This article is from the May 2023 edition of SDPB Magazine. See past issues HERE.
Herb and Jan Conn are Black Hills legends. Originally from the White Mountains of New Hampshire, they traveled the West after Herb's WWII-era Army service. Soon they fell in love with the Black Hills, built an off-the-grid cave dwelling, and set out to establish the Black Hills as a climbing destination.
By 1959, having explored the surficial Hills, they were lured into exploring Jewel Cave, where only two miles of passage had been documented. Twenty years later, they had mapped over sixty miles in what is now known as the third largest cave system in the world and helped locate and establish the popular Scenic Tour. The work they started continues. Over two hundred miles have been discovered.
Herb and Jan Conn inspired others in many ways beyond their pioneering work as climbers and cavers. The Ups and Downs of Herb and Jan Conn documents their ascents and descents, and the exploratory, literary, cartographic, artistic, and musical repertory they created -- all of which continue to inspire people with an itch to explore, beneath or above the surface.
Justin Koehler, producer of Ups & Downs, moved back to South Dakota last year after being out of the state for almost 20 years. Since partnering with SDPB, he has produced short films that capture the life of South Dakotans and the state's history.
"When SDPB approached me to edit the Conn documentary, I was a bit embarrassed to say that I never heard of their story before that day. However, it took about five minutes of research to understand why their story was worthy of the big screen." Justin continues, "I admire Herb and Jan's sense of adventure and fearless approach to climbing and caving; both sports in infant stages when they started. Even if the Conns don't want to be labeled as such, their peers view them as pioneers, and to be among the first to do anything takes a tremendous amount of courage— but it takes a lot of intellect, as well."
Herb and Jan did not want to be in the spotlight, but it is hard to ignore the feats that the couple achieved. For them, it wasn't about the competition but rather the adventure. Together, the duo, the engineer and artist, made history. Justin shares what he hopes the audience will take away from the film.
"Herb and Jan lived life on their own terms- no one else's. They pursued their dreams and aspirations regardless of outside judgments. They 'colored outside the lines' of what was considered a 'traditional life' in that time, and they did it not to seek fame or fortune, but to simply do something they loved and enjoyed," says Justin. "You can't help but smile when hearing them together, talking about their amazing adventures."
SDPB is hosting free screenings of The Ups and Downs of Herb and Jan Conn Wednesday, May 10th at 2pm at West Hills Village, 255 Texas Street in Rapid City, and Thursday, May 11th at 6:00 pm and 7:30 pm at the Custer Beacon, 351 Washington Street in Custer.
Watch it on SDPB TV Thursday, May 18th at 8:30 pm Central (7:30 MT).
