They were collectively listed on the National Register of Historic Places under a multiple property submission in 2015 for their contribution to the state's architectural and cultural landscape.

[3] Ward Whitwam, originally from Watertown, was already an established local architect by the late 1960s, having constructed multiple buildings in Sioux Falls and Mitchell.

[1] Whitwam's original rest area plans centered around buildings that resembled the dugouts and sod houses constructed by early local homesteaders.

[7] The dugout buildings were also constructed but quickly demolished after the Highway Department required more space for a lobby and larger toilet facilities.

[9] On January 14, 2015,[10] all nine sculptures were listed on the National Register of Historic Places under the Concrete Interstate Tipis of South Dakota Multiple Properties Submission.

There are several differences between his sculptures and actual examples of Siouan tipis, including the overall size, the number of lodgepoles, the omission of smoke flaps, and his incorporation of perfect symmetry.

[14] The size of the tipis continues a tradition in South Dakota of placing larger-than-life sculptures along public roads;[1] other examples of this phenomenon are Dinosaur Park and the Statue of a Quarter Pounder.