Down Memory Lane

We took a road trip to Alpena, SD. My mom was born and raised there. It was the destination of most of our family vacations, with a stop in Denver to see my other grandmother.

This was a booming town of 500. My grandfather was the mayor and owner of the grain elevator. My uncle was the banker. The water tower stood in the park between the two houses. The school where my mother attended (1-12) was on one side of the park and the swimming pool on the other side.

The school is now commemorated in front of the community center/American Legion Hall. (extras)

The population today is 260. There is a now a Jack Link's Beef Jerky factory in Alpena that operates 24/7, employing 800 people (mostly from the larger town of Huron) and the grain elevator has grown over the years. A lot of changes from when I was last there in 1986 for my grandmothers' funeral.

We did a drive by of the World's Only Corn Palace in Mitchell. The upper part of the building is decorated each year with corn and grains. It is used for events. (extra

I am grateful to have gone back to a place that holds so many fond memories.