06/24/2026
So something very awesome was given to the museum this month and we can't wait to share bits and pieces of it throughout the rest of the year! Here's the backstory for today:
Merritt Blow (1909-2013) spent his early years in Dell Rapids, living just west of the Lutheran Church, before going to South Dakota State College in Brookings for his horticulture degree. His father, Charles, had a flour, feed, and grain store on the south side of 4th St. and they had a cow pasture west of the dells. While still a college student, he organized and was the first president of the Dell Rapids Garden Club, the oldest continuing local service organization in Dells. In the mid-1940s, Merritt and his wife relocated to Kentucky. Then in 1999, at the age of 100, Merritt wrote a narrative of growing up in Dell Rapids by sharing an anecdote about each point of interest on the “Dell Rapids Circle Tour” brochure. His daughter, Candice McAllister, generously shared these stories with the museum and we are excited to be able to use them in our newsletters, on-line, and as part of our exhibits.
