The South Dakota State Fair Didn’t Start In South Dakota
There are a lot of South Dakota family traditions. One of them is the annual trip for a day or two of fun at the South Dakota State Fair.
Hopping in your vehicle and heading up (or down) the highway to Huron. Getting ready for that great State Fair food. The thrilling rides up and down the midway. And who knows, you might just head back home with a big 'ol stuffed teddy bear.
Yes, long-lasting memories are made year after year in Huron, South Dakota.
But those South Dakota State Fair memories weren't always made in Huron. In fact, they weren't always made in South Dakota.
You may have thought the South Dakota State Fair has always been in Huron. And really, you'd be real close to being right. But there was a time. Yes indeed, there was a time.
You see, the first time the state fair was in Huron was way back in 1885. Then it bounced around just a bit. Mitchell claimed the state fair. So did Aberdeen. Yankton and Sioux Falls both were home to the South Dakota State Fair. But by 1905, it was settled. Huron has been home to the state fair ever since.
But wait.
Before all that, the actual origin of the South Dakota State Fair began even before there was a state of South Dakota. Back there in the old, old days, we were not a state, but a territory. Dakota Territory. And the capital was Bismarck. And so it was that the territorial legislature approved an Act for a fair. And born out of that first 'fair', what we know now as the South Dakota State Fair was born.
And since none of the 'new towns' was designated as a permanent home, the 'state fair' bounced around to those towns mentioned above. Basically, each town was saying 'Pick us, pick us'.
Ultimately, it was Huron that was picked.
So Huron, Dakota Territory became Huron, South Dakota, home of the South Dakota State Fair. This year the State Fair runs from the first of September through the fifth. You can get all the information on the fair right here. So pack up the family, make that annual trip to Huron and enjoy this year's South Dakota State Fair.