In March, my husband, KC, and I were invited to take a road trip to Colorado with our neighbors (and best friends).
I had not been on a road trip as an adult, nor had I seen anything west of Minneapolis, so it is no surprise to anyone that I fell in love the West. More so, South Dakota.
Upon our return, after much begging, KC agreed to take me back to South Dakota in September.
A lover of all things related to manufacturing in America as well as South Dakota, I am so excited to bring to you, my road trip with my husband to South Dakota featuring US manufacturers.
Thurs 9/16: We left at 5am and made it to the Laura Ingalls Homestead in a very windy very sunny and very hot DeSmet, SD.We plan to visit all the Ingalls Museums soon. There are some in WI, MN, IA, MO, and SD.
Along the way we were entertained by the loads being shipped from place to place. I am always impressed at the capability of the freight industry. As a country, we move some pretty cool things!
We identified:
A roof-top Modular Packaged Cooling unit by Accurex Schofiled WI (division of Greenheck)
Degelman land roller
We watched the sun set on the horizon as we made it to our end destination, Custer SD!
Friday 9/17 - Morning hotel breakfasts are always perfect for fueling up for the day! KC loves the Golden Malted waffle machine! I stick with coffee only!
We live off of water, Gatorade, and Fig Newtons all day.
Finally!!! Custer State Park is my favorite place on Earth. This day we saw Sylvan Lake, nervously drove the Needles Highway and did some rock climbing!
We met people traveling from WI while we were enjoying the views.
The Crate in Sioux Falls is a fun little stop that has been on my bucket list for a while.
The Crate is an upscale liquidator where everything is the same price all day.
Everything in the store was $8 the day we were there.
The Mount Rushmore gift store was a tad disappointing since it only had a few things made in America, I did pick up a beautiful black hills gold plated Aspen leaf by The Rose Lady.
Saturday 9/18 - We started early and headed to the Mammoth site where we were able to see an active archaeological dig! We love to learn and look at rocks.
We were surrounded by a long history of American manufacturing at the Four Mile Old West Town.
So many treasures and mysteries! (more to come on this!)
.jpg)
Grain Drill by The American Seeding Machine Company Springfield Ohio (Which I believe is now owned by Oliver Mfg.)
Though I think my best find of the day is the printing press by Chandler & Price of Cleveland Ohio!
Look at this apron!
On our way to check out some gold mines in Lead, we stopped at Candyland to spend far too much money. And far too much time!
The gold mining tour we wanted to attend was closed so instead we roamed town and learned a little about the history of gold mining in the area.
Maybe next year we will be able to use our Garrett Metal Detector!
Look at this giant gear!
This webster camp & lang Machine co pulley!
H.K. Porter Company was a manufacturer of light duty locomotives like this one!
This might be a good time to mention the incredible gas mileage we were getting… 58.2 miles per gallon!
And while my 2019 Hyundai Elantra (lovingly named Ella) was not made in America, Hyundai does have production in Alabama!
Sunday 9/19 - Travel day. Before we headed to our next stop, we went through Custer State Park one last time!
We looked at rocks along creek beds and climbed rocks we probably shouldn’t have.
We took a wrong turn in the Badlands (which was the story of our trip!) so we only saw a small portion of it. Sadly, we left with only a promise to return in 2022 (and a cute hat)! For rock lovers like the McDermith’s, this is a must stop and see! Rock formations are cool!
Monday 9/20 - The morning was a bit gloomy in Sioux Falls but we made the most of it all!
On our way out of Falls Park we caught a glimpse of the Smithfield factory. Not that you could miss it! Did you know they are the #1 manufacturer in South Dakota?
At Good Earth state park we hiked and geocached.
A quick stop for coffee and a sandwich at Queen City Bakery and we were back at Good Earth State Park for another hike!
Tuesday 9/21, I finally got to meet my friend, Ryan Shaw of B&F Fasteners and tour their new facility. There will be a whole article on this, but I might want to mention here that they use a LEWCO conveyor… I had to resist the urge to take a ride down the rollers!
I just love this company and its family culture. You should check them out!
Click here to read about the great interview we had!
Sad to leave South Dakota, KC allowed one last stop at Palisades State Park where, you guessed it, we hiked and climbed more rocks!
And… I FINALLY got me some Caribou coffee!!! YESSSS!!!!
While no one can top my beloved Kwik Trip, Casey’s was a treat!
A sweet little gas station with the kindest cashiers!
I wonder how anyone can be sullen in South Dakota!
If you have never been to South Dakota, I urge you to give it a try.
Nothing beats these views!
And they have one of the best business climates in America!
Here is a list of the Top 10 Manufacturing Companies in South Dakota.
Are you a manufacturer or industrial supplier? Or do you represent any of the companies mentioned here? Claim your free listing on IndustryNet and unlock the benefits of being found by millions of industrial buyers!
