As a former Sioux Falls person here's a story about the ART chip & others. During WWII Sioux Falls had an army air base (and later an Air Force base). As there wasn't much in Sioux Falls before the war to amuse people (South Dakota had a food divorcement law--other than for country clubs and other private clubs [e.g., Elks, Moose, etc.] food could not be served where booze was served (kept the morgues busy, of course). Then came the G.I.s and private clubs popped up around the air base. The authorities looked the other way - until the war ended - and then the dice rolled '7's and the "clubs" were closed. One of my friends had a club on U.S. 16--not very legal--but when the war ended and the police moved in, he stopped the gambling--but had made so much money that he "built a 9 hole golf course"--opened a private club; through a lawyer friend of mine got the legislatures to pass a law that permitted liquor licenses to gold clubs if they had at least 9 holes and a certain measurement (the same as my friend). As a result if you drove around South Dakota you'd occasionally find out in the country, small buildings with what appeared to be golf courses--9 pin placements. My friend, however, built a beautiful club, expanded his course to 18 holes and became very legitimate. I didn't collect poker chips when I knew him otherwise would have a few of his 1940 club chips.
|