Joel Larson - Heart of the Township

Joel Larson, Heart of the Township, leans against his SD DOT truck — a man who’s spent nearly 40 years keeping Rainbow Township’s roads in shape.

In the vast prairie of Perkins County, South Dakota, I found Joel Larson where I was told he would be, at his office in the State Highway shop. At first glance, Joel is every bit a working man. His weathered hands and sun-creased face speak of countless hours tending land and cattle. But there’s another story written in his heart— one of a different passion: roads. Gravel roads, to be exact.

Sometime around 1985, Joel and his friend Les Johnson, both in their early 20s, began their journey on the township board together after their fathers passed away far too soon. Nearly 40 years later, while Les has stepped back from the day-to-day work, Joel makes it a priority to keep him connected and involved. Together, they have built a legacy of service and Joel is now carrying that torch forward.

Larson doesn’t take for granted the value of local governance of township roads. He sees the difference in roads managed by local, organized townships and of those unorganized that rely on the care of the county. “No way are we ever going to be unorganized. That will never happen in Rainbow Township. We want control of our own roads.”  He continues, “They (the county) do the best they can, but they don’t have the time to do all of the township roads.”  He recalls a pivotal point in his township back in 2019 when severe flooding took over his region. “We drove every road, checked every culvert — everything —and ultimately saved our township a lot of money by working with FEMA.” 

Having worked for the SD State Highway Department for several years now, he knows first-hand how important it is to fix small issues on the road before they get worse.  “I talk to people who don’t come to township meetings and ask them to let me know about holes or any issues. We want to get things fixed before they get bad.”  With Larson’s leadership, Rainbow Township also operates on a 7-year plan to allow for future township needs and growth. “If you can stay on budget with what you have and be able to plan in advance to save more money, if you need it — that’s success.” 

Looking to the future of Rainbow Township, and all townships, Larson offers advice to the next generation of township officials: “Get Involved — keep in contact with the Association of Towns and Townships — they do an excellent job and get to know LTAP — go to meetings so you understand what’s going on. You will most likely have to do stuff on your own time but it’s worth it. Rainbow Township has the best roads for what we can afford to have.” 

With a spark in his eye and a smile, he shared his recruitment strategy, “I asked my daughter-in-law, Amanda, to go on a date with me.  She said, ‘Just you and me?’  I said, ‘Yep.’  She agreed...  and I took her to the local township meeting. She’s been our clerk ever since — best thing I ever could have done. She’s very good at it.”

written by: Loree Gaikowski, SDATAT Legislative Director

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📧 Email your nomination (including name, township, and a few sentences about why they deserve recognition) to:legislative@sdtownships.com

Let’s celebrate the people who quietly keep South Dakota’s townships strong—one gravel road and one board meeting at a time.