Two Million Visitors?!?
You read correctly. Two million visitors a year stop at a South Dakota drug store in a town with a population of only 640. I’m talking about Wall Drug Store, often shortened to Wall Drug, in the sleepy town of Wall, South Dakota.
You might think that nearby Badlands National Park attracts more visitors. But you’re wrong. On average, only one million people visit Badlands National Park every year.
The American Dream
Ted and Dorothy Hustead started with a humble dream in 1931. They purchased a drug store in the tiny town of Wall. It was the Great Depression, and they struggled mightily for the first five years.
©Wall Drug
The town had a mere 300 residents, with few of them able to spend their limited income on pharmaceuticals. The couple and their son Billy slept in a room in the back of the store. It was a constant struggle to entice travelers and earn a living.
The family created new business by advertising free ice water. Their hand-painted signs along Highway US 14 (later Interstate 90) became a fixture in the landscape. Thirsty travelers in the summer heat seeking a cool drink of water created a steady influx of new customers.
From Stop at Wall Drug in South Dakota (yellowstonepark.com)
Over the years, the number of highway signs grew. While there are many unofficial signs scattered around the U.S., there are officially 300 paid signs in Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska, Montana, and Wyoming.
Wall Drug grew to become a collection of cowboy-themed stores, including a drug store, gift shop, several restaurants, art gallery, and an 80-foot brontosaurus sculpture. The New York Times has described Wall Drug as "a sprawling tourist attraction of international renown [that] draws some two million annual visitors to a remote town."
From The Quirky History of South Dakotas Wall Drug... | Culture Trip (theculturetrip.com)
The Shot
During my 2020 photography trip to Badlands National Park, pandemic precautions prevented me from visiting Wall Drug again. One of my fondest childhood memories is an early 1960s family road trip where this nine-year-old boy was in “heaven” admiring all the souvenirs for sale in this massive store.
My favorite times for photography are in the pre-dawn and dusk hours. This morning was no exception. After walking about a mile from the road, we came across this fascinating foreground curving past the hills into the pre-dawn light.
Thanks for looking,
Chuck Derus