(Jalen Bame, DRG news)- While in Pierre, you’ve probably noticed the many different Governor Statues that are placed throughout town. On Friday, The Trail of Governor Foundation held the 7th annual statue unveiling ceremony. This year’s additions include:
- William McMaster, a republican from Yankton who was governor in the early 1920s
- M.Q. Sharpe, a republican from the Kennebec/Oacoma area who served as governor in the 1940s
- Ralph Herseth, a democrat and a farmer from Brown County who was governor from 1959 to 1961
A history of each Governor was presented, followed by each artist discussing the inspiration behind their work, and each statue was unveiled by family members of the Governor.
In a presentation by Gov. Dennis Daugaard, he stated: “What I appreciate about the Trail of Governor’s, though, is that these statues help us understand our former Governors as real people, not just dry, abstract, historical figures. They help us relate, when you see Nils Boe with his beagle, or Tom Berry with a hatchet, or Bill Janklow with his blow horn, you feel like you can relate.”
James Van Nuys, sculptor of the McMaster statue says, ”The few photos that I was able to find of McMasters show a very handsome man with a charming, sort of off-center smile and that’s what I tried to capture in this piece.”
Gov. Sharpe is depicted with a large fish and paddle. Artists Lee Leuning and Sherri Treeby explained Gov. Sharpe did remarkable things for the economy of Pierre when he developed the river system.
The sculptor of the Governor Herseth statue, James Michael Maher, said that he had sat down with the family and their photo album for direction about the project. He was captivated by a photo of Herseth in his work boots and hat, even though many photos showed him well dressed in his three piece suits. Maher said there was something about the look in Herseth’s eye in that picture, as though the farm was where he thought about things, then he decided to go to Pierre to take action.
Seven years ago the Trail of Governor’s Foundation announced their plan to commission statues of all the former Governors of South Dakota and place them in a strategic trail around the Capitol complex and downtown. So far, the Foundation has created a trail of 22 statues of the State’s 32 Governors for visitors to learn more about the state and its history.
The Trail of Governors is a nonprofit working to honor and celebrate the leaders who have shaped the State of South Dakota. For more information and pictures on of all the statues, please visit the Trail of Governors Foundation.
