Free Ice Water! (6/13)

Ice Water…that’s what finally made people stop at the Hustead family’s drug store in Wall, SD. It was the summer of 1936 and Dorothy and Ted were just about out of hope…not many people ever stopped. Then on a hot, dry, dusty Sunday in July Dorothy had an epiphany. What do people want when they are stuck mile after mile in the prairie? Water. Ice cold water. Dorothy decided they’d offer FREE ice water...and so the story began of road signs on the highway to Wall…”___ miles to Wall.” Even if they weren’t thirsty before, by the time they got to Wall, they were parched. It’s kind of hard to find the drug store now as it’s hidden in the ‘Block-sized Area of Fun’…75,000 square feet in all. They offer artifacts for viewing, historical photos; clothing and all manner of tourista chachky. For the young and young at heart, there is a 6 foot jackalope you can sit on. And for the dino lovers, a giant T-rex roars and spews steam every 12 minutes.

We too needed ice water and stopped for the obligatory visit to Wall Drug. Bob bought me a couple of rings with representative local stones…happy 21^st anniversary to us! The girls picked out some black hills earings…for pierced ears…with the hope that this summer will be the summer of ear piercings. Bob took a movie of the roaring T-rex and paid a buck to start an old fashioned ‘player string ensemble’…picture a player piano, except that this old gismo played a guitar, a couple of banjos, and some drums…very clever. Daisy pouted in the Cozy Den waiting for her fur-less dog family to return.

And next, it's on to 'the four heads' as I keep calling it: Mt Rushmore. Talk with you then.

Becky