If you have ever traveled through the great state of South Dakota, you have no doubt seen on of the infinite number of signs that call you to Wall Drug, but what is Wall Drug exactly? Wall Drug is a place where those who have been there know, and those who haven’t don’t. It is next to impossible to properly explain it to some one who has never been there, but I am going to try my very best.
Just an hour’s drive east of Rapid City sits a small town named Wall. It is located directly across from the entrance to the Bad Lands national park and it has tourists coming from all over the world because of the Wall Drug Store. It all started in 1931 with a druggist named Ted Hustead and his wife Dorothy. They couple purchased the little drug store with $3,000 he inherited. At first the little drug store on the prairie was having a hard time bringing in customers, and the townsfolk were as a cousin said “flat broke busted”.
The following spring Dorothy came up with an idea that would still stand to this day, give away free ice water to the travelers and advertise it along the highway. Since then the Hustead family has continued to run Wall Drug and expand it to what it is today.
When you first pull into Wall Drug, you feel like you are stepping back in time. The buildings all look like something out of Gun Smoke, with wooden sidewalks and places to tie your horses. One of my favorite things to do in Wall Drug is get there when they first open up in the morning and get a giant cinnamon roll and a five cent coffee. Yes you saw that correctly, only five cents for a cup of coffee and it is some of the best coffee I have ever tasted. My wife usually gets the buffet because you get a mountain of food for an affordable price and she says it’s delicious. After breakfast and a few cups of coffee we like to walk through all of the little stores, most of the stores are al connected together from the inside so if there is still a morning nip in the air you don’t have to get a chill.
While the central drug store is still there and pharmaceuticals can still be purchased, there are so many other items to purchase I would be hard pressed to list them all. You can get boots, hats, leatherwear, souvenirs, black hills gold, toys and many other goodies. As you are walking through the halls there are plenty of fun things to stop and stare at. One of my earliest memories of Wall from being there as a little boy are the wooden figures that are all around. Some are seated on the benches, some are standing around. Some that spring into my head are Wild Bill, Poker Alice, The Native Warrior hold the big buffalo skull, Annie Oakley, the show girl and the old prospector. Others, are set up involved in poker games and other various scenes.
Wall drug is also home to a few dinosaurs. There is an 80 foot brontosaurs which sits out side just to make sure you don’t miss it, and a T –Rex that comes to life every few minutes in the Wall Drug Back Yard. Some of the other attractions in the Back Yard include the six-foot Jackalope, gold panning, and a few other fun spots for the kids, and the kid in all of us. That is one of my favorite things about Wall Drug, every time I go there I feel like I am eight years old again and it is my first time there.
It is one attraction I definitely recommend you check out, oh yeah…don’t forget your free ice water.
The city of Deadwood is a close neighbor to Rapid City and offers a taste of the real west. Deadwood, South Dakota was the third place in the third place in the United States to legalize gaming (after Atlantic City the state of Nevada) and also offers a gateway into history.
Deadwood was formed out of the gold rush of 1874 and was the sight of the Homestake Mine. Many legends of the west were rooted in Deadwood including the death of Wild Bill Hickok at the Number 10 Saloon, and is also the final resting place of Calamity Jane.
Poker Alice also called Deadwood home as Preacher Smith. In recent years Deadwood has been the subject of the HBO show with the same name. For many years Deadwood never shook its rough and untamed reputation giving it a character all its own. Now its rowdy reputation as subsided and in its place is a city with a character like none other.
When you walk down historic Main Street you actually feel as though you have stepped into the late 1800’s. Most summer days there are even people in full dress reenacting famous gunfights and giving demonstrations. The streets are lined with casinos, interesting little shops and great places to eat…not to mention the bars and the Number 10 Saloon. That’s right, The Historic Number 10 Saloon is still there and still open for business, and inside the chair Wild Bill was shot in is still there and his gun belt still hangs from it.
Deadwood is home to over 80 gaming establishments ranging from nickel slots to $100 bet limits, classic games to new twists. My wife and I often enjoy going up to spend a day in Deadwood nosing through the shops and eating, then we spend the nights playing in all of the casinos. It is a nice place to hang out, and isn’t as crowded as Vegas.
Deadwood is still a party town hosting the Deadwood Jam, Wild Bill Days, Days of ‘76, and Kool Deadwood Nites in the summer and Deadweird, Mardi Gras and St. Patrick’s Day in the colder months.
When I first arrived in Rapid City on vacation I was picked up at the air port and was taken to Custer State Park. I had no idea what to expect, I have been to more than my share of state and national parks and every one has been different.
As we actually entered the park I was rendered breathless by how scenic it was. Rolling terrain and lush green grass set against a clear blue sky. Then as we got a little further into the park we came upon the free roaming buffalo herd. I had never seen a buffalo up close before. I knew they were big, but I had never realized just how big. The thing that was so amazing though wasn’t just the size of the individual buffalo, but the size of the herd. They were everywhere I looked. Walking at a leisurely pace realizing that they had nothing to fear from us since they were much bigger than any car in the park the lumbered beside the vehicles doing whatever it is that buffalo do. It was a little nerve wracking for some one like myself who never experienced it before to have the buffalo so close to the car that it rocked back and forth. I guess the sign that state “Buffalo are dangerous, do not approach.” Is more than just a marketing ploy.
