Wessington Springs, South Dakota

Marker 1. The Old Grade Trail offers a way to explore the rich diversity of South Dakota. Step into a forested riparian zone, pass through woodland, and emerge onto a hilltop of open grassland. Continue for a view of the James River Valley and stroll through City Park where natural springs saturate the soil, supporting wetland plants and animals.

Because annual temperatures range from -40° F to more than 90° F, precipitation averages 25 inches, and snow can fall from October to April, many plants are dormant through winter but quickly take advantage of the longer warm, wet days of spring and summer. The colors, songs, and types of birds change with the seasons, as do the habits of resident animals and insects. Visit often to discover what makes this place unique.

Marker 2. The large rock at this marker was deposited during the last Ice Age, between 10,000 and 25,000 years ago, by a glacier that formed this Wessington Hills range that stretches northward and reaches 1,785 feet in elevation.

Marker 3. Runoff and springs in the area support a forested zone that supplies food, water, and shelter for wildlife. Fallen trees provide homes for animals and insects, and decomposition frees up nutrients to replenish the soil.

Marker 4. Many of the trees growing along the trail are buckthorns, which are not native to this area. They produce small, bitter black berries that have a strong laxative effect. Native green ash trees often have clusters of green samaras, or winged seeds, that turn brown in the fall. Bracket fungus, which forms a hard, shelflike growth, can be seen on some trunks and logs.

Marker 5. Cottonwoods dominate the upper canopy of the forest. The largest trees native to South Dakota, they reach heights of more than 100 feet and live 75 to 100 years, even longer in ideal conditions. In June and July, seed capsules release cottony seeds that are carried by wind to populate new areas.

Marker 6. The nature trail follows the Old Grade Road, which served as the main road to and from Wessington Springs for many years until the present Highway 34 was built in the 1920s. Water running down along the road has exposed tree roots, as can be seen along the trail.

Marker 7. Grey, green, yellow, and orange lichens can be found on many of the rocks and tree trunks along the trail. Lichens are algae and fungi working in partnership as single composite organisms. They have no roots, stems, or leaves. In this partnership, algae make the food while fungi prevent drying out, enabling lichens to survive in very harsh environments.

Marker 8. A South Dakota native tree, the bur oak grows to 100 feet in height and canopy width. It has a large, sturdy trunk covered in rough, deeply ridged bark. The acorns of a bur oak are nearly covered by a unique hairy-looking cap. The large oak in the draw started growing in 1717, according to a sample taken by a state forester. Another bur oak in the park is nearly 400 years old.

Hackberry trees have a distinctive rough, warty bark. They produce small, hard berries that readily become fossilized, and some berries found in South Dakota date back at least 22 million years.

Black walnut trees are native to this area but are on the edge of the range. In the 1930s, black walnuts were planted in the park as part of the WPA, a federal works program. The black walnuts on the trail might be here naturally, or they may be growing from seeds carried from those planted in the park.

Marker 9. Smooth brome was introduced in the early days of European settlement. Dominating the trail, this grass has spread and replaced native species of herbs and grasses and isn't nearly as useful for wildlife as a mixed stand of native grasses.

Marker 10. The pasture to the right is where the Old Grade Road, built in the 1880s, originally passed on the north side of the draw. The road was moved here, to the south, because there tended to be less snow along this trail in winter.

Anton Reindl, a stone mason who immigrated to Jerauld County from Austria, was hired to construct a bridge across the creek. The bridge, an arch supported by its own weight, was completed in 1895. For a better view, follow the short trail ahead to a bench.

Marker 11. Wild grapevines drape across the branches of many trees on the trail, often blocking access to sunlight. Across the trail, the large tree is an American elm with its vase-like shape and spongy-looking bark. They are becoming rare now because of Dutch elm disease.

Marker 12. Being quiet or standing still may give more wildlife viewing opportunities. Deer, squirrels, foxes, badgers, turtles, and many other animals use this area. Common birds include woodpeckers, blue jays, spotted towhees, red-breasted grosbeaks, and more.

Marker 13. A green ash tree that germinated before 1900 can be seen near this marker. Both Native Americans and settlers used the many plants and berries along the Old Grade Road for food and medicine. Gooseberries, chokecherries, plums, wild grapes, wild strawberries, buffalo berries, and sumac all grow in the area.

Marker 14. During the last Ice Age, a glacier crept slowly down from the north to furrow out the valley to the east where the town lies. The Wessington Hills are a lateral moraine, where rocks and debris were left behind as the ice melted. The majority of the region features sedimentary rock, which formed an ancient seabed. Some granite can also be found here.

