Mark, Kent and Sandy at the Minuteman Missile Visitor Center

Minuteman Missile Visitor Center Display

Badlands National Park

Badlands National Park

Badlands National Park

Badlands National Park

Badlands National Park

Badlands National Park

Badlands National Park

Badlands National Park Visitor Center

Wall Drug Store, Wall, South Dakota

Kent at Wall Drug Store

Mark at Wall Drug Store

This day we toured the Minuteman Missile Visitor Center in Philip, South Dakota. During the Cold War, a vast arsenal of nuclear missiles was placed in the Great Plains. Hidden in plain sight, for thirty years 1,000 missiles were kept on constant alert. There were 15 Launch Control Facilities that commanded and controlled 150 Launch Facilities or Missile Silos, holding Minuteman Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles. The missile site was decommissioned in 1991 but the park preserves two of these facilities in their historic state. The Minuteman Missile remains an iconic weapon in the American nuclear arsenal. It holds the power to destroy civilization, but is meant as a nuclear deterrent to maintain peace and prevent war.

Exhibits share stories of the technology that made it possible, service men and women, citizens near and far who feared the worst, the call for civil defense, and leaders at home and abroad who led the world to the brink and back.

Our next stop was at the Badlands National Park where we explored the place the Lakota named “mako sica,” meaning “land bad.” An inland sea covered this area 68-77 million years ago. Erosion of the Badlands over the last 75 million years reveals sedimentary layers of vivid colors resulting from different minerals and elements left from volcanic ash carried here by the wind from other parts of the world. Today, 244,000 acres of mystical moon-like topography of spires and pinnacles surrounded by a sea of grass are inhabited by buffalo, deer, antelope, prairie dogs and much more.

For lunch we headed to Wall, South Dakota, and a restaurant called Salty Steer. We had a choice of three sliders, a wedge salad or a mixed green salad with fresh berries, sliced almonds and poppy seed dressing. Kent, Sandy and I each tried a different dish and they were all excellent.

We then walked a block down the street to the famous Wall Drug Store. Ted and Dorothy Hustead had bought this small one room drug store in Wall, population 326 in December 1931, where they lived in the rear of the store. They decided to give this small town a try for five years and see if they could make a go of it. By 1936 business was still slow and the drug store hadn’t grown much at all. It was then that Dorothy had an idea to attract more cars that passed on the highway to the Badlands in the summer heat. She thought that if they offered cold ice water to thirsty travelers they would stop in and maybe buy something else. She had Ted post some signs along the main highway offering ice cold water for free and it worked. Before long, car after car was stopping in for the cold water and buying other items. Soon the weather changed and in addition to the ice water they offered coffee for 5 cents. Before long they were adding more roadside signs and the business began to grow by leaps and bounds.

Today, the little Wall Drug Store has about 20,000 visitors a day. They still sell coffee for a nickel and give away ice cold water. The small shop now occupies two city blocks and shop after shop filled with all sorts of food, drinks, homemade ice cream, donuts, artwork and most anything you could need.

Road Scholar hosted a farewell cocktail reception and dinner of Cordon Blue, green beans, wild rice and salad. They handed out photos that they took of the entire group at Mt. Rushmore.