South Dakota
How a small South Dakota college became a national cyber powerhouse
MADISON, S.D. (AP) — A seed planted by South Dakota legislative and higher education leaders four decades ago has blossomed into one of the nation’s top high-tech universities located in a small city in the rural midsection of the state.
The story of how Dakota State University rose to become a powerhouse in cyber technology academics, job creation and research is one of ingenuity, strong leadership and a bit of fortuitous timing.
Those factors have combined to build DSU into a university that has received well over $140 million in public and private donations over the past decade. The university has developed numerous working partnerships with government and private industry, and it’s expanding its campus with a massive research and development facility in Sioux Falls. Soon, DSU could become a leader in research into the world’s next major technology breakthrough in quantum computers.
And it all began at a time when the future of the entire university itself was in question.
In 1984, the South Dakota Board of Regents, under pressure to cut its budget, closed its Springfield campus and the state turned it into a women’s prison. The late Gov. Bill Janklow that spring also signed a law that changed DSU’s mission to focus on technology in all academic programs, a hopeful effort called, “A Brand New Day.”
The decision to reinvent a teacher’s college founded in 1881 into a technology-focused university in a somewhat isolated rural city of 6,000 people may, in retrospect, seem like a risky move.
But as told by current DSU President José-Marie Griffiths, the new focus on tech dovetailed with the decision by financial giant Citibank to move its credit card operation to Sioux Falls, an hour’s drive from Madison.
“Citibank was in need of mainframe programmers. And as a result of that, somebody came up with the idea that, well, we could turn this college that’s fumbling a little bit into a computer school with software development and engineering,” Griffiths told News Watch. “That way, we could supply the needed programmers to the Sioux Falls workforce for Citibank and ultimately for others, and I guess the advantage of proximity was in favor of Madison.”
Initially, mission shift not universally supported
DSU business and information systems professor Lynette Molstad Gorder was teaching at the university 40 years ago when the shift to a high-tech campus began. In a video recorded by DSU, Molstad Border recalled that there was initial hesitancy on campus about the mission change.
“The first thing that goes through your mind is apprehension,” she said. “How it’s going to affect you personally and how it’s going to affect faculty and the curriculum we had set up.”
Molstad Gorder, who was teaching typing and office and records management at the time, said acceptance of the shift to technology slowly washed over the DSU campus.
“Later on we looked upon it as a welcome opportunity,” she said. “It was kind of hazy (at first) and then all of a sudden, it just clicked.”
Suddenly, computers replaced pens, pencils and typewriters in classrooms. And later, the need to delve more deeply into computer science, and eventually cyber security, became a greater focus at DSU, she said.
“Somehow we had to protect this whole digital infrastructure,” she said. “With our faculty and staff we were able to move into the whole cyber security realm of problems and issues and teach our students. And we’ve had great success.”
Molstad Gorder said she sees a continued bright future for DSU.
“When you look at 40 years ago in 1984 what we were using to accomplish the tasks and what we have today, it’s absolutely amazing,” she said. “Everything seems to be going faster and faster (and) it takes a lot of power and leadership to keep abreast of all the changes that are happening.”
DSU’s venture started with computer science
In 1984, while still known as Dakota State College, a name used until 1989, the initial jump into technology came with creation of a bachelor’s degree in computer science using a curriculum from IBM. That foundation in teaching computer science and software development – and in forming an industry partnership – laid the groundwork for what was to come, Griffiths said.
With a mix of private and public funding, the university was able to slowly but consistently expand its facilities and academic offerings, she said.
In the early 2000s, a further step forward came when DSU began to focus on cyber security.
“We were actually quite late in the game to get into cyber security,” Griffiths said. “But DSU decided to get into that game and did so with a vengeance.”
A milestone achievement, and a significant source of mission confirmation, came 20 years later, in 2004, when the National Security Agency named DSU a Center of Academic Excellence in computer security, one of the first. It is now one of just 10 in the nation to hold three center of excellence designations from NSA.
Now, another 20 years later, that gradual growth has exploded into almost constant expansion of academic offerings, research opportunities, industry and government partnerships and construction of new facilities to accommodate it all.
Enrollment has risen steadily, from 867 in 1985 to 1,801 in 2000 and to 3,509 in 2023. The number of female students enrolled in technology programs has jumped about 300% in recent years, according to DSU data.
Dakota State University now offers 44 degrees, including seven master’s degrees and four doctoral programs. Upon graduation, 99.7% of students in 2022 got jobs or went further in their educational journey, the university said.