Marker 15. Up above the draw the wind blows harder, and the sun is hotter. Wind and heat make this area drier, conditions that produce grassland instead of forest habitat. Growing among the grasses here is yarrow, used as a healing tea, along with narrowleaf purple coneflower, traditionally chewed for toothaches, and lead plant, applied as a salve on wounds. Other common prairie plants include western snowberry, wild rose, prairie turnip, and buffalograss. Narrow-leafed gray-green Russian olive trees, an introduced species, can be spotted at a distance by their color.

Marker 16. Some non-native plants found along the trail include dame’s rocket, oxeye daisy, sweetclover, and leafy spurge. The colorful flowers in purple, white, yellow, and green can be beautiful, but their ability to quickly spread and take over reduces the number of native plants, which support essential pollinators like bees, butterflies, and birds. Restoration projects can help native plants reestablish along the trail.

Marker 17. On the hilltop look for birds like soaring turkey vultures and smaller kingbirds, robins, sparrows, and finches, as well as other creatures like ground squirrels and cottontails that take advantage of the open space, grasses, flowers, and seeds. Note deer trails, as well as flattened areas of grass where deer have bedded down to rest. Both white-tailed and mule deer live in the region.

Marker 18. The historic Nobles Trail passed southwest from Prospect Hill Cemetery and across the south end of town to the ridge just south of Highway 34 and then continued westward. In 1857, Colonel W.H. Nobles marked this northern route from Mendota, Minnesota, where the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers meet, through the military outpost of Fort Ridgely and to the Missouri River. The vision was to open a wagon road from St. Paul to the South Pass of the Rocky Mountains. Knowing the importance of water for travelers, the engineer on the trail project wrote, “These springs furnish the only continually running water between the Big Sioux and Missouri rivers, excepting the James.”

Marker 19. The view of the James River Valley to the east reveals the vast beauty of South Dakota. Glaciers filled the valley and then receded, slowly bulldozing the land. Between times were warm periods when plants and animals began to thrive. Finally, the last glacier melted, creating large lakes and a south-flowing river, called the James or the Dakota River. The valley is 50 to 75 miles wide and routinely floods in the spring when snow melts and the river overflows. On a clear night, the lights of Woonsocket, Alpena, Huron, and Mitchell can be seen.

Marker 20. The South Trailhead for the Old Grade Trail is where the nature area meets City Park. The hill offers a quiet picnic spot for travelers along Highway 34.

Marker 21. Building the Rube Goldberg ski lift gadget for winter sports was a community effort. This electric-powered apparatus, installed in 1956, was designed by A.J. Gebhart and built with the assistance of Lloyd Marken and a crew of local volunteers. The apparatus keeps a 1,200-foot circle of rope rotating to safely pull sled, ski, toboggan, or scoop shovel users to the top of the old golf course hill.

The Chamber’s Winter Sports Recreation Committee worked on the ski lift idea and visited Terry Peak in the Black Hills to get a look at a rope-type lift. The city furnished the site and lights for the REA-donated poles. Other contributions included an old car, wheels, and labor. It took just four short weeks to take the lift from a meeting idea to reality.

Marker 22. The cycle of plants sprouting, flowering, and dying back can be seen in a single year, but succession is the process of plant communities changing over many years. Whole habitats gradually shift from grassland to woodland to forest as the types of plants in an area change. Alongside the sledding hill smooth sumac can be seen growing in great numbers. One of the first shrubs to move into grassland and begin changing it to woodland, sumac helps to stabilize the soil, preventing erosion and landslides. Sumac leaves turn a bright red in the fall, and upright berry clusters are available to birds through winter.

Marker 23. Native Americans were drawn to this area for abundant water and wildlife. It was a neutral ground where different tribes and trappers could come to trade goods in peace.

Marker 24. Natural springs flow into the park, creating seasonal wetlands that draw birds like mallards and killdeer. Bulrush, other sedges, and cattails all grow here. They are adapted to living where the ground is moist.

Marker 25. Near the northern trailhead is Legion Hill. Climb the stairs to see a stone monument dedicated in 1934 to honor veterans of World War I. In 2007 a plaque was added to the monument to honor these WWI veterans and all men and women from all branches of service, including the National Guard, who have served our country during times of war and peace and those who will serve our country in the future.

Trail Design a Cooperative Local Project: The Old Grade Trail was developed in 1993 by science teacher Lowell Stanley, Terry Heilman of the Jerauld County Conservation District, and interns Ryan Thompson and Kari Horsley. In 2006–2007, the Wessington Springs Area Development Corporation renovated the trail and purchased metal interpretive signs. Funding was provided by the Federal Highway Administration’s Recreational Trails Program, the Lower James Resource Conservation and Development Council, the Jerauld County Conservation District, the City of Wessington Springs, and private donors.

Trail maintenance is provided by Jerauld County Conservation District, City of Wessington Springs, and Wessington Springs Area Chamber and Development Corporation.

Revised 2022.