Off of I-90, exit 110, you'll find Wall, South Dakota. Turn on to Service Road, then head north on Main Street, and you will find Wall Drug.
We began seeing signs miles and miles away from Wall Drug. In fact I believe the first sign I saw was in Wyoming! But I can't prove it because the first photo I took was after we left Mt Rushmore. After seeing several creative, eye caching signs, we decided we had to stop and check it out. And I began snapping as many photos of the signs that I could until we arrived.
Located just outside of Badlands National Park, is Wall, South Dakota. One of the smallest small towns I've seen. The town was named because it was built on the edge of the northern extension of the "Badland wall."
In 1931 Wall Drug was purchased by Dorothy and Ted Hustead with their son Billy and they lived in the back of the store. They chose this location because they wanted to live in a small town, and they wanted the town to have a Catholic church. Wall fit on both counts. When they had decided to move to this small town, family was skeptical, even calling Wall "just about as Godforsaken as you can get." That didn't stop them, and off they went.
Business started out slow, and over time it became clear that Wall Drug may not be able to stay in business.
So, how did Wall Drug become a thriving business, in fact an attraction that people now come to visit from miles and miles away?
My title gives a hint, but here's the story:
Dorothy was struggling to sleep on a hot Sunday night in July of 1936. It was not only the heat, but the traffic going by on 16A. "The jalopies just about shook the house to pieces." And then Dorothy came up with an idea that became the solution to their dilemma. After driving across the hot prairie people are thirsty. Why not offer free ice water? And the rest is history!
Together they created unique signs that attracted folks into their store just off the highway. The power of advertising! People came. And with free water, came sales. They filled classes, they filled water jugs, and they filled ice cream cones!
They were so busy that the next summer they hired eight girls to help out in the store. And now they see thousands of visitors on a hot summer day!
To quote Ted Hustead in an article written in Guideposts magazine in 1982:
Free Ice Water. It brought us Husteads a long way and it taught me my greatest lesson, and that's that there's absolutely no place on God's earth that's Godforsaken. No matter where you live, you can succeed, because wherever you are, you can reach out to other people with something that they need!
If you ever have the opportunity to stop by and visit Wall Drug, please do! We were blessed to visit on a quiet spring day with no crowds and we could take our time walking through the variety of offerings. So much history and so many stories! And if it's a hot summer day, ask for free ice water!
Below is a slide show of just a few of the creative signs I saw as we drove along the highway to Wall:
Wall Drug one block ahead on the right, on Main Street:
Inside a variety of small stores and shops, all owned by the Hustead family:
Ice water well shown below:
Inside the cafe:
Many photos and documents displayed below with Mr. and Mrs. Hustead in the center:
My favorite part, The Traveler's Chapel:
Today, the Hustead's legacy continues. Dorothy and Ted Hustead's grandson, Rick, and wife Patt, run the business along with their daughter Sarah.
Information above was from brochure handed out at Wall Drug. To see more, visit their website www.walldrug.com
And if you are ever in the area, be sure to stop at Wall Drug!
"America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand."
~ Harry S. Truman
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