Shift toward research
When Griffiths arrived on campus, DSU had a strong academic reputation but was not known for its research. In her time at the helm, she has pushed to obtain funding and the infrastructure necessary to conduct research and develop doctoral programs to involve students and faculty in the work.
In 2017, the research and development efforts took a major step forward with the launch of the Madison Cyber Labs, or MadLabs, facility on campus. A sparkling, glass-encased $18 million research building is at the heart of what overall was a $40 million program to expand research into groundbreaking fields of cyber security, digital forensics, machine learning and artificial intelligence, among others.
The state pitched in $10 million in Future Fund money to add to a $30 million donation from Premier Bankcard CEO Miles Beacom and wife Lisa, along with Denny Sanford, owner of the Sioux Falls-based First Premier Bank and Premier Bankcard.
Up next for DSU is an expansion into Sioux Falls, where thanks to roughly $100 million in combined public and private funds, DSU will build an off-campus Applied Research Lab on the city’s northwest side.
That funding package included another $60 million donation from Sanford and $30 million in state funding to build the research facility and to launch the Governors Cyber Academy on the DSU campus. The academy will include a dual credit program for high school students in South Dakota. The city of Sioux Falls is contributing $10 million to get the applied lab up and running.
As reported earlier by News Watch, DSU’s next big venture will be to lead a multi-campus effort to expand research in South Dakota into quantum computers, which are far faster and more capable than any of the largest, most complex supercomputers already in use.
The 2024 state Legislature approved $3 million in spending to pay for faculty and other resources to help DSU and other colleges take a leading role in understanding quantum computers and developing a path forward for their use.
“Obviously, there’s a sense of excitement around innovation because it doesn’t just happen everywhere,” said Griffiths, 72, who told News Watch her job as DSU president will be her last before retirement. “There’s a shared vision around the culture of innovation here, and we’re all excited about that. It means you create an environment where people can try things out, and if they fail, it’s not the end of the world.”
Opportunities for DSU graduates abound
People within and outside the university said DSU has a strong reputation in the high-tech industry as a pipeline for employers seeking well-prepared students.
Alexis Kulm of Sioux Falls said she had several employment options upon graduation from DSU in December 2022 with a degree in cyber operations, which she describes as “kind of cool, right?”
Kulm, 23, had a flair for math and science while at Washington High School in Sioux Falls and attended a pair of technology summer camps at DSU prior to graduation. She liked the small-town feel, the professors and administrators she met and saw great opportunity in the university’s growing range of cyber education options.
“That’s one thing I really liked, that it doesn’t limit your opportunities,” she said. “You get a strong real-world education in your classes.”
Kulm took classes in web and network design, computer programming and malware analysis, which she said all helped prepare her for the cyber workplace. As a native of South Dakota, and with close family ties, Kulm took a job at Sanford Health in Sioux Falls, where she joked she received a “not bad” employment and benefit package that allows her to live comfortably.
Sanford Health and DSU announced a partnership in November 2020 to create a CyberHealth innovation hub that will increase employment opportunities for DSU graduates while expanding the health care provider’s ability to innovate and create economic development across its footprint.
In her work on the Sanford Health cybersecurity team, Kulm works at the secure operations center, helping keep computer systems and information safe from errors or outside cyber attacks.
Kulm said her fellow DSU graduates took cyber positions in Hawaii and Washington, D.C., and she feels well positioned for her own professional future.
“What I heard a lot during the interview process was, ‘Oh, you’re from DSU, I know about them,’” she said. “It’s a small school, but it’s very well known.”
Dakota State University’s rising national reputation
The growing influence of DSU in the cyber security realm was highlighted when the university attracted Jen Easterly, director of the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, as the keynote speaker at its DakotaCon event in March.
Easterly said the agency’s mission is “to lead the national effort to understand and manage and reduce the risk to the cyber and physical infrastructure that Americans rely on every hour of every day, for water, for power, for finance, for transportation, for communication, for health care and the networks and data that power our daily lives.”
She said that prior to her visit to Madison, she had been hearing increasing discussion on the national level about the growth and innovation taking place at DSU.
“The ideas generated at forums like this are just further proof that it doesn’t matter the size of the university. It’s really about the power of innovation and the focus on collaboration and the cutting edge of emerging technology that really makes this place something truly miraculous,” Easterly said.
She specifically praised the ability of Griffiths to establish meaningful partnerships across the cyber world and urged future graduates to consider working in cyber security in either the private or public sectors.
