The Trail of Governors in Pierre has three new statues.
They were unveiled Friday in the Capitol rotunda. The statues depict former governors Charles Sheldon, Coe Crawford and Carl Gunderson.
Governor Kristi Noem spoke at the dedication.
“It is important that we record history and learn from it," Noem said. "Leadership has consequences and I think this last year or so we saw that play out across the country and we are watching it play out across the world as well. But if we look back at South Dakota history we can see that strong leadership by our previous governors has given us a foundation unlike a lot of other states have had.”
Sheldon was the second governor of the state from 1893 to 1897. Crawford was the sixth governor from 1907 to 1909. And Gunderson was the 11th governor from 1925 to 1927.
The three newest arrivals are added to the 25 statues already on the Trail of Governors. The trail begins at the Legion Cabin on the shore of Lake Sharpe, and winds through downtown Pierre and the Capitol grounds.