DE SMET: A FAMILIAR TOWN ON THE PRAIRIE BY LARRY ROHRER
I’m very pleased that the Dakota Life team will be on location each month. We see it as a chance to tell more of the South Dakota story within each episode. Our stop in De Smet is familiar to me. My nephew is still in Bull Dogs basketball record books, my wife grew up on a farm a few miles south in Miner County, our family is no stranger to the waters of nearby Lake Thompson… and THERE’S A DAIRY QUEEN! The ingredients for De Smet to do well are in place. The community is at the intersection of highways 14 and 25, so you’re likely to drive through while on a trip almost anywhere in east central South Dakota. There is a strong connection with our two major industries, Agriculture and Tourism. The surrounding countryside is filled with row crops and livestock, and visitors can walk in the footsteps of Alonzo and Laura Wilder or get away on the waters of Lakes Henry and Thompson. That’s a pretty good start
The Kingsbury County Courthouse in De Smet. Built in 1898 and is listed on the Federal Historical Register.
But there is something special going on in the background. Laird Beck, former manager for Lyle Signs says “De Smet is an example of a Dakota Thing, people caring about each other and willing to give a neighbor the shirt of their back and not as for anything in return.” I think it’s more than people willing to help each other or volunteer for a project to support the community. More than just having a good idea, it’s NOT being afraid to pursue
it and believe ANYTHING is possible. Laura Wilder could not have imagined that writing scenes from her childhood memories would grow into a worldwide following, but it did. Or the community imagining an industrial park would result in De Smet’s population growing by nearly a third each day as people drive into town to go to work. Or that a regional cattle industry promotion would grow into the nationwide program. And there are other examples of home-grown tech companies with an international cliental. Continued on next page.
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