Overview

• South Dakota leaders, led by Gov. Larry Rhoden, are advocating to place the National Garden of American Heroes on 40 donated acres near Mount Rushmore.
• The proposed garden would feature 250 life-size statues of historical figures timed to the nation’s 250th anniversary in 2026.
• The Interior Department has confirmed no locations are finalized and that the project remains in its planning and discussion phase.
• The U.S. House approved $40 million for the initiative under the Interior Department and National Endowment for the Humanities, but the Senate has not yet acted.
• Indigenous groups cite the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie and the Black Hills’ sacred status in maintaining their opposition to the site proposal.