Pettigrew Home & Museum

This home was built in 1889 for Thomas and Jenny McMartin.  In 1911, Senator Richard Franklin Pettigrew purchased the home for $12,000.  It was here that he would help to preserve the story of Sioux Falls and the surrounding region. Pettigrew first came to Sioux Falls in 1869.  He worked tirelessly to build and promote the city.  He was responsible for bringing in all five early railroads, developing many businesses for the community, and he served as Dakota’s representative to Congress in Washington D.C.  When South Dakota became a state in 1889, Pettigrew was elected to serve as our first full term senator.  He would serve two terms in Congress, championing the rights of women, farmers, and the common working man. One of R.F. Pettigrew’s passions was his collecting.  He was a world traveler and amateur archaeologist.  His holdings led him to build his own museum on the rear of his home that opened to the public in 1925.  Artifacts such as stone tools, projectile points, Native American clothing, guns, natural history specimens, and items related to the settlement of Sioux Falls all were included. When he died in 1926, he left his home and museum to the city of Sioux Falls to be maintained as a museum.  A further addition would be added to the home in the 1930s by the city, completing Pettigrew’s vision. Today you can take a guided tour of Senator Pettigrew’s restored home.  The home is arranged much the way it would have looked when Pettigrew lived here.  Exhibit galleries tell the story of Pettigrew’s works and of a growing city on the prairie.  Admission is FREE!