This historical marker is located in Spencer Park and was made possible by the Minnehaha County Historical Society, Mark Yaeger who was going for his Eagle Scout along with his Boy Scout Troop 731 and the Nyberg Foundation.  

In the late 1960’s a study of the Big Sioux River stirred up interest in the revitalization of the river. Lets face it once Sioux Falls is on the map the river sort of gets used and abused. We changed the shape and flow of the river to fit our needs and even used it as a place to dump garbage.  

“RISE” stands for River Improvement Study and Evaluation and it was founded in 1969. They worked on river clean up acquiring the land around the river and they endorsed the Greenway Master Plan. RISE took a trip to San Antion Texas to visit the River Walk and explore the winding trails that flank the river and brought back with them ideas for ways the city could utilize the river for enjoyment while keeping it healthy for generations to come.  

After 3 decades RISE disbanded. They had completed more then they had set out to, they revamped the way the river looked and the way people thought about it. On a beautiful day you will see people out walking or riding bikes along the 20 miles of winding trails that run along the edge of the river. While huge progress was made the work isn't over I just saw a tire in the river on Saturday... RISE passed the baton to other up and coming groups who carry on the mission today.