Second Chances
Dec 9, 2016
Seldom in life do we get second chances. And the prospect of it happening 161 years after a calamity? Very rare. But our Nov/Dec 2016 issue has just such a story. It happened when Paul Stover Soderman of Colorado discovered he was a descendant of General Harney, the man responsible for a massacre of Lakota men, women and children in 1855 at Blue Water Creek in Nebraska. The killings happened after Harney rebuffed Chief Little Thunder’s extended hand. A few years ago, Soderman befriended the chief’s descendants.
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Paul Stover Soderman (center) and Philip Little Thunder (just right of Soderman) have participated in several healing and reconciliation events. -
Soderman and Little Thunder came to the State Legislature in February of 2016 to shake hands at a meeting of the South Dakota Legislature's senate state affairs committee. They testified on a bill related to the renaming of Harney Peak. -
Soderman and Little Thunder were as surprised as everyone else when a federal board renamed Harney Peak last August. The new name is Black Elk Peak. -
Soderman is pictured with Karin Little Thunder, a cousin of Philip. She helped to plan a 310-mile ancestral healing walk from Harney Peak to Fort Laramie in 2015.
Photo Galleries
Highway 18 Color
Late autumn adds roadside character.
Fall in Spearfish Canyon
Autumn's splendor has arrived in the scenic valley.
When Autumn Meets Winter
The two seasons collide in the Black Hills.
Black Hills Blooms
Wildflowers are adding a splash of color to the granite and pines of the rugged Black Hills.
Photo of the Week
Fall has peaked at the Outdoor Campus in Rapid City. Photo by Zach Zweygardt
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Comments
* Waki*
Harney's dauguter married General Beauregard.Very interesting families.I read and have researced alot.
changing history.
Jennie Kinder can you email my husband Paul Soderman he'd like to talk to you about Harney relatives.
Thank you!
Paul.soderman@gmail.com