Don Barnett was a 29-year-old second-year Mayor of Rapid City in June 1972 when his city was struck by the Rapid City flood, the most destructive natural disaster in South Dakota history. Now, fifty years later, Barnett is looking back on that tumultuous time in his new book, Thorns and Roses: Rapid City 1971-73. He is also on a speaking tour throughout the state, and I had the pleasure of hearing him at Sioux Falls Downtown Rotary today and visiting him with for a few minutes afterwards.
Barnett’s book is available at the link above. He also wrote an excellent article of his reminisces for the South Dakota History journal in 2017. He is an excellent storyteller who can give a firsthand account of one of the key events in the history of this state. I enjoyed meeting him and I’d encourage those interested to check out his new book.
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