A while back, we got a call from Roberta Shoulders asking if we could help her develop a playground at Lakota Homes. If you don’t know the area - Lakota Homes is a vibrant neighborhood, packed with kids and families, and is a significant housing development in Rapid City, South Dakota. It stands as a testament to the resilience and community-building efforts of the local Lakota population. Its story is deeply intertwined with the city's complex history of urban development and the displacement of Native Americans.

The genesis of Lakota Homes can be traced back to the forced relocation of Native Americans from informal encampments along Rapid Creek to a designated area in North Rapid City. For decades, a community known as the Osh Kosh Camp had been home to many Lakota people. (If you visit Dinosaur Park, you can read more about one person’s story of growing up at the Osh Kosh camp on the interpretive sign there about it.) However, in the mid-1950s, the city of Rapid City, in a move to clear the creek-side settlements, facilitated the establishment of the "Sioux Addition" on the city's northern edge.

This was a time of extreme racism in Rapid City, and this new home for the Oyate was far from water, electricity, and sewer utilities initially.

We understand that it was within this context of displacement and the need for permanent, adequate housing that the seeds for Lakota Homes were sown. The Sioux Addition Civic Association, established in 1954, played a pivotal role in advocating for the needs of the newly relocated community. This association is credited as an "original founding parent of the Lakota Community Homes," highlighting the grassroots efforts of the Lakota people to create a stable and supportive neighborhood for themselves.

Construction of the Lakota Homes development took place in the early 1970s, resulting in a community of ( I think) about 198 single-family and townhouse units. For many families, this represented a significant step towards securing stable housing, even as the neighborhood's location reflected the ongoing segregation within Rapid City.

You can learn more about this series of events by watching Dr. Stephen Kaufman’s presentation: Talking Circle, “The Osh Kosh Camp of Rapid City and the 1972 Flood” from 2022.

Today, Lakota Homes operates as a low-income housing development. The properties are currently managed by Integrity Management Company, which handles leasing and maintenance for the rental units. A Board of Directors, consisting of residents, helps facilitate decisions on the property.

Lakota Homes is more than just a housing development; it is a hub of the urban Lakota community in Rapid City. The neighborhood is home to the Lakota Homes Oyate Community Center, which houses a community meeting room, a kitchen, restrooms, and regular activities hosted by the Lakota Homes Board of Directors. This center provides an essential gathering place for the neighborhood and sits at the top of the hill overlooking the playground and open central park area.

Along with Roberta and her family, we hosted a community meeting to hear what the community would like for this space. The vision for the park remodel is based on those conversations and is defined in part by the the various restrictions of insurance and liability for the management organization (i.e. no skate park).

Kids working on a Build-Your-Own-Park exercise!

Some of the key features of the concept plan include:

Overlook Deck: the grandparents need a place to hang out outside the Community Center, which also increases the potential event size of the facility.
Expanded Playgrounds: age-appropriate accessible play, renovating the existing playground.
Overlook Park Shelter: shade and hangout spaces for all adjacent to the playground.
Food Forest: wild tree and shrub (berry patches throughout the park) plantings to teach traditional and new food gathering skills.
Garden Center: a greenhouse, planting beds, compost bins, and a garden area.
Walking Paths: paved accessible walking paths connect the top of the park to the courts and play spaces at the bottom.
Court: basketball, bankshot, and new paint on the expanded courts create an all-age court play destination.
Court Shelters: two smaller shelters make family picnic destinations next to the ball game.
Sand Volleyball Court: another popular sport gets included in the site play options.
Teen Park Shelter: at the base of the hill, adjacent to the courts, is another shelter for young teens. Accompanied by a graffiti wall and a hangout mound, this is imagined as a place that has the appropriate prospect and refuge dynamic for teens, but is not hidden away from the rest of the park.
Horseshoes: by special request, four or five horseshoe pits provide a destination for all-age play.
The Ditch: getting a naturalization makeover, the ditch becomes a creek, and is another fun place to play!
Here’s the plan:

Another concept is to add a Dance Arbor to the lawn and create a cultural center for events of all sorts. That is shown in a revised master plan:

The history of Lakota Homes is a poignant chapter in the story of Rapid City's relationship with its Native American population. Born from a period of displacement, it has evolved into a neighborhood that embodies the enduring spirit and cultural identity of the Lakota people. While facing the socio-economic challenges common to many low-income and historically marginalized communities, Lakota Homes remains a vital center of Lakota life and a symbol of the community's persistent efforts to create a place of their own.

This plan is intended to help facilitate investment and continuing development in the neighborhood. We are interested to see where this goes and are actively looking for funding partners. Go Roberta! And thanks for inviting us along for the ride!