Camille Yuill and Jessie Sundstrom family papers

The Yuill/Sundstrom collection consists of materials accumulated during the careers and personal lives of Camille Yuill and her daughter, Jessie Yuill Sundstrom. Both women were involved in the newspaper industry, local history projects and a number of civic engagements.

Camille Yuill (Dec. 29, 1898-1981) was the daughter of a pioneer blacksmith, born in Custer to Mr. and Mrs. Chris Wilkinson. She was a lifelong resident of the Black Hills, graduating from Spearfish Normal School and teaching for several years in rural schools. She married Roy E. Yuill in 1925, and had two daughters, Jessie and Barbara, before divorcing in 1925.

She came to Deadwood in 1928, where she accumulated a career in journalism over half a century long. Working primarily for the Black Hills Weekly, Camille also worked as a correspondent for other newspapers across the nation. In the early 1940's, she became the city editor of the Deadwood Daily Pioneer-Times. She additionally authored a weekly column, The Backlog, for over thirty years, which ran in the Pioneer-Times. Throughout her career, she was able to meet and interview a number of famous persons, including Gutzon Borglum, Frank Lloyd Wright, Orville Anderson, Captain A.W. Stevens, Peter Falsted, Senator Peter Norbeck, Josef Meier and Dr. Warren M. Lee.

In addition to her work in the newspaper industry, Camille was involved in the Deadwood Chamber of Commerce and the Days of '76 Celebration. She was the secretary of the Black Hills Press Association for many years, as well as the author of the book, Deadwood in the Black Hills of South Dakota. She worked as a local historian and a Campfire Girls leader. She was a member of the Lawrence County and Custer County Historical Societies, and a member of the Black Hills Corral of Westerners.

Jessie Yuill Sundstrom (May 18, 1922- September 5, 2013) was born in Rapid City and grew up in Deadwood, graduating from Deadwood High School in the class of 1940. She developed an interest in history and journalism helping her mother with small jobs for the Deadwood Pioneer-Times. Sundstrom is perhaps best known as the editor of the Custer County Chronicle, which she operated in part with her husband, Carl, taking full responsibility and ownership after his death in 1972. Jessie published the Chronicle and worked as an accountant, reporter, photographer and editor until she eventually sold the paper in 1981.

Her obituary lists the following involvement in organizations and activities:

Sundstrom served as president of the Custer County Extension Council; secretary of the Black Hills Playhouse board of directors for 25 years; secretary of the Badger Clark Memorial Society for 29 years; secretary and president of the Custer Parent-Teacher Association. She was active in Girl Scouting from 1948-1974, serving as troop leader, leader trainer and president of the Black Hills Girl Scout Council. During the 1960s and 1970s, she served as media consultant for the national Girl Scout Roundup in Idaho, as delegate to the national Girl Scout Triennium in New Orleans and as national committee member. She served on the board of directors of Crazy Horse Memorial for 35 years and was instrumental in the creation of the Indian Museum of North America and the Indian Cultural Center.

Sundstrom was a member of the Custer County Historical Society from 1948 until her death. She managed the Custer County 1881 Courthouse Museum from 1998 to 2004. She was secretary to the museum board of trustees and the Custer County Historical Society board of directors until January 2006. Her role at the museum as a historian expanded to local research requests, presentations and tours.

She gave numerous presentations on history for the Jedediah Smith Corral of Westerners, the Black Hills Corral of Westerners, the Custer County Historical Society and other organizations. In 1976, Sundstrom led a Bicentennial history project, culminating in publication, under her editorship, of Custer County History to 1974. She wrote several other books on area history including Pioneers and Custer State Park; A History of Custer City (1876-1925); Badger Clark, Cowboy Poet with Universal Appeal; and Carl Sanson, Black Hills Rancher. From 1995 to 2001 she published a monthly magazine, Hills and Plains History. She also edited and published books for other authors, including Tim Giago, Mel Gibbs, and Melvin H. Jackson. She had recently completed a biography of her mother, titled Camille.