In 1888, Holy Rosary became the first Catholic Indian Mission on the Pine Ridge Reservation. The school later honored the name of this great Lakota leader, becoming Red Cloud Indian School. For more than a century, Red Cloud Indian School has sought to give the Lakota students the skills they need to compete in a larger society while retaining the traditional values of their Lakota heritage.

The Buechel Memorial Lakota Museum in St. Francis, South Dakota demonstrates the Mission’s enduring respect for the traditions, culture, and history of the Lakota of the Rosebud Reservation. Named after Father Eugene Buechel, S.J., a noted missionary, linguist, and ethnologist who came to St. Francis Mission in 1902, the museum contains many unique artifacts, images, and documents.