SIOUX FALLS S.D. (KELO) — South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden is calling for the Black Hills to be used as a National Garden of American Heroes.
In a letter to President Donald Trump, Rhoden said he recalled the President’s remarks from the 2020 Fourth of July celebration at Mount Rushmore, where Trump called for the garden’s creation. Former Gov. Kristi Noem was the first to offer the Black Hills to be used after Trump’s speech.
You can read Rhoden’s letter to Trump below.
Rhoden is planning for a similar celebration at the national park, with fireworks as part of the country’s 250th birthday, as part of an executive order signed by Trump in January, that includes the garden’s construction.
“I would like to offer those same Black Hills as the perfect location for this garden. In fact, we have a plot of land available in sight of Mount Rushmore that would be ideal for this fantastic effort,” Rhoden wrote in the letter.
Rhoden said Chuck Lien is a landowner willing to donate land that is near Mount Rushmore. Lien originally offered it to Trump in 2020, a news release from Rhoden says.
George Washington, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Harriet Tubman, Babe Ruth, and other notable Americans from all walks of life will be among those honored in the National Garden of American Heroes, according to the release.
KELOLAND News has requested images of the proposed garden and will bring you a detailed report on what the proposal includes.
