SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — The Black Hills could be the site of a new national monument that would honor great figures of America’s history.
South Dakota Governor Larry Rhoden sent a letter to President Trump Tuesday proposing a location near Mount Rushmore for what’s being called the “National Garden of American Heroes.”
Trump actually talked about building this garden five years ago during his speech at Mount Rushmore during the 4th of July fireworks celebration.
“I am signing an executive order to establish the National Garden of American Heroes, a vast outdoor park that will feature the statues of the greatest Americans to ever live,” Trump said.
Governor Rhoden wrote this letter with today’s date to President Trump indicating he would like to offer a plot of land in sight of Mount Rushmore that he says would be ideal for this effort.
Former Governor Kristi Noem first offered the Black Hills as the site for this garden back in 2020.
The family of late businessman Chuck Lien owns 40 acres of land in the Black Hills, which they are willing to donate to the project.
Here are some drawings of what the national garden could look like when complete.
“It’s the closest privately owned land to Mount Rushmore it’s on that iconic tunnel that frames Mount Rushmore and most people probably don’t even realize it’s privately owned,”daughter Sam Brannan said.
President Trump, late in his first term, even signed a series of executive orders to develop preliminary plans for the site.
But Congress never funded it.
President Joe Biden revoked the executive orders relating to the garden in May 2021 and it never got off the ground.
Upon Trump’s return to the presidency, he revoked Biden’s executive order.
So Governor Rhoden wrote in his letter ‘although we were not able to get the project accomplished in your previous term, I am confident that we can work together to make it happen in the next four years.’
And so is the Lien family.
“This is a time to look at National Garden of American Heroes, because we thought our dad was such an American hero and our mom was an American hero, so it fit with all nine of us so my generous siblings have agreed to this and wanted to offer it back in 2020 and we did, so we did it again now in 2025,” Brannan said.
Governor Rhoden says American heroes like George Washington, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Babe Ruth, and other notables from all walks of life will be among those honored in the Garden with statues.
