Doane Robinson

author

Doane Robinson

1856–1946

Best remembered as the South Dakota historian who first proposed Mount Rushmore, he spent decades collecting the stories, records, and legends of a young state. His work helped shape how generations of readers imagined the history of the northern plains.

1 Audiobook

Sioux Indian Courts An address delivered by Doane Robinson before the South Dakota Bar Association, at Pierre, South Dakota, January 21, 1909

Sioux Indian Courts An address delivered by Doane Robinson before the South Dakota Bar Association, at Pierre, South Dakota, January 21, 1909

by Doane Robinson

About the author

Born in Wisconsin in 1856, Doane Robinson moved to Dakota Territory in the 1880s and worked as a teacher, lawyer, and newspaperman before devoting himself more fully to history. He became one of South Dakota’s most important early chroniclers and wrote extensively about the region and its people.

Robinson served for many years with the South Dakota State Historical Society and the State Department of History, where he helped build collections and preserve documents that might otherwise have been lost. He also wrote major historical works, including History of South Dakota, and became known as an energetic promoter of the state’s identity.

He is especially remembered for coming up with the idea that eventually became the Mount Rushmore National Memorial, hoping a grand monument would draw visitors to the Black Hills. Robinson died in 1946, having left a lasting mark on both South Dakota history and the way the state presented itself to the wider country.