Day 26: More South Dakota (Deadwood, Wall Drug, Badlands) and drive to Iowa

Miles driven to-date: 7,743
States visited to-date: 24

We got up quite early today because of the long - almost 13 hours - drive ahead of us, and we wanted to squeeze in a bit more sightseeing in South Dakota. We first drove over to Custer State Park’s State Game Lodge. Both Calvin Coolidge and Dwight Eisenhower used the resort as a summer residence during a few years of their presidencies, and it was really pretty. On the way there, we saw our first coyote frolicking in a field just off the road.

We then stopped in Deadwood, SD which served as the inspiration for the HBO series “Deadwood.” It was a modern version of exactly what you’d imagine an Old West town would look like, complete with many saloons and casinos. Deadwood boomed during the Gold Rush and was home to Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane. In 1876, Wild Bill was shot during a fateful game of cards while he was holding black aces and eights, hence the phrase “dead man’s hand” for those particular cards. Here’s a picture of the saloon where Wild Bill was murdered, and the actual chair in which he died:

Both Steve and I would like to start watching “Deadwood” now that we’ve seen the actual town!

Next we got back on I-90 and soon began seeing signs for Wall Drug in Wall, SD. Several people had told me about this famous place which is basically a big, kitschy store / attraction in the middle of nowhere. I found the history of the place to be fascinating, though. In 1931, Ted and Dorothy Hustead bought what was then a drug store but because of the place’s location and their timing (in the middle of the Depression), they struggled to make ends meet. Dorothy then had the brilliant idea to put a sign on the highway offering free ice water to passing travelers. Almost instantly the place took off and they never looked back. I was also interested to see Wall Drug because the current president did a Harvard Business School executive education program and I had read their family’s story in the alumni magazine. Anyway, it was a great diversion from the highway and we enjoyed a tasty lunch there. We also wandered around a bit and were amazed by the big wall of framed testaments to people’s love of the place: fans had returned to their home states and countries (including Saudi Arabia!) and had posted Wall Drug signs and bumper stickers around their towns. It was a fun way to pass a few minutes and we were glad to have stopped.

The front of the several-blocks-long Wall Drug store.

After Wall Drug, we drove through Badlands National Park (also in South Dakota ~ there’s a surprising amount to do here!). A 40-mile scenic drive traverses the park and because of our limited time, this seemed like a good way to get a sense of the place. It was certainly beautiful! It was over 100 degrees out, though, so I must admit it was sort of nice to be able to stay in the car and just hop out to take a few pictures.

It was time to hit the road again. Our next stop was Mitchell, SD . . . home of the world’s only Corn Palace! The brochure I grabbed proclaimed it is “a-maize-ing” with fabulous “ear-chitecture.” We had to admit it was actually pretty cool.

This year's theme is rodeo, though each year it changes. The whole exterior of the building is decorated with husks and ears that are dyed different colors. If you click on this picture to expand it, you can see the many ears that make up these boots:

Inside the building is a basketball arena where they also host concerts; LeAnn Rimes is playing there later this summer. The Corn Palace was a random but fun stop – just what SoSA is all about.

The rest of the day was spent driving through South Dakota and Minnesota on our way to Iowa. As we neared the eastern border of South Dakota, we saw a sign for a town called DeSmet which is the hometown of author Laura Ingalls Wilder. This reminded Steve of when his sister Ali used to make him play “Little House on the Prairie” with her when they were younger. Ali would designate Steve as one of the horses and would tie him to a tree outside of their house for hours on end. Fortunately, we passed the tiny town without too many flashbacks about those experiences.

Tomorrow we’ll explore Dyersville, Iowa where “Field of Dreams” was filmed. To get us in the mood, my Dad had kindly given us a copy of the movie so during the long drive we took turns watching the DVD. I’m not sure what people did on road trips before movies and laptops . . .We promise to take pictures and hope to post again soon after we get to Chicago tomorrow night!