Harvey Thomas Dunn was born March 8, 1884 in a claim shanty near Manchester, SD near the banks of the Red Stone Creek -  just 8 miles west of De Smet.   He attended a one room schoolhouse depicted in his well known After School painting.

It was a hard life on the early prairie and he grew strong with the work ever attuned to his surroundings. His insight and passion for this time in his life is clearly revealed in his extensive prairie works.