History on every corner
A lifelike Harry S. Truman gleefully holds up a newspaper with headlines incorrectly declaring that he lost the 1948 presidential election.
John F. Kennedy holds the hand of his young son, John.
Ronald Reagan, wearing blue jeans, a work shirt and a cowboy hat, stands with one foot on a rock at his California ranch.
Theodore Roosevelt poses proudly in his Rough Rider uniform from the Spanish-American War, George Washington is decked out in his Continental Army general’s uniform, and a dapper James Monroe tips his top hat.
Those are some of the 42 bronze statues of all the former presidents that stand at various street corners in downtown Rapid City as part of the City of Presidents program that began in 2000.
“The City of Presidents is complete,” said Michelle Thomson, tourism director for the Rapid City Convention and Visitors Bureau. “All the presidents are now on downtown street corners. It was completed this year.
“It was started by a local businessman. He did it because he wanted something for visitors in Rapid City tied to the Mount Rushmore experience.”
Local artists made the statues, which are extremely detailed and made to the exact size of the former presidents. As the current president and future presidents leave office, they will be added to the collection.
“The presidents themselves are great pieces of art,” said Thomson. “They are intricate and so detailed. Visitors really like them. Groups staying at hotels downtown love it. They have their picture taken with their favorite.”
www.visitrapidcity.com