“I look at this (DSU) community as really being at the forefront of being able to keep our nation safe against very real cyber threats,” Easterly said. “I’ve been excited to make this trip for a while because I’ve been impressed by DSU’s efforts to actively inspire the next generation of cyber leaders to join alongside public servants and the private sector that are looking to keep our country safe and secure.”
Job creation in Madison and beyond
The cutting-edge academic programs at DSU have created a pipeline of new, well-trained employees for a wide range of companies across the country, including in its home city of Madison.
After graduating from DSU with a master’s degree in 2006, Jon Waldman and fellow graduate Chad Knutson started an information security company that got in on the ground floor of what has become a massive industry in the U.S. and across the world.
“We started as a handful of college kids with a garage-band mentality,” Waldman, a self-described “technology nerd,” told News Watch in an interview during DakotaCon at DSU in March.
The fledgling information security business began as Secure Banking Solutions, helping banks keep critical information safe and preventing internal systems from being hacked.
Over the past 20 years, the firm – now named SBS CyberSecurity and headquartered in Madison – has grown to include 90 employees with clients in 49 states that include the nation’s largest turkey farm and the Graceland Mansion tourist attraction.
Waldman, 43, said he saw great value as a student in the small class sizes and close faculty relationships he developed at DSU, which continue at the university today. He also credits DSU with providing students with educational and job opportunities they might not get at a university that lacks the industry and government partnerships DSU has secured.
“DSU might be smaller in size, but what they do for their students is so powerful, both in terms of the training and the relationships that are built here, among the students, among faculty and among industry partners,” Waldman said. “They’ve been on the forefront of what the cyber industry really needs for the last 25 years or more.”
Waldman retains close ties with DSU, serving on a cybersecurity industry advisory board at the university and by continuing to hire DSU graduates, of whom there are now 25 working at SBS. His company in June donated $300,000 to DSU to offer scholarships and to support the growing CybHER program that seeks to boost female participation in the cyber industry.
“We’re very proud to have big DSU connections and be part of that pipeline,” he said.
Waldman said DSU has “a commitment to innovation” that allows for a nimble approach to creation of academic tracks and degrees that allow DSU graduates to remain at the forefront of the constantly and rapidly evolving cyber technology and security industry.
A new degree focused on artificial intelligence and its applications is a good example of how DSU reacts quickly to changes in the industry and in society as a whole, he said.
“DSU is building new programs that apply to the kids of yesterday, today and tomorrow,” Waldman said. “So that’s part of what makes DSU really special.”
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This story was originally published by South Dakota News Watch and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.
The capsule will be buried in Philadelphia on July 4. Here’s a look at what each state contributed to “America’s Time Capsule.”
‘America’s Time Capsule’ has been officially sealed. What’s inside?
All 50 states contributed items to “America’s Time Capsule,” which will be buried in Philadelphia on July 4 and will be opened 250 years later.
South Dakota sent a special edition of poetry to be sealed in “America’s Time Capsule” along with 200 items from every state, five territories and some institutions.
“This Far Country” is a suite of poems by South Dakota native Joseph Bottum celebrating four themes and symbols of the state: the meadowlark, chokecherry jelly, the homestead and rivers. The edition is illustrated by Jeanne Bowman and designed by Angela Corbo Gier.
South Dakota also contributed a letter from Gov. Larry Rhoden to the Americans of 2276, when the capsule is meant to be opened.
The time capsule has been officially sealed in commemoration of the United States’ 250th birthday.
The 900-pound steel cylinder contains over 200 artifacts, records and objects to tell America’s story when it is opened 250 years later.
The capsule will be buried in Philadelphia on July 4 as part of the hundreds of events for America’s 250th anniversary that will take place nationwide.
America250, the official nonpartisan commission designated by Congress to organize the July 4 celebrations, spearheaded the work to design the capsule and collect relics. All 50 states in conjunction with numerous national organizations contributed items (ranging from a vial of sand to an Olympic gold medal) reflecting the people, places and moments that shaped their history.
California contributed a NASA photo, an AI prediction and a fusion superconducter segment. Arizona contributed a copper ingot and a laser-etched challenge coin. Maine contributed a whale bone and a woven bookmark. And Utah contributed tickets to their amusement parks and George Washington’s prayer medal.
