USS South Dakota Battleship Is Getting A Time Capsule

What are a few things that are uniquely South Dakota in 2026 that you would recommend putting in a time capsule for future generations to see?

Imagine someone in Sioux Falls 50 years from now digging up a time capsule from 2026.

What would you want them to find?

Would you want them to know what we were watching, listening to, driving, eating, or, better yet, how much we were paying for groceries and gas?

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The South Dakota State Historical Society and the South Dakota America 250 Commission are giving South Dakotans the chance to help answer those questions.

They're currently looking for items that help tell the story of what life was like in South Dakota in 2026. Those items will eventually be sealed inside a time capsule and buried on November 2 at the USS South Dakota Battleship Memorial here in Sioux Falls.

This time capsule isn't scheduled to be opened until 2076.

That's 50 years from now.

Just think about that for a minute.

Someone standing at the USS South Dakota Battleship Memorial in 2076 could be holding something that you submitted today and trying to figure out what the heck it was.

So, the question becomes, what should we put in there?

I've got a few suggestions.

How about a grocery receipt from a Sioux Falls store? It could give future generations a fascinating look at what everyday food cost in 2026. God knows what they'll be paying 50 years from now, right?

Maybe a photo of a gas pump showing today's prices. Of course, depending on what happens with gas prices over the next 50 years, that photo could make people wish they were driving back then.

What about an old smartphone? The technology we carry in our pockets today could look downright prehistoric in 2076, much like those giant brick cell phones from the 1990s look to us today.

According to Dakota News Now, organizers are looking for small, durable objects that represent life in South Dakota in 2026. Items should be roughly 2 inches by 2 inches and made from materials capable of surviving decades underground.

Some of the suggested items include lapel pins, expired driver's licenses, and laminated paper items.

So, don't use this opportunity as an excuse to get rid of your old broken-down toaster.

If you'd like to submit something for consideration, items can be mailed to:

David Grabitske
South Dakota State Historical Society
900 Governors Drive
Pierre, SD 57501

The deadline for submissions is October 16, 2026.

Members of the South Dakota America 250 Commission will select the items that ultimately make it into the time capsule. If your contribution is selected, you'll be notified and invited to attend the burial ceremony.

It's an awesome opportunity to leave a tiny piece of 2026 behind for people who haven't even been born yet.

And who knows?

Maybe someone in Sioux Falls in 2076 will open that capsule, pull out an expired driver's license or an old smartphone, and wonder how we possibly survived without flying cars.

Dakota News Now reports that the time capsule idea is serving as a capstone to South Dakota’s America 250 celebrations and is designed to help illustrate what life was like living in South Dakota in the year 2026.

I'm thinking we pretty much have to include an old grocery receipt in this capsule. Future generations deserve to know what we paid for eggs.

5 Things South Dakota Gave the World

South Dakota may not get much respect. We get a blizzard and it's a footnote on the national scene, but if Florida gets a bit chilly it's breaking news. But, maybe it's fine to be forgotten about. We kind of like being left alone on our quiet piece of the plains.

South Dakota has given a lot to the world though. Not just giant mountain carvings and settings for HBO shows, but awesome things that the rest of the world should thank us for.

Gallery Credit: Ben Kuhns