South Dakota pushes for Trump’s controversial National Garden of American Heroes on disputed land | EUROtoday

South Dakota officers are pushing to ascertain Donald Trump’s proposed National Garden of American Heroes within the Black Hills, close to Mount Rushmore, a transfer that has ignited vital opposition from Indigenous teams who think about the realm sacred.

A mining firm has supplied to donate 40 acres lower than a mile from the enduring Mount Rushmore, the place the colossal sculptures of 4 distinguished presidents are carved into granite.

Republican Governor Larry Rhoden has expressed sturdy assist for the undertaking, writing to Trump: “The Black Hills mark the perfect location to achieve your vision for the National Garden of American Heroes.”

He added, “Together, we will make this project happen in a way that honors America’s heroes, takes advantage of South Dakota’s natural beauty, and incorporates the most iconic monument to our greatest leaders: Mount Rushmore National Memorial.”

The Black Hills have lengthy been a flashpoint in disputes between South Dakota and its Indigenous tribes.

The 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie formally recognised the Black Hills as belonging to the Sioux folks. Yet, lower than a decade later, the US authorities seized the land for gold mining.

A 1980 Supreme Court resolution affirmed that the US had violated the treaty, however the tribes rejected a $1.3 billion compensation provide, steadfastly sustaining their ancestral rights to the land.

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Indigenous teams additionally oppose drilling undertaking

The mining firm, Pete Lien & Sons, additionally has had conflicts with Indigenous teams within the space, most just lately due to an exploratory drilling undertaking for graphite close to the sacred Lakota web site of Pe’ Sla. The firm is also working with theme park designer Storyland Studios to construct an attraction within the Black Hills opposed by some Indigenous teams.

“It’s absurd for Storyland Studios and Gov. Rhoden to claim they care about preserving history while they watch Lien & Sons attempt to destroy Pe’ Sla, and do nothing,” stated Taylor Gunhammer, an organizer with the Indigenous advocacy group NDN Collective.

“They are the ones erasing and paving over history, not preserving it.”

Rhoden’s press secretary, Josie Harms, wrote in a press release that the backyard “will have no disruption to either state or tribal land” because the tract of land is owned by Chuck Lien, owner of Lien & Sons, and his family.

Pete Lien & Sons did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

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Trump’s garden to feature 250 statues of historical figures

Trump signed an executive order earlier in 2025 to build the garden, to feature 250 life-size statues of historical figures in honor of the country’s 250th birthday on July 4, 2026. Applications for sculptors are due in early July, though the administration no longer seeks to have it completed by next summer.

The U.S. House has approved $40 million for the project, which is being overseen by the Department of Interior and the National Endowment for the Humanities. The Senate hasn’t yet approved the funding.

Trump first announced the project in his first term in a July 3, 2020, speech at Mount Rushmore at a time during the Black Lives Matter movement when some protesters were tearing down statues depicting Confederate generals and others.

“Angry mobs are trying to tear down statues of our Founders, deface our most sacred memorials, and unleash a wave of violent crime in our cities,” Trump said in that speech. “But no, the American people are strong and proud, and they will not allow our country, and all of its values, history, and culture, to be taken from them.”

In a 2021 executive order, Trump called for statues depicting a range of prominent figures, from the likes of Amelia Earhart, Muhammad Ali and Steve Jobs to more controversial ones like Christopher Columbus and President Andrew Jackson. No site was selected, however, and the garden was never funded by Congress.

The Department of Interior said the revived garden project is still in the “planning and discussion phase” and declined to say which sites it is considering.

It’s unclear if any other states are seeking to host the statue garden.

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As governor, Noem supplied land for the backyard

When Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was the state’s governor, she supplied the mining firm’s 40 acres of land within the Black Hills. Her successor, Rhoden, doubled down on that supply in his letter, emphasizing the positioning could be “in sight of Mount Rushmore.”

South Dakota Republican U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson additionally wrote a letter to Trump, and stated he’ll “keep advocating for this iconic landmark to make its home in the Black Hills” in a social media put up.

Darren Thompson, director of media relations for the Indigenous nonprofit Sacred Defense Fund, known as for extra discussions with Indigenous teams within the Black Hills.

“It’s a very touchy and sensitive subject that I think requires input by the local Indigenous people who have claim to the land and cultural ties to the land,” Thompson stated.