“Now that America’s Time Capsule has been sealed, it carries with it a remarkable record of this moment in our nation’s history,” said Chair of America250 Rosie Rios. “This moment is as much about the future as it is the past. When it is opened in 2276, future generations will see the care, pride, and optimism with which Americans marked our 250th anniversary.”
Below is a list of an item contributed from each state and territory of the United States. Most states submitted multiple items, and the full list can be viewed on America250’s official website.
- Alabama: A series of poems written by author and professor James Matthew Wilson titled “America.”
- Alaska: A map of New Archangel, Alaska, when Russia sold Alaska to the United States in 1867.
- American Samoa: A set of two uncirculated quarters from 2009 and 2020 with images of American Samoa.
- Arizona: A laser nano-etching of the text and signatures of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution on a coin.
- Arkansas: A diamond found at the Crater of Diamonds State Park, the only place in the United States where people can search for diamonds and keep what they find.
- California: A Claude AI prediction of what California will be like in 250 years on archival paper. This will serve as a “tangible representation” of AI in 2026.
- Colorado: A set of postcards selected to represent “what life was like in Colorado in 2026.”
- Connecticut: The Official Proclamation document for the state.
- The District of Columbia: A challenge coin with “Washington, D.C. 250” on one side and a building with flags and the Mayor’s name etched on the other.
- Delaware: A set of 12 notecards with writings and drawings from the state’s citizens to answer what Delaware is to them.
- Florida: The Florida Senate Booklet from 2024 to 2026, which describes the operations of the Senate.
- Georgia: A distinct medallion of The Masters Logo, which has a yellow silhouette of the United States with a red flagstick to mark where Augusta, Georgia is located.
- Guam: A Gualofan ornament pendant, which is a traditional ornament that has become a “modern expression of Chamorro identity.” The pendant represents the full moon.
- Hawaii: A letter from Governor Josh Green.
- Idaho: A star garnet, which is the state’s official gemstone found only in Idaho and one other place in the world. The garnet is meant to highlight the state’s geological heritage.
- llinois: A poem authored by Illinois Poet Laureate Mark Turcotte titled “Dear New Blood.”
- Indiana: The Indiana 250 Annual Report, which shares the mission and objectives of the commission working to celebrate July 4th.
- Iowa: Astronaut Peggy Whitson’s International Space Station medallion, which commemorates Whitson’s leadership as the first woman to command the International Space Station.
- Kansas: A document identifying Kansas250 commissioners and news items from the last year.
- Kentucky: A commemorative coin from the Sons of the Revolution, intended to serve as a reminder of how the American Revolution influenced Kentucky.
- Louisiana: A necklace with a Krewe of Bacchus pendant, a collectible from Mardi Gras, and glass beads.
- Maine: A whale bone from the North Atlantic right whale, which is one of the world’s most critically endangered large whale species.
- Maryland: A challenge coin with Governor Wes Moore’s name and a map of the state on it.
- Massachusetts: A set of archival prints, including a print of the Boston Massacre and a letter from John Adams and Benjamin Franklin to the Massachusetts Council.
- Michigan: The state stone, or the Petoskey stone, which is native to the shores of Lake Michigan and formed nearly 350 million years ago.
- Minnesota: The state’s flag.
- Mississippi: Four brass coins commemorating the U.S.’s largest rocket engine test site and the Birthplace of America’s Music, amongst other notable events.
- Missouri: A letter from Governor Mike Kehoe to Americans 250 years later.
- Montana: A beaded artwork created by a Arikara artist representing the state’s landscapes and heritage.
- Nebraska: An archival photo of the Vice Grip pliers, which symbolize the state’s commerce and history.
- Nevada: A set of gambling chips to reflect the history of casinos across the state, which legalized gambling during the Great Depression.
- New Hampshire: A print of a sticker depicting the center emblem of a flag carried by the Second New Hampshire Regiment of the Continental Army.
- New Jersey: A stainless steel plate with greetings to people in 2276, with “the hope that the values that guide us in 2026 — liberty, opportunity, cooperation, love and respect for one another — continue to shape society.”
- New Mexico: A hand-crafted red chile tile created by Mexican-American artist Jennel Juarez. The tile is one of New Mexico’s longstanding cultural symbols.
- New York: A written reflection from New York State.
- North Carolina: A copper disk engraved with an image of the North Carolina State Capitol Building.
- North Dakota: A commemorative coin representing the opening of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora, North Dakota.
- The Northern Mariana Islands: A crescent-hewn symbol representing the Chamorro ancestors’ leadership and noble standing.
