Dakota Life

Meet Joel and Janice Sayler. High school sweethearts whose relationship took a 50-year hiatus while each was happily married, separately.

We’re in Eureka for Homecoming! From the parade and pep rally to stories of Eureka School’s early days—we even hear of a student’s chance meeting with Sitting Bull in 1888. Plus, we meet Mayor Wendy Brockel, Eureka’s first female mayor!

Meet Hunter Heinrich, who collects Eureka area advertising trinkets from yesteryear and learn how he’s carrying on Germans from Russia heritage through accordion playing.

Tucked just off Highways 34 and 73 near Milesville, South Dakota, The Ridge gas station and cafe changed hands at auction when Colby Fitch surprised everyone with an unexpected bid. Since then, The Ridge has become more than just a pit stop. It's a vibrant hub of rural life.

What you find upstairs at Newell's City Hall might surprise you. Come take a look around quite a collection.

Ken Wetz shares the story of his grandfather, who was a bull whacker on the Ft. Pierre to Deadwood trail.

A century after the Newell experimental farms, the tradition of experimenting continues at Prairie Lane Farms. Come with SDPB to learn more about hydroponic farming.

The European settlers who came west did not know what crops were suitable for the Newell areas' "gumbo soil." The Belle Fourche Experiment Farm helped farmers develop crops that were profitable and taught people how to irrigate effectively.

Did you know that Newell, South Dakota, was once home to a thriving sugar beet plant?

Why are they called the Newell Irrigators? It all goes back to the early 1900s and the monumental Orman Dam project. This engineering feat didn’t just build a dam—it brought life to the land through a vast irrigation system.