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What Murdo is known for
Murdo is a South Dakota county seat of 475 people at the 2020 census, and it is known for the Pioneer Auto Show, a museum of vintage cars, tractors and buildings just off Interstate 90. It grew from the vintage cars Dick Geisler began displaying at his Phillips 66 station in 1950 to draw in travelers.
The Great Sioux Reservation and the railroad
An 1889 act of Congress split the Great Sioux Reservation into five smaller reservations, Standing Rock, Cheyenne River, Lower Brule, Rosebud and Pine Ridge, and opened about 9 million acres, half the former reservation, to non-Native ranching and homesteading. Lyman County, from which Jones County was later carved, contains part of the Lower Brule Indian Reservation, and Capa, a village in northwestern Jones County, takes its name from the Sioux word for beaver. The record does not say who lived on the Murdo townsite itself before the railroad.
Around 1907 the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad founded Murdo, named for cattle baron Murdo MacKenzie. It had a roundhouse, a railyard and a passenger station until passenger service ended, and it counted 372 people in 1910 and 865 at its 1970 peak.
A gas station display
A. J. Geisler, known as Dick, was born to German immigrant parents and farmed near Blunt before buying a John Deere and Chevrolet dealership in Murdo in 1945. In 1950 he opened a Phillips 66 station and began displaying vintage cars to draw in travelers. By 1954 he and his sons, Dave and John, had enough antique cars to build a place to display them properly, and the Pioneer Auto Show was founded that year. A 1913 Ford Peddler’s Wagon from the original gas station collection is still on display.
How big it has grown
Counts differ by source. South Dakota’s state tourism site counts 42 buildings of exhibits, with more than 300 vintage cars, trucks and motorcycles, 60 tractors and a reconstructed Prairie Town. The museum’s own website advertises over 275 classic cars, over 60 antique tractors and over 16 historic buildings, while its history page says the site has grown to more than 30 buildings.
A third generation of Geislers
Dick Geisler died in 1973. His son John managed the museum before Dave took over active management, and Dave’s children, including Vivian and David, became the third generation in day to day operations. The family kept adding cars, buildings and a Prairie Town until the roadside stop became the destination, and 2026 is the show’s 72nd year under the Geislers.
Questions people ask about Murdo
What is Murdo, South Dakota known for?
Murdo is known for the Pioneer Auto Show, a family museum just off Interstate 90. It grew from the vintage cars Dick Geisler began displaying at his Phillips 66 station in 1950 to draw in travelers, and it was founded as a museum in 1954.
How many cars are at the Pioneer Auto Show?
Counts differ. South Dakota's state tourism site lists more than 300 vintage cars, trucks and motorcycles and 60 tractors in 42 buildings of exhibits. The museum's own website advertises over 275 classic cars, over 60 antique tractors and over 16 historic buildings.
Is the General Lee at the Pioneer Auto Show?
Roadside America describes what it calls the only surviving original General Lee car from The Dukes of Hazzard on display at the museum. A visitor account instead describes the museum's General Lee, a 1969 Dodge Charger, as one of 17 original General Lee vehicles used in the television series.
Who runs the Pioneer Auto Show?
The Geisler family. Dick Geisler and his sons Dave and John started it in 1954. After Dick died in 1973, John managed the museum before Dave took over, and Dave's children, including Vivian and David, became the third generation in day to day operations.
Where is Murdo, South Dakota?
Murdo is the county seat in central Jones County, South Dakota, roughly halfway between Rapid City and Mitchell. The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad founded it around 1907, and it was named for cattle baron Murdo MacKenzie.