Dreams and professional goals led Archibald “Archie” Bush out of Granite Falls, but he always remembered where he came from. After founding the Bush Foundation in 1953, he committed to giving back to the community near the 240-acre farm where he was raised. Bush Foundation grantees in Archie’s hometown have included the Yellow Medicine East School District, Granite Falls Public Library, Upper Sioux Indian Community and addiction recovery center Project Turnabout. In 2017, the Bush Foundation gave $1.8 million to the Granite Falls Area Community Foundation — $200,000 to address immediate community needs, $600,000 to fund college scholarships for area students and $1 million to establish the Archibald Bush Endowment Fund to serve the Granite Falls community into the future.

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Dave Smiglewski (BF’16) is a board member for historical Bush Foundation grantee Project Turnabout. He used his Bush Fellowship to further his education and explore ways to inspire others to become more civically engaged. (Photo by Hunt + Gather)

Anna McCosh is one of five 2018 Yellow Medicine East High School
graduates to receive a $16,000 Archie Bush Legacy Scholarship. She is attending the University of Wisconsin – River Falls. (Photo by Gene Stukel)

A stretch of the Minnesota River flows within Upper Sioux Agency State Park, which was established in 1963 to preserve the remains of the historic Upper Sioux Agency (or Yellow Medicine Agency) that was destroyed in the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862. The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. (photo by Jamey Guy)

Ashley Hanson (BF’19) established the YES House artist hub as the home for an official  Granite Falls artist-in-residence. “Granite Falls is founded on a legacy of cooperation and big ideas,” she says. “It’s a spirited small town that is looking to its arts and cultural workers to help shape its future.” (Photo by Hunt + Gather)

Teresa R. Peterson (BF’11), Dakota, Upper Sioux Community, is a 2016 Native Nation Rebuilder through the Native Governance Center and serves on the Southwest Initiative Foundation’s board of directors. Her Bush Fellowship explored Indigenous leadership, conflict resolution and Dakota ways of decision making. (Photo courtesy of Southwest Initiative Foundation)