Sudbury Court
Amana , IA Photo courtesy Don Gardner
The Sudbury Court features an old roadside motel sign that almost looks like it came straight out of the World War II era. While the military feel is easy to see, the motel was actually built during the post-war travel boom, when Americans were hitting the highways like never before.
Constructed in the late 1940s, the motel sits along historic U.S. Highway 6 just west of the turnoff to the Amana Colonies. Its stone-clad cottages with bright red doors are classic examples of early roadside architecture, offering travelers a comfortable stop long before chain hotels became the norm.
The vintage roadside marquee still stands out front, complete with its original "No Vacancy" panel beneath the main sign. Over the years, the property has expanded to include an RV park and fishing pond while continuing to serve travelers exploring eastern Iowa.
UPDATE: Now operating as the Sudbury Court Motel & RV Park, the property remains open and continues welcoming guests. The vintage roadside sign still survives, although it is unverified whether all of the original neon remains operational at night. 06-26
Sioux Motel
Murdo, SD Photo courtesy Don Gardner
The Sioux Motel marquee catches the eye in Murdo with its Native American chief profile. Like many signs of its era, it uses Western imagery to make an ordinary overnight stop memorable.
Opened during the mid-20th century, the motel served travelers crossing central South Dakota toward the Black Hills. Records from the 1960s name Fred and Helen Wheeler as owners. Its one-story rooms and at-door parking offered a straightforward invitation: pull in, unload and give the highway a rest.
Modern conveniences have arrived over the years, but the vintage sign remains the property’s most distinctive advertisement.
UPDATE: The independently operated Sioux Motel remains open, and its classic marquee survives. Whether the original neon, including the chief profile, still lights at night remains unconfirmed. 06-26
The Corn Palace Motel borrowed a little personality from Mitchell’s famous attraction. Onion domes and spires crowned its marquee, giving travelers something more imaginative than the usual arrow. There was little doubt which South Dakota tourist town you had reached.
Built during the postwar lodging boom, the property later became the Corn Palace Inn. The rooms offered a place to spend the night, while the unusual sign gave roadside photographers a reason to stop without a reservation.
UPDATE: After a storm in 2012, the onion shaped balls on top of the pillars of the sign disappeared. Subsequent to that Corn Palace Motel sign is now gone and replaced with a backlit plastic sign. 08-17
UPDATE: The Corn Palace Inn closed on October 31, 2025, after serving mainly as extended-stay housing during its final years. The original spired marquee disappeared long before the last guests left, and its fate remains unknown. 06-26
The Custer Motel marquee recalls the days when a Black Hills vacation meant watching the roadside for a promising place to spend the night. Along Mount Rushmore Road, independent motels competed for families arriving with loaded cars and a full schedule of sightseeing. A memorable sign helped persuade drivers to stop before checking the next vacancy down the street.
Old postcards give a little taste of what the Custer offered. One advertised 31 modern units and rooms “air conditioned by nature,” promising nighttime temperatures of 65 degrees or lower. Apparently, the Black Hills could handle the cooling bill without much help from a compressor.
Custer Motel (Closed) Custer, SD Photo courtesy Don Gardner
Later advertisements listed 30 units with television, air conditioning, coffee and ice. Shade trees and nearby dining rounded out the invitation. The motel also belonged to Friendship Inns of America, a network that gave independent roadside lodgings a shared identity while allowing them to keep their own names.
The postcards preserve some of the people behind the counter, too. Mr. and Mrs. Robert E. Leyson appeared as hosts on an earlier card, while Earl and Mary Guenther welcomed travelers in later advertising. These were places where the name on the reservation might be greeted by the owners themselves.
With Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse Memorial and Custer State Park drawing visitors into the area, the motel had plenty of sightseeing traffic passing its door. After a day of monuments, mountain roads and wildlife watching, a room beneath a familiar roadside sign probably looked pretty inviting.
Today, the cottages and sign offer a glimpse into an earlier era of road travel. While nearby vintage motels like the Rocket Motel continue welcoming guests, the Custer Motel stands as a reminder of how many independent cabin courts have quietly faded away over the years.
UPDATE: The Custer Motel closed in 2012 and has remained vacant ever since. The cottages still stand but show significant deterioration, and the sign was replaced after 2023. 06-26
UPDATE: The Custer Motel name survives in vintage postcards and roadside photographs, but its present operating identity and the fate of this marquee still need confirmation. Current lodging listings do not clearly establish that the original motel continues under its old name. For now, its advertisements offer a more dependable look at the welcome travelers once found along Mount Rushmore Road. 10-26
Mile Hi Motel (Closed)
Custer, SD Photo courtesy Dirk Burhans
The Mile Hi Motel in Custer featured a good-looking marquee with a special welcome to bikers. Given Custer's location in the Black Hills and its proximity to the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, the extra greeting made perfect sense. The motel's name was equally fitting, as Custer sits more than a mile above sea level.
The small independent motel offered just 14 rooms and catered to travelers exploring the Black Hills. Its vintage sign, complete with the "Welcome Bikers" panel, reflected the area's long tradition of welcoming motorcycle enthusiasts alongside families heading to Mount Rushmore and Custer State Park.
Although the motel is gone, the sign remains a reminder of the many independently owned roadside motels that once lined the highways leading through the Black Hills. Unfortunately, its ultimate fate remains a mystery.
UPDATE: The Mile Hi Motel has permanently closed, and the vintage roadside marquee was removed sometime after 2021. 06-26
Corral Motel
Wichita, KS Photo courtesy Mark Hackett
What does the Corral Motel have in common with horses? Well, the name certainly points you in that direction. The motel's roadside sign leaned into the western theme with a rustic corral fence design and a bucking bronco, making it one of the more memorable motel marquees along Wichita's old U.S. Highway 81 corridor.
Although little is known about the motel's early ownership, the sign became well known among roadside enthusiasts. In 1993, preservation photographer John Margolies documented it as part of his landmark Roadside America project, ensuring that at least photographs of the sign would survive long after the motel disappeared.
Today, the motel and its distinctive marquee are gone, but the Corral Motel lives on through those photographs. Thanks to the Library of Congress, one of Wichita's classic roadside signs has been preserved for future generations to enjoy, even if only on film.
UPDATE: The Corral Motel has been demolished, and the original sign has been removed. 06-26
Sudbury Court
Sioux Motel
Corn Palace Motel (Closed)
Custer Motel Marquee
Custer Motel (Closed)
Custer Motel Marquee
Mile Hi Motel (Closed)
Corral Motel
