Yankton Trail Park-Once a Roadside Stand and Nursery

It turns out one of Sioux Falls's most iconic parks, other than the falls, started from a rather humble beginning. Take for instance Yankton Trail Park. Once upon a time, it was little more than a roadside stand and nursery.

Much like the melon stands you see along the highways as you travel the state on summer vacations, what is Yankton Trail Park was originally a spot to stop by and buy flowers and plants.

Get our free mobile app

The fellow who started the roadside stop was F.X. Wallner. In 1912, Wallner moved his operation from Yankton to Sioux Falls. His family operation grew into a thriving retail and wholesale business. One might speculate that Wallner Garden was in fact the first Famers Market in the city as well. Here's where it gets interesting. The stand did well. It employed many people over the years and as it expanded the family purchased more land. 500 acres to be precise. Your eyes really open wide, when you think of all the money those acres would be worth if parcelled out in today's economy.

Yankton Trail Park is huge! It's hosted Jazzfest, and recently families from far and wide have come for world-class soccer tournaments at the park. Quite a segue from the humble beginnings of plants and vegetables.

As you travel around Sioux Falls, keep your eyes open for these signs that talk about the history of the area. If you take a minute, you can stop and pick up a few morsels of information and on a nice day, you can almost see the activities going on in places like Wallners Gardens. Yankton Trail Park.

By the way, a quick shout out to the crew at Sioux Falls Parks and Rec. You have the city parks looking fabulous!