The tiny town of Wall, South Dakota is a most unlikely place to find the America’s number one, most popular roadside attraction.
What put the town of Wall on the map was its family owned Wall drugstore that opened in the depths of the Great Depression.
Owners Dorothy and Ted Hustead were struggling to make a go of their drugstore when Dorothy came up with an idea that continues to propel the family business today—"let’s put signs out along the highway offering travelers a free glass of ice water if they stop in for a visit," Dorothy said.
Before long their business started bustling and it's continued non-stop—with Dorothy’s free ice water signs still dotting the highways and beyond.
Today, the town of Wall in Western South Dakota remains a tiny town of less than 700 people, but Wall Drug has continued its booming business non-stop and today grosses more than 12 million dollars annually, and the drugstore itself now takes up and entire city block.
Join correspondent Tom Wilmer at Wall Drugstore for a visit with Ted and Dorothy’s grandson Ted to discover the rest of the story.
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