About
Dakota Prairie Bank is a third-generation, family-owned bank that has survived the obstacles of the past century, including the Great Depression.
On June 25, 1906, Draper State Bank in Draper, South Dakota was founded by George Hayes. After serving four years in the Navy, George’s son, Keith Hayes returned to Draper in 1945 and began working in the bank with his father. George served as President and operated the bank in Draper until his death in 1969, at which time Keith was named President of Draper State Bank.
In 1985, Keith purchased the bank in Presho. Both banks operated under the name Draper State Bank until 1996 when the name changed to Prairie State Bank. Due to trademark issues the name changed to Dakota Prairie Bank in 1997.
In 1999, George’s grandson, Stephen Hayes was named President and CEO of Dakota Prairie Bank. That year, the Hayes family and Chief Financial Officer Leroy Louder began looking at ways to grow the organization and pursue an expansion into Fort Pierre. After 10 years of planning and hard work, they broke ground on the new facility in November 2009. The Fort Pierre branch was completed in May 2010 and opened on June 16, 2010. The new branch now serves as Dakota Prairie Bank’s main office.
