June 10 -- Wall Drug Store

The giant rabbit and its rider.


Louise and the buffalo -- which is which???



Thursday, June 10 – Wall’s Drug Store

All the way to the “Bad Lands” we saw signs for “Wall Drug Store”. Ginny had told us a little about it and said that we should at least stop and see what it was like. With all of the signs for free ice water and five cent coffee, I think everyone would have to stop just to see what kind of place it was.

Wall, South Dakota is a very western town as well it should be from its location. It is just outside the Badlands. The drug store named Wall Drugs was a very small drug store in the town of Wall, SD. Dorothy and Ted Hustead bought the store in 1931.

Mr. Hustead, who had just graduated from pharmaceutical school, had $3,000 that his father had left him. After much prayer by them, their families and friends they decided it was God’s will for them to buy the Wall Drug Store.

Living conditions during the depression in the 1930’s had a lot to be desired and they certainly shared in the dilemma. They strung up a blanket at the back of the store creating a small living space. To say the least they were just getting by from day to day with bare necessities for life. They struggled with very little business in the drug store. Mr. Hustead had also learned some about veterinary business and doctoring animals, and was supplementing their means of living when nearby farmers called on him to take care of sick animals. With so little money passing, this was probably a barter system, but it did put some food on their table. They had a small son named Billy so Mrs. Hustead took care of him and managed the store, which didn’t require much managing.

Time passed and things didn’t improve. The area was sparsely settled and people didn’t visit doctors unless it was a matter of life and death and many times the doctor gave them their medicine right there in the office. There was very little need for drug stores. They decided to give the business five years and if things didn’t get any better they would sell the store and try something else. They began to see a steady stream of cars coming from the Bad Lands, but very few stopped.

A little past their five year trial limit Mrs. Hustead told her husband that he certainly didn’t need her help, so she would take Billy into the back and take a nap. Sleep didn’t come easily since the situation looked so bleak and they were going to have to make a move. She pondered on the situation and came up with an idea that she thought might help increase business.

Upon emerging from the living headquarters her husband asked her if she had a good nap. She said that she didn’t sleep, but had come up with an idea. She asked him, “Now what do you think people driving their hot cars from the hot dry Bad Lands would rather have than anything else?” After asking the question she supplied the answer and said that they would like a glass of ice water more than anything. She told him that she had a plan and his part of the plan was to make signs, lots of signs, to put on the side of the road leading both ways to their store. On the signs he was to advertise “Wall Drug Store, Free Ice Water”.

He and Billy spent the next week working on the signs. At the end of the week they took them and placed them at short intervals on the sides of the road leading to the town of Wall, SD. Now they were ready to see whether or not Mrs. Hustead’s idea was going to work. How could it not work?

As soon as the signs were erected a stead stream of cars were stopping for the free ice water. One of the men and his family climbed up on the stools and ordered ice cream thus creating a new pattern for the store. From there, the store began to grow and the next summer they had to hire eight new workers for the store. Business was booming and has not slowed since that time.

Now this block-sized-plus emporium draws more than 20,000 tourists on a hot summer day. The store has expanded to have a dining room that seats over 500 people. In looking at the brochure, I realize that we saw only a small portion of the entire picture. There is a Traveler’s Chapel, a Life Sized Cowboy Orchestra that plays every fifteen minutes…(it as well as everything else is free), wax displays of Wild Bill Hickok playing his last hand of cards, backyard water park fun, a big stuffed buffalo, full sized T Rex, Giant Rabbit, just to mention a few of the attractions. In addition to these points for entrainment, there are all kinds of souvenir shops, an old time saloon, t shirt shops, and food shops.

Ginny told us that she had the best roast beef sandwich she had ever eaten the first time she stopped there. On their second time to the area, she stopped at Wall Drug just for the roast beef sandwich, and once again it was very good.

With that kind of advertisement, we didn’t have any trouble deciding what we would get to eat. She was right it was very good. It had cheddar cheese, onion, tomato, red lettuce along with a big stack of thinly sliced roast beef. Altogether this made for a tasty sandwich. Along with our sandwich we had five cent coffee which is now advertised on the sign along with the free ice water. The coffee is setting at the side and with it is a container to put the nickels in as you serve yourself to the coffee.

This was a very enjoyable stop after going through the Bad Lands. It is like all of the other things we did, we wish we had spent more time there and seen more of what it had to offer. Next time we will know and plan to spend more time. I can find only two pictures that we took here. I wish we had taken more.