Segment of U.S. Highway 18 in south-central South Dakota to honor Code Talkers
Aug. 3—PIERRE — The South Dakota Transportation Commission voted on June 29 to make a large portion of U.S. Highway 18 in south-central South Dakota the "Sicangu Lakota Code Talker Memorial Highway."
The highway designation will run through Todd, Tripp and Gregory counties, along with the Rosebud Indian Reservation. It will run from the Todd-Bennett county line to the Fort Randall Dam near Pickstown.
The phrase "Code Talker" refers to the Indigenous military members who used their native languages to pass secret communications during World War I and World War II, while also keeping those messages out of enemy hands.
It's believed that as many as 200 tribal members from South Dakota served as Code Talkers during the world wars. In 2008, the federal Code Talkers Recognition Act was passed, honoring all Native Americans who used their native language to aid communications in World War II. South Dakota legislators have discussed a Code Talker memorial at the state capitol complex in Pierre over the last decade and a 2022 effort was
From east to west, the Code Talker highway, which is 106 miles in length, will run through the communities of Bonesteel, Burke, Gregory, Colome, Winner and Mission.
