A rest day in Pierre allowed us ample time to visit and enjoy the South Dakota State Capitol. Pierre was selected from among seven candidates for the Capitol back when it entered the Union in 1889 as the 40th state. Although a small center, Pierre won out with the argument that it is the geographic center of the state.
The statehouse looked vary similar to others we had seen – especially the statehouse in Helena Montana (no surprise there as the same plans were used as a cost cutting measure)
On approach to the building there is a bronze relief commemorating the Declaration of Independence.
The building is beautiful even as it is more compact then many of it’s legislative cousins. Kind of embodying the philosophy of Jack Reacher (everything they need, and nothing that they don’t need) It has a dome and marbled interiors, and separate chambers for the House of Representatives and the Sentate.
It also contains the Governor’s office, which has the invitation “come on in” on it’s door. So we did so. We were not able to ascertain if Governor Kristi Noem was present (news on the Governor’s agenda is not disclosed) but we were able to view some of the momento’s in the office. Among these were a picture of her on her Harley Davidson (instantly endearing her to us) and pictures of various bills that she co-sponsored in the US House of Representatives when she was a congresswoman from 2011 to 2019. One act dealt with the issue of “on-line sexual trafficking”, and was signed by House Speaker Paul Ryan, Senate President Pro Tempore Orrin Hatch and President Donald Trump (who’s bold signature looks not unlike a seismic plot of a Richter 10 earthquake – in a political sense apropos)
Following her stint in Congress, she ran as Governor successfully in 2018 and won re-election in 2022 to another four year term. By accounts a strong person – a byproduct of her farming background – it would not be a surprise to see her as a Republican candidate for President in the future.