- Ohio: Fabric from the Wright Brothers’ flight honoring the state’s connection to the birth of aviation.
- Oklahoma: A belt buckle that features images that represent the “grit, determination and spirit” of the state.
- Oregon: A handcrafted pin created by Native American artist Lillian Pitt.
- Pennsylvania: A “Greetings from Harrisburg” letter from Governor Josh Shapiro.
- Puerto Rico: A rosary to represent the importance of faith in the island.
- Rhode Island: A holiday ornament meant to honor the state’s Revolutionary War legacy.
- South Carolina: A coin commemorating the work done by the state’s 250 Commission.
- South Dakota: A poetry book celebrating the state’s rivers, wildlife and homestead culture through a special edition of “This Far Country” authored by Joseph Bottum.
- Tennessee: An original poster designed by one of the state’s artists to highlight Tennessee’s agricultural history and cultural symbols, including its role in the Civil Rights movement and women’s suffrage.
- Texas: The state seal on a chiseled glass paperweight. The seal was designed in 1836 during the Texas Revolution.
- The U.S. Virgin Islands: A letter from Governor Albert Bryan, Jr.
- Utah: A set of 101 paper cards with different people that shaped Utah history.
- Vermont: A Battle of Hubbardton ornament. The battle was the only Revolutionary War battle fought entirely on what is now considered Vermont.
- Virginia: A challenge coin representing the state’s commemoration of America’s semiquincentennial.
- Washington: A letter from Washington State Lieutenant Governor Denny Heck to the future.
- West Virginia: A student essay authored by Alyssa Dalton titled “Remembering our Foundation” celebrating the nation’s 250th birthday. The essay was solicited from a statewide essay contest to recognize how “the young people… will continue to guide our state.”
- Wisconsin: An Eagle feather and photo of Old Abe, an American bald eagle who served with the Eighth Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the civil war.
- Wyoming: A letter from Governor Mark Gordon to future Americans.
Many of the capsule’s collections were specifically designed for the commemoration. For example, the Library of Congress contributed a molecular data storage device about 0.2 inches with synthetic DNA encoded with digital copies of the library’s items. It includes Thomas Jefferson’s rough draft of the Declaration of Independence, a 3D rendering of President Abraham Lincoln’s hand and an 1898 audio recording of the national anthem.
Companies such as Coca Cola and Apple along with museums like the Smithsonian Institute also contributed items.
South Dakota
South Dakota man whose life sentence was commuted by Noem now implicated in his niece’s death
Two men, including one whose life sentence was commuted by then-South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, have been charged in the death of a 14-year-old girl whose body was found in a rural area five days after she went missing in March.
McKenna Wendel was reported missing March 13 and last seen alive in her hometown of Sioux Falls early on March 14. Her body was found outside Brookings, an hour’s drive north of Sioux Falls, on March 19.
Wendel’s uncle, Mark Milk, 51, also of Sioux Falls, now faces five counts related to her death. Milk was almost three decades into a life term on a manslaughter conviction when Noem commuted his sentence in 2023.
Wendel was raised by her grandparents, loved animals and had a “vibrant personality and a zest for life,” according to her obituary. She and her grandparents were Rosebud Sioux Tribe members and attended powwows often.
“She loved the singing and the beautiful sounds of the drums,” her obituary read.
Details about Wendel’s death remained thin as authorities who announced the charges in a Sioux City, Iowa, news conference Thursday kept close what they knew to protect their investigation.
Authorities have said an autopsy was done, but the findings have not been released. The cause and manner of Wendel’s death would not be released yet per Justice Department policy, said Leif Olson, U.S. attorney for northern Iowa.
Milk faces five counts including possession with intent to deliver cocaine that caused Wendel’s death. He is also charged with transportation of a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, according to court documents.
Jon Rogness, 38, of Brookings faces conspiracy and accessory charges in an alleged attempt to cover up the crimes. The counts against the men were the “most serious, readily provable” charges and all originated in Iowa, Olson said.
“This is a horrific case,” FBI special agent Gene Kowel said. “There are no cases that we investigate that are more heart-wrenching and more tragic than the ones that involve children or the death of a child.”
Court records showed no lawyers listed for Milk and Rogness, and no relatives could immediately be located through phone records and social media to speak on their behalf.
In February 2023, Noem commuted Milk’s life sentence for a manslaughter conviction in an October 1993 stabbing death. Milk, then 19, had been involved in several altercations in the city of Winner that ended with the death of Shawn Peneaux, according to records.
