Long-time South Dakota tourist cancels visit amid coronavirus, sends letter to Gov. Noem

Sioux Falls Argus Leader

Earl Beddow Jr. and his daughter, Sonya, pose for a self-portrait. Beddow, a retired attorney who lives in St. Paul, recently cancelled his reservation at the South Dakota State Game Lodge because of how state officials responded to the coronavirus pandemic.

Something about South Dakota’s sweeping prairies and rolling Black Hills helps him find his center.

But he doesn’t live here.

Earl Beddow Jr. is a tourist going on 50 years.

He’s ready to give it up.

That’s what he wrote in a letter sent to Gov. Kristi Noem and state tourism officials as the administration prepared for the first week of May, National Travel and Tourism Week. It's usually an excuse for the industry to celebrate and entice visitors, but not this year for obvious reasons.

Beddow is 76 years old with a stent in his heart. He can’t risk coming. He canceled a reservation he had at the State Game Lodge and was upset enough to send a message to South Dakota leadership, Beddow said in an interview this week with the Argus Leader.

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“Against all expert medical advice, South Dakota decided to not issue a stay-at-home order,” Beddow wrote in his April 29 correspondence. “That breathtakingly reckless decision creates a much more dangerous environment for everyone.”

A cabin at the State Game Lodge where Earl Beddow Jr has stayed during one of his visits to South Dakota. Beddow, a retired St. Paul attorney, cancelled a June reservation because of how state officials handled the coronavirus pandemic.

State officials declined requests for phone interviews for this story, but a representative for the South Dakota Department of Tourism sent a lengthy statement regarding Beddow’s concerns.

Tourism officials respect Beddow’s decision but have also heard positive feedback from potential visitors who are excited to come to South Dakota when travel is more of a possibility, department spokeswoman Katlyn Richter said in an email.

“We heard from numerous potential visitors from around the globe who have shared with us over the past month and a half that when the time is right for them to travel, South Dakota will be their vacation destination of choice,” Richter said in an email. “Whether that be this year or next.”

Saturday concludes National Travel and Tourism week, which usually signals the start of a busy season for South Dakota’s hotels, campgrounds, parks and other attractions. Instead, tourism groups used the occasion to underscore the financial devastation caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

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In 2019, Beddow and millions of other visitors contributed $4.1 billion to the state’s economy, according to state data.

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Beddow, who has deep family ties to the state, loves to visit western South Dakota’s state and national parks. The cousin of former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jim Beddow, Earl is a retired attorney who lives in St. Paul.

His favorite spots to visit are Wind Cave and Custer State Park, where he likes to go and watch the buffalo, especially during calving season. He had three friends had reserved a cabin near the State Game Lodge for June 10-14. But all are older and have health conditions that put them more at risk, Beddow said.

“We are very diligent about all the separation and all the safety measures to take,” Beddow said. “I thought it would be just too much of a risk for us to go into an environment where that’s not being done.”

All four friends signed the letter to the governor’s office, state tourism officials, the Legislature and several newspapers, asking for a refund of the $416.20 deposit and expressing disappointment in state leadership.

“We won’t knowingly spend our time and money in such circumstances,” Beddow wrote, “and we are sorry to say that we may never visit your beautiful state again.”