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An infinite number of billboards line the highway for miles between Rapid City and the tiny town of Wall (population 766).
Come to Wall Drug.
See Original Western Paintings at Wall Drug.
Don’t Miss Out. Wall Drug.
Wall Drug or Bust.
Wall Drug. The Experience. Priceless.
Only 5 cents. Hot Coffee. Wall Drug.
Free Ice Water. Wall Drug.
I was heading to the Badlands National Park, but I was intrigued and next thing I knew, I was taking exit 110 off of Interstate 90 and navigating to Wall Drug.
What was this amazing place that you could see dinosaurs, western oil paintings and get coffee for five cents?
First and foremost, Wall Drug is a drug store. It’s also a roadside attraction…a tourist stop…a restaurant…an art gallery…a shopping mall. Each store operates under the Wall Drug brand and attracts two million visitors annually who come to eat, purchase souvenirs, take pictures and see what the fuss is all about.
In 1931, Dorothy and Ted Hustead purchased the only drug store in Wall, South Dakota on the edge of the Badlands National Park. Though the store initially did not attract the attention it gets now, they both knew that Mount Rushmore would be finished in the near future and hoped that it would bring more visitors to the area.
Five years later, when business still had not picked up and cars continually passed them by, Dorothy, unable to sleep during the summer heat, came up with the idea to offer free water to travelers. Ted modeled 12 by 36 signs using Dorothy’s phrases, “Get a soda . . . Get a root beer . . . turn next corner . . . Just as near . . . To Highway 16 & 14. . . Free Ice Water. . . Wall Drug.” He spaced them out along the highway so that people could read them as they drove by.
Dorothy was right. People driving across that hot, dry prairie were very thirsty. They saw the signs and they stopped at Wall Drug, not only for ice water. And they never stopped stopping in.
Over the years, their drug store grew as did their promotions. Five cent coffee was added for those cold winter days and when the United States Air Force operated the Minuteman missile silos east of Wall, the Husteads offered free coffee and donuts to the service personnel as they traveled to and from Ellsworth Air Force Base.
As I pulled into the parking lot, I looked at the quaint buildings that lined each side of the street and was sorry that I didn’t have more time to spend in each…and sorry that I didn’t have a trusty steed to secure to one of the horsehead hitching posts.
Heading into the massive complex of stores that was Wall Drug, I was amazed at its interior. Quirky cowboy-themed statues lined its halls, mounted deer heads perched above my head and even a Zoltar fortune teller was available for everyone’s amusement. Native American tributes were abound, antique pieces scattered to and fro and there was even a Traveler’s Chapel should the need arise to offer up a prayer or two.
It was a great deal of fun wandering from store to store checking out all of the souvenirs and art pieces. I didn’t end up with lunch, which I had planned, but I did find a cute Christmas ornament which paid tribute to Wall Drug’s 5 cent coffee.
Though it was not originally in my plan for the day, I am glad that all of that advertising lured me in. A major part of South Dakota history, it was fun to see Dorothy’s plan in action and what the Husteads created in this small town.
Go get your free water!
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Wall Drug Store
- https://www.walldrug.com/
- Address: 510 Main Street, PO Box 401, Wall, South Dakota 57790-0401
- Hours: Main Store, Monday-Saturday, 0800-1730, Sunday, 0800-1630. Cafe, Monday-Saturday, 0800-1700, Sunday, 0800-1600. Mall Shops, Monday-Saturday, 0830-1700, Sunday, 0830-1630. Pharmacy, Monday-Friday, 0830-1700.
- Admission: free