Pickers film segments in South Dakota

Some of South Dakota’s finest hidden gems are set to be unveiled on a popular antiquing show.
The television show “American Pickers” recently filmed at the Pioneer Auto Show in Murdo and the nearby 1880s Town.


A crew of 12 from the television show, which airs Monday nights on the History Channel, spent 12 hours picking and filming in Murdo on Aug. 11.


“It was quite exhausting,” said Dave Geisler, owner of the Pioneer Auto Show in Murdo. “But it was a really good experience. They were very professional — it was a lot of fun.”


“American Pickers” features Mike Wolfe, Frank Fritz and Danielle Colby Cushman, three self-described “pickers” who are on a mission to recycle America. They dig through piles of what many people consider junk, looking for forgotten treasures to restore.


Fritz was not at the filming in Murdo; he was headed to Sturgis for the annual bike rally. Fritz did make a stop in Mitchell earlier that week, though, to pick up some parts for his bike at Sabers Specialties.
Geisler said that Colby Cushman took on the role of Fritz, while she and Wolfe picked their way through the 42 buildings at the Auto Show.


And they found a variety of treasures.


Some of the items purchased by the crew were a small race car, ladies jewelry, a Mickey Mouse mannequin and old toys.


Geisler had been in contact with producers from the show for several years. He knew they would make a stop in Murdo, he just didn’t know when.


The show sent scouts to look around Murdo, and, Geisler said, “they said this is definitely someplace we’ll want to look.”


When the crew of 12 did show up for filming, Geisler said they acted like they had just discovered the museum.


Typically, the pickers film on homeowners’ land, digging through basements, barns and junk yards. So stopping at the antique museum in Murdo was a different scene for the crew, Geisler said.


“We do probably have the largest private collection in America,” he added.


The Pioneer Auto Show opened in 1954 by A.J. Geisler, David’s father


The facility began specializing in antique and vintage cars, but has grown to include a large variety of antiques from old music boxes, bicycles, toys and jewelry.


In the end, it’s a picker’s dream.
The American Pickers stop for filming will be a big boost to the Pioneer Auto Show, as well as the rest of Murdo, Geisler said.


“It will be a wonderful thing for Murdo if it got national coverage,” he said. “It’s tourism season and it’s been down somewhat.”


The town had taken a hit this summer with hail and wind, Geisler said, damaging the museum’s facilities and knocking down billboards advertising the town’s attractions along Interstate 90.


An air date has not yet been set, but Geisler expects Murdo’s segment will be on in March or April 2012.