Milk was in jail on unrelated allegations of driving under the influence and eluding police when Wendel’s body was found. His name came up in public discussion about the case from the start. But prosecutors, who finished their investigation in late May, did not formally link him to Wendel’s death until filing charges Wednesday.
South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley said in a late March news conference the decision to commute Milk’s life sentence was strictly Noem’s.
“It is fairly often that you see law enforcement oppose commutations,” Jackley remarked without commenting further on Noem’s decision.
The commutation documents were sealed and even he had not seen them, he noted.
The Associated Press left a message Thursday for Noem on seeking comment through NovaRed Mining, a Canadian firm she recently joined in a “strategic advisory role.”
A Republican, Noem, 54, was South Dakota’s lone congressperson from 2011 to 2019 and governor from 2019 to 2025. She was Homeland Security secretary before being fired in March by President Donald Trump amid criticism of her handling of the administration’s immigration crackdown and disaster response.
Trump praised Noem’s leadership and said he was making her special envoy for “The Shield of the Americas.” The new organization of Western Hemisphere nations is focused on supporting democracy and security in the region.
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Gruver reported from Fort Collins, Colorado, and Billeaud from Phoenix, Arizona.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Bruno Calfa and his wife loaded their two dogs into an RV for a cross-country journey that started from Vancouver, Canada, and included a stop at Falls Park.
“We were passing by, and we were just like Googling what the things we must see when we are around and then we heard about the falls, and we just came to check it out,” Calfa said.
Calfa was impressed by the Sioux Falls scenery. But navigating a visit to Mount Rushmore was more challenging.
“We missed the four heads of the presidents. I should have turned left, I turned right, and got stuck in between bison for about 20-minutes. So they’re just liking the RV, checking the tires. It was interesting with two pups in the car,” Calfa said.
Seeing the country during a milestone anniversary is a family tradition for many visitors to South Dakota.
“When it was the 200th anniversary, I remember that one when we were kids. We’ve always taken road trips with our family, so that’s what we like to do, we like to drive,” Sasha Wilmes of St. Louis said.
Walking is good, too. We found these couples checking out the sites in downtown Sioux Falls.
“Yesterday, we did the southern part of the Phillips Avenue SculptureWalk, and that was great. Really nice shops. We both grew up in central Illinois, and it reminds me a lot of some of the towns in central Illinois,” Dave Massanari of Shapleigh, ME, said.
These first-time visitors shared their first impressions of South Dakota.
“It’s pretty flat, so far, on this end of South Dakota. It’s the old sea bottom, right,” Bruce Bagley of Overland Park, KS said.
The people we spoke with say there’s something about seeing America, and South Dakota in particular, from behind the wheel of a car, that you just don’t get flying in a plane from airport to airport.
“It’s a better view than from 30,000 feet. It’s much more interesting, you see different types of buildings and architecture and geography, much better than you would from the air,” Bagley said.
“You can just experience the landscape. You can stop when you want to if you see something interesting, you can get out,” Corinna Warren of Omaha, NE said.
The Great American Road Trip promotion is expected to draw more visitors to South Dakota during the crucial summer tourism season.
“Fingers are crossed that we’re going to have a better year than we did last year. Last year was a little flat. So we’re really hoping that our numbers are going to go up,” Experience Sioux Falls CEO Teri Schmidt said.
Visitors to the state say they haven’t been sidetracked by high gas prices or inflation.
“We kind of had that planned ahead of time, and we are going, so we have a Vrbo, we have a home base, and then we’re going to go out to different places from there. So that’s kind of how we’re going to do it. So we travel pretty economically anyway, so it’s fine,” Wilmes said.
“Some people have said we’re going to travel anyway, regardless of gas prices. Others have said we’re going to go on a 5-day trip, not a 10-day trip. And if they go on those shorter trips, Sioux Falls is perfect for that,” Schmidt said.
That’s why visitors from as far away as Canada are willing to go the extra mile and then some to come here.
“Most of the time, you hear about the East and the West, California, New York, or Florida. But you don’t really get to know the middle of the country. But there are so many beautiful places,” Calfa said.
And travelers say there’s no better time to soak in all that scenery than during America’s 250th anniversary.
“We grew up in the East, where it all began, where the Revolution was taking place, and there are historical markers everywhere,” said Anne Bagley of Overland Park, KS.
The nation’s past provides a roadmap to the present and future whenever people pull off and explore the vistas along their journey.
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