We continued to drive through the park and as I kept my eyes open for more buffalo I kept spotting mule deer and pronghorn antelope. I couldn’t get over just how many there were. It was wonderful to see. The pronghorn antelope were especially interesting to me. In all of my previous experience most wildlife fears human presence and runs away, yet these guys didn’t flinch. They didn’t excitedly run up to me to see what I was all about, but they didn’t run away. As with any wildlife I chose to view them from a distance, but I got out of the car and watched them graze. Not even the sound of the door slamming got a response out of them. Eventually they walked up in front of the car, crossed the road and went on with their day.
I got back in the car and we continued to drive. Along the way I got to see some of Custer State Park’s other residents. There was a large flock of turkeys that wanted to cross the road, and of course since it was their home we gave them the right of way. After the crossing I also got to see and hear a prairie dog town. I had always just assumed a prairie dog was just a ground hog. I was mistaken. Prairie dogs are not only cute little things, they chirp a lot and seem to almost have a personality. The way they stand up on their little hind legs and keep watch, and then duck down their holes at the first sign of danger makes them fun to watch.
After a few more minutes of driving we came around a corner and I saw one of Custer’s most famous points of interest, the feral burro herd. The burros aren’t indigenous to the area, but were introduced in the 1920’s by an entrepreneur who used them to carry tourists up Mt. Harney. When his venture failed in the 1930’s, he let the burros loose. Currently there are two small herds, about 15-20 burros in each. The burros are probably some of the friendliest critters I have ever met. They have no problem in walking right up to your vehicle, poking their head in and looking for goodies. I was surprised by the fact that many parents were letting their children get out and pet them, and the burros didn’t care and seemed to rather enjoy it. As with all wildlife one should still be cautious when approaching them, and park policy is that tourists should not feed them, however it isn’t uncommon to see people arrive with a wide variety of veggies to offer them.
Two years later when I returned to Rapid City to live here permanently, the first place I wanted to go was Custer State Park. I made myself a promise that now that I lived here I was going to explore every inch of the 71,000 acres that make up Custer State Park that I possibly could. I also wanted to make sure that I got to see all of the animals that call Custer home, pronghorn antelope, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, deer, elk, wild turkeys, mountain lions and a band of friendly burros. So far all I have left to see is a mountain lion. On one really cool trip I even got to see day old baby antelope.
While the animals and landscape are both great aspects of the park, it also has a lot more to offer. If out door activities are your thing then perhaps you might be interested in hiking the 7,242 foot Harney Peak, mountain biking, rock climbing fishing, or my favorite horseback riding. Or if you want to see the animals but don’t want to have to drive yourself, you can take one of the jeep tours.
If you’re hungry, why not stop and fill your belly with a chuck wagon supper offered right in the park, and from there, you can look into some of the other great activities in the park depending on the time of year. Monday night guest speaker series, guided snow shoe hikes, and gold panning demonstrations are all available.
Custer State Park also offers culture and history as well. From the banks of French Creek, where Custer’s expedition first discovered gold in 1874 to performances at the Black Hills Playhouse, to a visit to Badger Clark’s log cabin, there are plenty of things to spark your imagination. Living-history demonstrations, such as candle making and woodworking, take place at the Gordon Stockade. Evening campfire programs feature slide shows, outdoor-cooking demonstrations and films. For the kids, the Junior Naturalist Program teaches them about the outdoors through hands-on activities.
If you don’t get to explore the entire park in one day, don’t worry, there are plenty of campgrounds, or you can stay at one of the lodges. The State Game Lodge is known as the as the “Summer White House” for President Calvin Coolidge in 1927 and was visited by President Dwight D. Eisenhower for several days in 1953. Sylvan Lake Lodge was suggested by Frank Lloyd Wright and offers one of the most scenic views in the park. Blue Bell Lodge offers guests the “true western experience”. You can trail ride, or take a guided all day ride. You can take a haywagon ride to a scenic canyon for a chuckwagon supper, or you can have a buffalo steak in the Blue Bell dining room. Legion Lake Lodge offers access to some great fishing, and if you don’t have a license or equipment, don’t worry. You can get everything you need at the Legion Lake Lodge Store.
The park boasts scenic drives such as the Needles Highway (SD 87), which twists and turns its way past towering rock formations and through narrow tunnels. At the end of one tunnel stands the Needles Eye, a granite spire with a slit only 3 to 4 feet wide but reaching 30 to 40 feet in the air.
Another of the park’s big attractions is the annual buffalo round-up, chili cook-off and art show in October. I will be sharing my experiences there in another blog if that is something that catches your interest.
Entry in to the park is only $12 per vehicle and the pass is good for a week, or if you live close enough and want to visit anytime you like you can purchase an annual pass for $23
The park is great for people adventuring on their own, couples and families alike. I have never taken anyone into the park that wasn’t smiling when they left, and they always want to go back. I would definitely recommend checking it out. Until next time, this is the local tourist saying…Discover More.
