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South Dakota Signs (page 2)

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Woelfel's Jewelry
Mitchell, SD
2008: 2012: 2022:
Woelfel's Jewelry was established in 1904. These signs are probably from the 1950s. The blade sign was well-maintained when these photos were taken in 2008. In 2009, it was repainted silver and black. In 2020, the business closed and The Diamond Store moved into the building. The sign is still there but the neon on the top panel was removed and it was painted over. The neon "Woelfel" letters on the building were also removed. [map]

Chef Louie's
Steak House [gone]
Mitchell, SD		 Corn Palace Motel [gone]
Mitchell, SD		 Last Chance Liquors
Mobridge, SD		 Star Restaurant
Murdo, SD
Chef Louie's Steak House was established in 1940. This sign was probably from the 1950s or 1960s. This photo is from 2008. By 2015, the neon has been replaced with backlit plastic. The three text panels at the bottom of the sign were replaced with one plastic panel. The restaurant also had a giant bull in their parking lot. The restaurant closed in 2022 and the building was demolished shortly after that.

The Corn Palace Motel sign had plastic additions which imitated the onion domes of the nearby Corn Palace. These photos are from 2006. Around 2012, the plastic onion dome shaped pieces on top of the poles were damaged in a storm and destroyed. By 2015, the entire sign had been replaced with a rectangular, backlit plastic panel. For more, see this website.

Last Chance Liquors opened in 1948. This sign is probably from the late 1950s or 1960s. [map]

The Star Restaurant sign is probably from the 1950s or 1960s. [map]

Fawn Motel
Fort Pierre, SD (now Pierre, SD)
2008: 2022:
The Fawn Motel was named after Fawn Pashby who opened the motel in 1955. There was a simple rectangular sign then. This sign was added in 1957. The motel was sold in 1960. In 2012, this sign was donated to the South Dakota State Historical Society. It was restored by Rosenbaum's Signs in Rapid City. It is now displayed at the Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre. For more, see this website.

Carl's Bait Shop
Pierre, SD
The Carl's Bait Shop opened in 1949 as Pete's Bait and Tackle Shop in Fort Pierre, SD. In 1963, Carl Waters bought the shop and changed the business name from to Carl's Bait Shop. It is believed that this rooftop sign in the shape of a northern pike was installed then. But it is also possible that the sign was built earlier and adapted with a name change. At some point, the roughly 13-foot-long panels were faded and rusty enough that new ones were built.

When the store closed in 2017, the sign was donated to the South Dakota Historical Society. It was restored by Rosenbaum's Signs in Rapid City for about $12,000. With the help of old photos, the panels were repainted, and the missing neon tubing was recreated. In 2019, the sign was put on display inside the Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre. For more, see this website.

Bob's Shoe Repair
Rapid City, SD
2012: 2022:
Bob's Shoe Repair opened in 1946 and this sign may be from then. [map]

Brass Rail Lounge
Rapid City, SD		 Black Hills Bagels
Rapid City, SD
2008: 2012: 2022: 2012: 2022:
The Brass Rail Lounge opened in 1934. This sign is probably from the 1950s or 1960s. [map]

Black Hills Bagels opened in 1997. I assume that this sign is from then. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

Who's Hobby House
Rapid City, SD
2012: 2022:
The Who's Hobby House opened in 1950. The name came from the original owner's initial (WHO). This sign was built in 1951. The store sells model kits, arts and craft supplies, trains, etc. [map]

Hotel Alex Johnson
Rapid City, SD		 Stardust Motel
Rapid City, SD		 Rapid City
Laundry [gone]
Rapid City, SD
The Hotel Alex Johnson was built from 1927-1928. The rooftop sign was installed then but it has been remodeled or replaced. The original sign may have been a scaffold bulb sign. Later, the "ALEX" letters were installed on the narrower panel and then "JOHNSON" on the wider bottom panel. An additional, lower panel for "HOTEL" was added sometime after the 1940s. That may have been done in 1956 when the hotel was known as the Sheraton-Johnson and the middle panel read "SHERATON." In 1968, the hotel's name was changed back to the Hotel Alex Johnson and "ALEX" replaced "SHERATON" and the sign took on its current look. In 2016, the sign's neon tubing was replaced with LED strips. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

The Stardust Motel opened in 1971. After the Black Hills Flood of 1972, the Stardust moved to its current location at the former Impala Motel. It reopened in 1974 and this backlit plastic sign was erected in 1975. The letters closely resemble the font used for the original Star Wars movie which was released in 1977. The "ST" is an exact match. The sign is about 20 feet tall. It is no longer lit. [map]

The Rapid City Laundry was established in 1919. It had been at this location since 1928. The animated sign is probably from the 1950s. One source says it was built in 1938. This sign was lit at night until the store closed in 2010. The sign was removed and the owner is keeping it. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3.

South Dakota Stockgrowers Association
Rapid City, SD
The South Dakota Stockgrowers Association rooftop sign was built in 1958 by Rosenbaum's Signs and Outdoor Advertising. The company continues to maintain the sign. It was restored in 1999 for about $7,500. The sign had been dark since around the 1980s. The panels are original and are about 20 feet tall. [map]

Oasis Lounge
Rapid City, SD
The Oasis Lounge sign might be from the 1950s or 1960s. It appears to have panels on both sides and was probably a projecting sign originally. [map]

Mt. Rushmore Black Hills Gold Outlet
Rapid City, SD		 Chute Roosters
Restaurant & Museum
Hill City, SD
The Mt. Rushmore Black Hills Gold Outlet has been here since 1976. This giant sign might be older than that. The first photo was taken in 2008. By the second photo from 2012, the sign had been repainted and the "See it Now" pan was gone. [map]

I believe the Chute Roosters Restaurant & Museum was established in the 1970s. This sign was made by Rosenbaum's Signs. It might have been produced by the same artist that made the sign for Black Hills Gold. The sign appears to be made from plywood. [map]

More Rapid City:
Piggly Wiggly [vintage; gone]

South Dakota
(page 1)		 South Dakota
(page 3)		 Sioux Falls Main Signs Page