Plankinton Preservation Society, Inc. Receives Grant for Sweep-VanDyke Railroad Museum & Cultural Center

(Plankinton, SD)—The Plankinton Preservation Society, Inc. received a grant for $1,000 from the Central Electric Operation Round-Up program to support rehabilitation efforts at the Sweep-VanDyke Railroad Museum and Cultural Center located in Plankinton.

The grant funds were used to install historic era-specific lighting throughout the Museum and Cultural Center. In addition to the lighting, the Preservation Society and volunteers have been hard at work over the years restoring the floors, vintage tin ceilings, and most especially, the history through photos and donated artifacts.

“People may think of this as a Plankinton project, but it’s truly a South Dakota project. It’s Mitchell, Mount Vernon, White Lake, Kimball—it’s everything,” says President Gayle Van Genderen. A tour through the project tells the story of the railroad and the many figures who have passed through to help build South Dakota.

For information on how to donate or get involved with the Rehabilitation Project, contact Van Genderen at 605-942-7770 or sdmail@siouxvalley.net.

Operation Round-Up is a voluntary program were members’ electric bills are rounded up to the nearest dollar. The cents flow into a charitable fund to make a direct impact in the communities of Central Electric members. For more information, visit the Operation Round-Up web page.