[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 96 (Monday, June 25, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4456-S4457]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  75TH ANNIVERSARY OF REPTILE GARDENS

 Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Mr. President, today I wish to 
recognize a very important South Dakota business and visitor attraction 
that is observing its 75th anniversary this year. Reptile Gardens has 
been a main focal point for Black Hills area residents and the touring 
general public since 1937.
  It all began in 1935 when 19-year-old Earl Brockelsby discovered 
people's interest in snakes. As a young tour guide at a local Rapid 
City attraction, this fearless snake enthusiast would often end his 
tours by removing his hat and revealing a live rattlesnake coiled on 
top of his head.
  With the help of some friends, Earl built an 18-by-24-foot building 
at the top of a long hill outside of Rapid City and put a handful of 
specimens on display. Even then, the young entrepreneur knew the vital 
importance of location, location, location, as back in the 1930s cars 
would often overheat as they reached the top of a long hill. Earl's 
idea was to have the cars stop in Reptile Gardens' parking lot to cool

[[Page S4457]]

their radiators and maybe stay to see the gardens.
  Admission when the doors opened on June 3, 1937, was 10 cents for 
adults and 5 cents for children. That first day of operation, Black 
Hills Reptile Gardens took in $3.85. For the next 2 days, no one 
visited, and on the following 2 days, the attraction took in only 40 
cents and 50 cents respectively. Fortunately, business would improve 
quickly, and by 1941 the business had 15 employees and was showing a 
profit. Today, over a quarter million people visit Reptile Gardens each 
year.
  Brockelsby was an acute businessman and one of the true tourism 
pioneers of South Dakota. He was also quite the practical joker. One of 
the many interesting stories prepared by Joe Maierhauser of Reptile 
Gardens includes Earl propping open the mouth of a dead alligator with 
the Sunday newspaper inside and setting it outside a friend's home. 
That friend happened to be the publisher of the Rapid City Journal.
  The attraction would go through a move in 1965 with the construction 
of a new highway and a modernization that would give visitors the rare 
opportunity to walk amongst free-roaming reptiles and birds. It was one 
of the first such exhibits in the United States.
  Over the many decades, Earl would become well known for his many 
trips to obtain various specimens to showcase at his attraction. From a 
one-man show in 1937, Reptile Gardens has expanded into a world-
renowned team of animal specialists and conservationists. Their goal is 
to educate the public about important environmental issues and work 
closely with facilities worldwide on the preservation and care of rare 
specimens, not to mention educating school-aged children and the 
visiting public about various species and how they influence our world.
  From crocodiles and alligators, lizards, snakes and spiders, birds, 
flowers and tortoises, Reptile Gardens offers a truly educational and 
entertaining experience. Decades of visitors can recall the facility's 
mascot Methuselah, a giant Galapagos tortoise that was brought to the 
facility in 1954 and passed away last summer, as well as Mac the 
Scarlet Macaw, who had been at the facility since the mid-1950s and 
could recite most of the 20-minute snake show word for word.
  Reptile Gardens has a worldwide reputation amongst visitors as well 
as among animal specialists. In addition to the various shows and 
specimens on site that entertain, educate, and inform people of all 
ages, their workers provide important research and preservation of 
numerous rare species.
  Reptile Gardens continues to be operated by the Brockelsby family, 
maintaining the attraction as one of the must-see sites among the 
touring public in South Dakota.
  I congratulate and commend the Brockelsby family for their many years 
of service to the Black Hills and to South Dakota, as well as to the 
many workers and specialists who have worked there over the past 75 
years. Sons John and Jeff Brockelsby and daughters Judee Oldham and 
Janet Jacobs have preserved the legacy of Earl and Maude Brockelsby 
with eye-popping displays, hands-on exhibits, and shows with a flair 
for the dramatic, all the while educating visitors on the importance of 
preservation and care of various species. I know Reptile Gardens will 
continue to be one of the most popular visitor attractions in South 
Dakota for many years to come, and I applaud the Brockelsby family for 
their lasting contributions to tourism, education, and species 
preservation.

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