South Dakota

Imagine traveling across South Dakota in the 1930s. Most travelers would have come to this area to see the Badlands and Black Hills. In between those two attractions would have been plenty of open space. If you owned a business along this barren drive, you would have struggled to draw in visitors. In 1931, Ted Hustead purchased a small drug store in the town of Wall. He quickly discovered that drumming up business, in a town of 230 people, came as quite the chore. It would be his wife, Dorothy, who would offer the suggestion that helped them corner the market. Creating a [...]

Our Epic Road Trip was off to an amazing start. We were winding down Day 1, and we had already discovered three fun stops. Heading west out of Mitchell, we made our way across the flat prairie. Our first leg included 500 miles of beautiful scenery, as we traversed across Iowa and into South Dakota. Since our driving was almost finished, we began turning our thoughts to the next day. It held the promise of being just as thrill-packed and would begin with some alien landscape. For now, we were rolling down the road toward a restful night's sleep. Dignity Personified Our goal [...]

There are times that I do feel sorry for my family, especially Crystal. It should go without saying that I am a fan of dad jokes, what with being a dad. When I was planning the route for our Epic Road Trip, I realized it would take us past Mitchell, South Dakota. This would offer us a chance to see one of the most unusual man-made attractions on our route. The Mitchell Corn Palace draws thousands of tourists each year, but there are scads more that have no idea this place exists. As we explore this unique destination, be aware that you may [...]