Rapid City Statues – Main Street
At first glance downtown Rapid City, South Dakota looks like any other downtown. As we drove through we found some features that make this downtown a bit more interesting.
Rapid City Statues – George Washington
Rapid City Statues – George Washington Plaque
On nearly every downtown street corner were statues. The majority of them were of United States Presidents.
Rapid City Statues – Thomas Jefferson
Rapid City Statues – Thomas Jefferson Plaque
These were not always just a basic pose statue. Many vary quite a bit. Here Thomas Jefferson is signing the Declaration of Independence.
Rapid City Statues – Abraham Lincoln 1
Rapid City Statues – Abraham Lincoln Plaque
Here Lincoln is posed with one of his sons.
Rapid City Statues – Franklin D Roosevelt 1
Rapid City Statues – Franklin D Roosevelt Plaque
One of the more interesting statues is FDR posing standing up. Well known for having polio, he is rarely seen standing.
Rapid City Statues – Ulysses S Grant 1
Grant poses with his Civil War battle history listed beside him.
Rapid City Statues – Ronald Reagan
Rapid City Statues – Ronald Reagan Plaque
Reagan poses in his classic cowboy hat.
Rapid City Statues – George W Bush
Rapid City Statues – George W Bush Plaque
Even the most recent presidents are here. George W Bush being the most recent. I’m sure Obama isn’t far behind.
Rapid City Statues – Indian Mother and Daughter
Just when you thought that there were only Presidents here you find an unnamed statue of an Indian mother and her daughter. This area has a strong Indian heritage.
Rapid City Statues – Mitakuye Oyasin
Rapid City Statues – Mitakuye Oyasin Plaque
One of the most unique statues is this one. Named Mitakuye Oyasin it is from the Lakota language and translates as “we are all related”. According to Wikipedia it is only meant for the Lakota themselves. This may explain the fact that it is not written in English.
If you are anywhere near Rapid City and want to stroll through the downtown area, this is a great way to see some wonderful artwork and learn about our history at the same time.
For more information check out:
https://downtownrapidcity.com/
https://www.visitrapidcity.com/things-to-do/city-presidents