Wessington Springs’ Destination Development efforts were highlighted on a statewide stage last month as Troy Duxbury presented at the South Dakota Governor’s Conference on Tourism.
Wessington Springs is one of just two communities selected for Travel South Dakota’s inaugural Destination Development Program, a rural initiative aimed at strengthening tourism planning and long-term economic growth. Lead is the other participating community.
According to Ciara Forest of Travel South Dakota, the conference included a well-attended Trail Development breakout session.
“As part of the South Dakota Governor’s Conference on Tourism, Travel South Dakota hosted a Trail Development breakout session that saw excellent participation,” Forest said. “Presenters Uriah Steber and Mike Mueller highlighted recent trail projects across South Dakota. They discussed the variety of trail types and uses, and shared data demonstrating the growing demand for outdoor recreation.”
Forest noted that Wessington Springs and Travel South Dakota also presented on the community’s Destination Development project the day prior to the conference.
“The gathering drew strong attendance from rural South Dakota communities and organizations eager to explore tourism development opportunities in their own towns,” she said. “There is significant statewide interest in trail development, and Wessington Springs is well positioned to serve as a model community in the coming years.”
Forest added, “We are eager for them to share both their experience and lessons learned as their project moves forward.”
The presentation came on the heels of Phase 1 completion for Wessington Springs’ project, which has focused heavily on the Old Grade Nature Trail and broader tourism visioning.
During a November community meeting at the Springs Inn Café, Duxbury said the first phase centered on research, interviews, site assessments and gathering community input.
“To me, this is delivering on what the community has made really clear,” Duxbury said at that meeting. “We’re not another group trying to invent something new — we’re building upon a foundation that’s already been laid. The interest has always been there.”
Phase 1 included oral history collection, trail walks with consultants from the George Washington University International Institute of Tourism Studies, a community-wide tourism survey and outreach to business owners and landowners. The resulting strategic documents will serve as a roadmap for future grant applications and funding efforts.
“This backstory work is critical,” Duxbury said. “It’s what large-scale funders want to see — that you understand your asset, your history, your community and your visitors.”
Kim Burg, a member of the trail committee and former Chamber director, said the statewide recognition reflects years of groundwork.
“After getting a Federal Recreational Trails Grant when I was the Chamber Director a number of years ago, it is exciting to see the Old Grade Trail being selected for State Tourism’s Pilot Project with grant funding for future development,” Burg said.
She added that seeing Wessington Springs presented at the Governor’s Conference affirms the collaborative effort behind the project.
“This has truly been a communitydriven effort from the start,” Burg said. “It shows that rural towns can take meaningful steps toward thoughtful, sustainable tourism development.”
Travel South Dakota will open applications in May for the next Destination Development cohort, and trail development is expected to be a common focus among applicants. As communities across the state look at recreation as an economic driver, Wessington Springs now stands as one of the early examples of how the process can unfold.
“We’re leveling up,” Duxbury said. “We’re building on what came before us, and now we finally have the tools to move from ideas to action.”
