DE SMET, S.D. – The first leg of a new hiking and biking trail along Highway 14 will materialize just east of De Smet this summer from the edge of town to the Big Slough immortalized in the "Little House on the Prairie" series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Organizers hope it eventually grows into a statewide byway.
The project originated about six years ago from Bob Montross and wife Nancy, local beef producers and longtime residents. They were inspired by the landscape and nearby game production land maintained by South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks.
"It was a feature that Bob thought could be expanded to bring tourism into De Smet and, of course, increase our economy," said Nancy Montross. "So we talked about it. He talked about it. We talked to Game Fish and Parks and they had some real good ideas."
With buy-in from the likes of GFP, the local economic development corporation and more, work began on developing a hiking and biking trail. It's the sort of amenity that builds on De Smet’s existing appeal. The community of 1,100 boasts around 50,000 visitors annually between its connection to Laura Ingalls Wilder and local hunting and fishing opportunities.
“I think basically the people of De Smet realize that we need something like this because this is today’s world," Nancy Montross said. "The biking, hiking trails, that’s the world we’re living in today. And if you take a look around our community or our area here, we just don’t have that. So that’s something we need to add so that we can keep our tourists right in town here for us."
From there the vision grew to a biking trail all along Highway 14, which runs east and west across the entire state, predating Interstate 90. It began as part of the Black and Yellow trail, developed in the early 1900s and promoted as the shortest route from Chicago to Yellowstone National Park. The highway intersects with several South Dakota towns, from Brookings to Wall and beyond.
"That now is one of our long-term goals: that we would like to have this trail then extend all the way from Minnesota to the western border," said Rita Anderson, former director of the De Smet Economic Development Corp. "There are not any other bike trails that cross the state. And so we feel Highway 14 is the very best route because it’s straight, it’s an original one, and there’s so many things along the way for tourists to see and for bikers.”
Observation tower gains international attention
The Legendary Highway 14 Tower Trail project is so named for the observation tower to be constructed in future phases of the project, eventually offering a view of another Little House landmark, Silver Lake.
Jamie Lancaster, economic development director in De Smet, said he remembers when a member of the local working group found an example of an observation tower design that led them to an architectural company based in Paris.
"It was this company, Buildner, that runs these international competitions," said Lancaster. "And so we reached out and told them about our project, and they accepted us in as one of their competitions for the year.”
That was in 2023. The competition yielded more than 140 designs from architects on every continent but Antarctica. A public meeting in early 2024 offered De Smet residents a chance to view the designs and vote for their favorite.
Lancaster said the competition brought new attention to the community.
“I was in my office and I had this couple come in, and he was a retired architect from Australia. They had planned on flying over to the East Coast, driving across the country to the West Coast just to see America," Lancaster remembered. "And they changed their route just so they could come through De Smet and see what this competition and the area was all about. And he didn't even have an entry in the competition. He just wanted to see it.”
That kind of experience gave Lancaster a taste of the impact creative development can have on a community.
"You don't talk to every person who comes. But to get a glimpse of these people who are coming to a small town like De Smet, to a state like South Dakota, and loving what they're seeing, loving what they're discovering ... I think the whole state benefits from that type of an endeavor."
A future with a view
The ultimate goal for the area surrounding the Big Slough and eventual observation tower is a new state park, named for Laura Ingalls Wilder. That project is likely to take time, along with further development of the Legendary Highway 14 Tower Trail.
“We definitely will get that first phase built this summer, which is just a small section," said Rita Anderson. "And then from there we will go on and continue to fundraise, as we have hopes to get some grants and some help from some of the programs that are out there for trails. But most require a 50% match. And so for us to raise 50% of an $8 million dollar project is quite a lot."
It wouldn't be the first time De Smet residents managed to fundraise for a major development. The local event and wellness center, constructed about 10 years ago, had a similar price tag. But the Montross' vision of a trail system has expanded to something likely to have broad appeal for residents and visitors.
Bob Montross died in late 2023. He’s remembered, in part, for his vision for De Smet’s future. It’s a vision Nancy shares. She sees the need to balance the momentum of a developing community with the history that attracts Little House fans.
"They’re coming here for the pioneer, for Laura Ingalls Wilder, her generation, her era. So we need to still portray that. But we can’t live in yesterday. We have to live in today and tomorrow," said Nancy.
"So we have to figure out where the breaking point is ... and how to bond the two of them together. And I think we have a number of people in this area that are really good at that. They still want to maintain their roots, but they know that they have to progress or else you die. I mean, that’s just the way it is, especially in a small community."
To Nancy, the trail project strikes just the right balance.
“I think this whole project is looking at the past to build our future. We know what we had in the past, but we have to be able to transfer it to our future. And I think it’s readily available for us by doing this project.”
How to watch 'South Dakota Focus'
The next episode of "South Dakota Focus" airs on Thursday, April 24, at 8 p.m. Central time / 7 p.m. Mountain time. It can be viewed on SDPB-TV1, Facebook, YouTube and SD.net. The episode includes:
- How day-to-day infrastructure maintenance can improve visitor experiences
- Why Hill City, S.D. is doubling its sewage system's capacity, and what that means for residents
- How De Smet looks to its pioneer past to chart its future
This story was written by Jackie Hendry, host and producer of South Dakota Public Broadcasting's "South Dakota Focus," to preview the next show. It was produced by South Dakota News Watch, an independent, nonprofit organization. Read more stories and donate at sdnewswatch.org and sign up for an email to get stories when they're published. Contact us at info@sdnewswatch.org.
