Red Cloud Heritage Center

The Red Cloud Heritage Center (100 Mission Dr., Pine Ridge, 605/867-5491, www.redcloudschool.org [1], Memorial Day–Labor Day Mon.–Fri. 8 a.m.–6 p.m., Sat. 8 a.m.–5 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.–5 p.m., winter Mon.–Fri. 8 a.m.–5 p.m., free, donations accepted) is located on the grounds of the Red Cloud School off of Route 18, just west of the community of Pine Ridge.

The Red Cloud School started its affiliation with the Pine Ridge Reservation [2] as the Jesuit Holy Rosary Mission. The reservation was deemed an Episcopal reservation by the U.S. government, but Chief Red Cloud trusted the Jesuits (the “Black Robes”) to provide Native American children with the education they would need to survive in both the white and tribal worlds and requested that they be allowed on the reservation.

The mission was built in 1888. Today the school teaches over 600 students from kindergarten through high school and has moved out of the old mission into larger classroom buildings on campus.

The Red Cloud Heritage Center opened in 1982, and is housed in the old mission building. The museum’s fine arts collection has over 2,000 pieces, including painting, drawings, and sculptures. The tribal arts collection focuses on Native American artifacts reflecting Oglala culture and history.

Every summer from the end of May through mid-August, the Heritage Center hosts the Red Cloud Indian Art Show, which brings together the work of artists from tribes across the United States and Canada.

There is a gift shop adjacent to the museum where the work of local Lakota artists is available for sale. Choose from an extensive collection of porcupine quillwork, beadwork, and a variety of traditional plains art including jewelry, pottery, glassware, star quilts, buffalo hides, and other specialty items.

Be sure to visit the new Holy Rosary Church. The original church burned to the ground in 1996. The new building, opened in 1998, is a restful spot, with white walls, light wood pews, and beautiful stained-glass windows. There is a cemetery on the hill behind the chapel. It is there that Chief Red Cloud is buried.