Eric John Abrahamson
Eric John Abrahamson first came to Rapid City in 1963 in a Plymouth Fury driven by his grandfather, who was born on a homestead north of Belvidere. Eric returned in 1980 to live and discovered a community still transitioning from the disaster of the flood eight years earlier. He fell in love with the grasslands and the Black Hills of western South Dakota and also discovered an extraordinary sense of community. In 1998, after completing graduate studies in history at Johns Hopkins University, he returned to live and work remotely with his wife Lois and their two sons.
Like a Train in the Night draws on Abrahamson’s skills as a creative writer and his background in social and economic history. The book reflects a deep sense of connection with the community, a desire to humanize the traumatic and inspiring stories of the survivors of the flood, and a longing for a better understanding of how the community’s leaders navigated the crisis and rebuilt the city for future generations.
A nationally recognized historian of business and philanthropy, Eric has edited and published several books on individuals who helped shape Rapid City’s history. The co-founder of the Black Hills Knowledge Network (now Benchmark Data Labs), he has helped to organize and preserve archival materials documenting the history of the city. He is the co-author, with Eric Steven Zimmer, of Expanding the Energy Horizon: A History of Black Hills Corporation Since 1883. He has served on the board of the Rapid City Public Library and the South Dakota Humanities Council and is a former chair of the South Dakota State Library Board.
Like a Train in the Night 