O'Harra Stadium

Dunham Field at O'Harra Memorial Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located on the campus of the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology (SDSM&T) in Rapid City, South Dakota. It is the home of the South Dakota Mines Hardrockers football team, as well as Rapid City's two public high schools (Central and Stevens). The stadium is named after SDSM&T's eighth president, Dr. Cleophas C. O'Harra (who also decided where the stadium should be), and field is named after two alumni boosters, George & Nancy Dunham.

O'Harra Stadium
Dunham Field
Location501 E. St. Joseph St.,
Rapid City, South Dakota
Coordinates44°04′22″N 103°12′10″W
OwnerSDSM&T
OperatorSDSM&T
CapacityApprox. 4000
(3500 seats + 250 tailgating spots)
Record attendance5000
(vs. Black Hills State – Sep 12, 2015)
SurfaceArtificial Turf
Construction
Broke groundMay 18, 1931
OpenedSeptember 16, 1938
Construction cost$132,000 (original structure)
($2.22 million in 2019 dollars[1])
ArchitectSigma Tau members
General contractorWPA
Tenants
SDSM&T Hardrockers (NCAA) (1938–present)
Stevens HS Raiders (SDHSAA) (1969–present)
Central HS Cobblers (SDHSAA) (1978–present)

The stadium is noted for being one-of-a-kind in its design, consisting of standard bleacher and box seating to one side and a three-tiered terrace on the opposite side, consisting of 250 paved parking spots allowing spectators to tailgate and watch games from their vehicles.[2][3] A track also encircles the field, allowing its use for track and field events.

History

In 1930, the School of Mines obtained an area southeast of SDSM&T campus that was previous used as a garbage dump and feeding area for swine, based on suggestions from landscape artist Phelps Myman.[4] That year's pledges to Sigma Tau were then tasked with designing the field and stadium. President O’Harra declared a holiday for students on May 18, 1931, allowing the student body to come and level the field en masse, in preparation for proper construction. Work between 1932 until its completion in 1938 was done by a mixture of unskilled workers from the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and skilled laborers paid by donations collected by the school's alumni association.[5]

Work was completed and the stadium dedicated on September 16, 1938; the Hardrocker's first home game on that day O'Harra was an 18–7 victory over the South Dakota State Jackrabbits. The Hardrockers finished the season 8–0 (after a forfeit by Yankton College) and won that year's conference championship.[6]

The stadium underwent $1,750,000 worth of expansion and modernization in later years through support by various state, city, county, and school entities. The field was named Dunham Field in 2004. A further $2.5 million in renovations to O'Harra were proposed in September 2016 and slated for Summer 2017.[7]

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References
  1. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  2. http://www.youvisit.com/tour/sdsmt?loc=trail4:0:1:1&pl=v
  3. http://gorockers.com/facilities/?id=4
  4. http://gorockers.com/facilities/?id=4
  5. http://dlsd.sdln.net/cdm/singleitem/collection/newssdsmt/id/1110/rec/6
  6. http://dlsd.sdln.net/cdm/singleitem/collection/newssdsmt/id/1110/rec/6
  7. http://www.sdsmt.edu/News/Vision-Funds-Proposal-Details-Improvements-for-O-Harra-Stadium/
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