Ghost Town Documentary Highlighted at Triple Feature
April 12, 2025
Photo Caption: SDSU graduate student Finn Kane edits his SDHC-funded documentary on the town of Galena, South Dakota.
We typically imagine ghost towns as utterly deserted, except for the occasional tumbleweed or cobweb. One South Dakota community, however, is disproving that notion, and audiences can learn about it during a documentary triple feature Monday, April 14, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the South Dakota Art Museum in Brookings.
The SDHC-funded documentary Galena: The Ghost Town that Came Back to Life, produced by Finn Kane, will be among three “Stories from the Fields and Main Streets of the Midwest” screened during the event. All three short films were created by graduate students in South Dakota State University’s School of Communication and Journalism (COJO).
Kane’s documentary examines Galena, South Dakota, a small, unincorporated Black Hills community that is surviving despite its status as a ghost town. Located just south of Deadwood, Galena is a historically rich town that sprang up in 1876 after the discovery of gold in the Black Hills and remained a successful mining community into the early 1900s.
Now home to just a small number of people, Galena still hosts a wealth of history. Kane’s film tells the story of the town through the perspectives of those who live there, as well as those who have dedicated themselves to preserving the town’s history and their own familial stories. This little-known but unique story of South Dakota demonstrates the importance of historical preservation through community building.
Kane is a master’s student in SDSU’s on-campus Communication and Media Studies program, and this documentary fulfills the requirement of a master’s project. He is continuing his education at Wayne State University, where he will be pursuing a PhD.
“I am so excited to get to share this South Dakota-specific story,” Kane said. “It highlights the importance of historical maintenance and restoration specifically in South Dakota.”
Screening alongside Kane’s film are two other documentaries that explore the rich history, culture, and environmental challenges of the region:
- Women in Film in Minnesota by Stefanie Fauth: This documentary highlights the outstanding talent in the Twin Cities of Minnesota and raises awareness of gender inequality. It features four female filmmakers at varying stages in their film careers, exploring their passions and challenges as women in film. Fauth, a communications professional and actor living in the Twin Cities, graduated from SDSU’s Online Master of Mass Communication program last year. She is grateful to the female filmmakers who agreed to be in her documentary and looks forward to continuing to tell stories of powerful and inspiring people whenever she can.
- Regenerate: Preserving South Dakota’s Soil Health by Arianna Schumacher: This documentary highlights conservation practices that the state’s farmers and ranchers utilize to improve their soil health and create a more sustainable agricultural operation. The film was produced as an applied project for an employer and in cooperation with Agweek, where Schumacher works as a multimedia agricultural reporter. She grew up on her family’s no-till crop farm north of Pierre, where her passion for sustainable agriculture grew, and graduated from SDSU with her Master of Mass Communication degree last summer.
Following the screenings, attendees will have the opportunity to engage in a Q&A session with the student filmmakers, gaining insight into their creative processes and the importance of their subjects.
The event is free and open to the public. Community members, students, and film enthusiasts are encouraged to attend and support these emerging filmmakers as they share their work and perspectives.
For more information, contact Rocky Dailey at (605) 688-4171 or rocky.dailey@sdstate.edu.
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