Crossing the plains with Custer

Veteran photographer and writer Paul Horsted never fails to entertain – and enlighten. Those traits keep him in demand on the speaking circuit.

His latest venue was today (5/23/10) at the Bay Leaf Café in Spearfish, where he led members of the Lawrence County Historical Society through the chronology and geography of General George Custer’s massive 1874 expedition to the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Horsted, who lives north of Custer, South Dakota, noted that the Custer trek was “better documented than any other military expedition of the Old West.” Much of that documentation was assembled and edited by Horsted and his co-author Ernest Grafe for their 2002 publication Exploring with Custer – The 1874 Black Hills Expedition.

Today, Horsted employed a lively multi-media presentation to tell “the rest of the story” about that 19^th century expedition. Exploring with Custer dealt with the Black Hills area. His latest endeavor – Crossing the Plains with Custer – is a companion book that traces the Custer expedition from Fort Lincoln in north Dakota Territory to the Black Hills, including their journey back to the fort.

In his books, Horsted also uses his “then and now” display of historic photographs juxtapositioned with his contemporary photography from the same vantage point. It’s a powerful technique that has served him well – especially his book The Black Hills: Yesterday & Today.

Following his presentation, Horsted took time to answer questions and visit with folks who attended the gathering. Here, he chats with historian David Wolff (center) and Lawrence County Historical Society president Jerry Bryant (right).

For folks in the Black Hills region who've not heard one of Paul's presentation, we'd encourage you to be in the audience when he's in your neck of the woods. On Monday, May 31st, he'll be giving a free program in Custer State Park at the Game Lodge Campground beginning at 9:00 p.m.

In mid-June, he'll be sharing his presentation with attendees at the state convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Custer.

You can also visit his web site at Paul Horsted - Dakota Photographic LLC

Horsted on photos - Then & Now

Photographer Paul Horsted of Custer has unveiled new information about an early-day photographer with the Custer expedition, William Henry Illingworth.

“We owe him (Illingworth) a lot for recording pictures of the Black Hills,” Horsted told members of the Spearfish Area Historical Society during their January meeting (1/6/09).

A near record turnout of history buffs crowded in to the Senior Citizen’s Center to see the work of Horsted and hear about his latest project. His beautiful tome The Black Hills Then & Now has become something of a collector’s item, following his 2002 book, Exploring with Custer, which mapped the 1874 Custer expedition through the Black Hills.

Once a staff photographer for the Sioux Falls Argus-Leader, Horsted later served as Chief Photographer for the South Dakota Tourism Department before becoming an independent photographer and publisher 15 years ago. Samples of his work can be found on his website www.dakotaphoto.com

Horsted’s trademark style juxtapositions contemporary photographs alongside historic photos of the hills region. It’s a technique that has won him great acclaim. But more than that, Horsted has demonstrated great skill as a researcher, adding immensely to his demonstrated photographic skills.

The Black Hills Yesterday & Today includes 150 images from some 50 photographers, including Illingworth. The photos date from mid-1870s into the 1930s. Horsted shared new information about Illingworth, noting that when he and an Illlingworth descendant tracked down the family burial site in St. Paul, Minnesota, they discovered that one of the Illingworth graves had been marked that very day!

During his presentation, Horsted not only paid homage to those photographers who’ve gone before, he gave full acknowledgement to some of those persons instrumental in his latest publication – especially his wife, Camille, who did the design work, and Ernest Grafe, who did the editing. He also expressed gratitude to the many landowners who’ve given access to their property. He noted that photographs came from many collections – and he specifically mentioned the Journey Museum in Rapid City, the Adams Museum in Deadwood, and the old photographs made available by the Spearfish Area Historical Society.

Horsted provided some insight into how he has incorporated new and emerging technologies into helping identify and locate the sites where many of the old photographs were taken. Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) and Google Earth are resources routinely tapped by Horsted. Of course, digital photography – rather than film – has become his dominant method for capturing images.

“If you can find the background, you can usually find your way to the foreground,” said Horsted, whose success at this technique is vividly documented in his books.

Horsted says it takes him about three years to research, photograph, write and publish a book. His next publication is tentatively named Crossing the Plains with Custer, a companion to his 2002 book. It will be published later this year, likely before November 1st. You'll find a few more snapshots of Horsted's January presentation in our Spearfish Area History Gallery.