In 1869, Senator Richard Franklin Pettigrew visited the city of Sioux Falls for the first time. For all accounts, the senator had fallen in love with the city and worked tirelessly to help the city progress, building five railroads to facilitate travel and contributing to numerous business developments.

Eventually, Sen. Pettigrew purchased a local estate owned by Thomas and Jenny McMartin in 1911 for $12,000. The 1889 property was where Pettigrew eventually opened his museum in 1925, displaying various artefacts he had collected in his travels all over the world. When he died a year later, Pettigrew had deeded his home to the city government so that it may stay open to the public. In the 1930?s, the city built a new addition to the house in honor of Pettigrew?s vision.