No one goes to Pierre, South Dakota, unless they want to.
It’s not on the way to either coast or border. It isn’t on a major interstate where you can pull over, get gas, use the bathroom, and happen to see our state capitol.
But it is still worth the journey.
Because it is the embodiment of democracy as envisioned by our Founding Fathers.
For example:
If you want to see legislation debated, you locate the most imposing building in town (easily seen from almost anywhere in this town of about 12,000), walk in the door past a bored security guard, and sit in the gallery to watch the sausage being made.
Men in rumpled suits, ranchers in cowboy hats, and women in practical flats argue back and forth over bills that may or may not interest you.
Anyone is free to watch, provided you’re willing to sit behind a wooden barrier about two feet high that couldn’t keep a determined toddler out.
When the sessions are over, you can see these same people around town, eating lunch at a fast-food restaurant or drinking coffee in the lobby of a budget hotel.
And you can ask them a question if you like.
South Dakotans are not afraid of other people. They often look you in the eye with friendly curiosity because, in our small state, we probably know each other somehow—or know somebody who does.
Kevin Bacon may have six degrees of separation. In South Dakota, we have one.
About 18 months ago, one of these legislators held the door for me as we hurried into a motel elevator to escape the winter cold. She was a state senator whom we knew somehow, and she was in the middle of debating whether funding should go toward road repair or housing for those who needed it.
I mentioned that my son-in-law worked on bridges for the state DOT and that many of them were in rough shape.
She nodded.
“Thanks for telling me. I think there are a lot of places we can find funding for housing, but now I think we probably shouldn’t take it from road and bridge repair.”
I thought I was just visiting family. Turns out I was a lobbyist—at least in the elevator.
Anyway, here’s a picture of our fine state capitol. If you ever get the chance to drive there, it will be because you decided you wanted to see something as rare as the Milky Way in Manhattan.
You’ll see a simpler version of the American story. I’m not sure you’ll be able to capture it in a picture, but you’ll feel it in your bones.
And it will be worth the drive.
