncaCreek (SiouxTipi400dpi, SiouxTipi800dpi)
This is a photo of a Sioux Village near Ponca Creek, in northern
Nebraska, near where it runs into the Missouri River on the Nebraska
South Dakota border.  The hills/bluffs in the background are probably
the Missouri River bluffs, so this location could be very near
the mouth of Ponca Creek.  It is labelled as obtained in 1873.  There were
several Sioux Agencies along the Missouri in that area during that
period, and we have been told it would make sense for a groups this
size to make winter camp near one of those agencies.

This was our first attempt at scanning and viewing historic stereo pairs.
The originals are the 3" square cardboard prints one would use in an
antique stereo opticon.  One could do much better with the original glass
plates, but those are very rare.  And, if they do exists, the owner
is usually hesitant to let them out of their grasp.  Not only are they
delicate, but valuable from a collector's perspective.
We just scanned with a desktop scanner at 400, 800, and 1600 dpi.
at 1600, your eyes start getting distracted too much by the imperfections that
have been blown up.  Somewhere between 400 and 800 is probably recommended
for originals of this quality.  We have a very high quality flatbed
scanner in our photographic laboratory that can do nearly 4,000 dpi,
but this was obviously overkill for these originals.
If one did have the glass plate originals, it is conceivable that
a much higher scan resolution could produce much better results.

Two things happen when you scan historic photgraphs and display them on the Wall.
First, the medium was transformed from a 2.5" display area to a room-sized
projection screen.  So, instead of limiting the viewing to one person at a time,
the photos/images can be viewed in a group setting.  Simply by making
the photos digital and displaying them in a larger venue, people are able to
identify and discuss the the details of the contents contained within the photos.
It was exciting to witnes Native Americans debate their individual interpretations.

Secondly, the Stereo perspective can sometmes add informational content.
The arrangement of these lodges is not nearly as clearly identifiable
on the original prints as it is on a large display screen with the
extra dimension added.  And further, by having the images in a digial form,
one can do any enhancment/zoom/packaging desired.


ArickareeMedicineLodge
These photos are labelled as a "Mandan" lodge in North Dakota.
I showed this pair to Gerard Baker, the National Park Service
Regional Superintendent in Omaha, who happens to be in charge of the Lewis & Clark
Bicentennial "Corps of Rediscovery" commemoration for the NPS.
He was one of the featured historians interviewed and seen on the PBS
Lewis & Clark documentary.  He informed me that these lodges are
more typical of Arickaree (not pronounced nor spelled Arickara).
and only subsumed by the Mandans after the smallpox brought by
French traders nearly wiped out the Arickarees.
- Gerard is a full-blooded Arickaree .....


SiouxWinterQuarters
This is believed to be near present-day Yankton, SD, with the
bluffs of the Missouri River in the background.  This site is
possibly underwater today, part of Lewis&Clark Lake formed
by Gavins Point Dam.  The stereo perspective on a close up
like this is not nearly as important as the human context
you get.  These were actual people living near hear in the
1870s.