South Dakota’s Newest Landmark

I had heard about a statue along the Missouri River in South Central South Dakota. Until I actually pulled up on it, I didn't realize how impressive it truly is.

When traveling across South Dakota on Interstate 90, sometimes the miles blur by. The rest area at Chamberlain now has a feature that can break up a journey.

When I first pulled into the rest area I thought to myself, there are more vehicles parked down here than at the actual rest facility. When I looked a little closer I could see why.

Her name is Dignity, and according to Wikipedia,

Dignity is a sculpture on a bluff overlooking the Missouri River nearChamberlain, South Dakota.^[2] The 50-foot high stainless steel statue, bySouth Dakota artist laureate Dale Lamphere, depicts an Indigenous woman inPlains-style dress receiving a star quilt. According to Lamphere, the sculpture honors the culture of the Lakota and Dakota peoples who are indigenous to South Dakota.^[3]

Norm and Eunabel McKie of Rapid City, South Dakota announced their gift of Dignity to the State of South Dakota in 2014, in honor of the 125th anniversary of South Dakota statehood.^[4] It was erected in September 2016 at a site near Interstate 90.^[2]

It really is an amazing piece of work. While I was there I visited with a couple who had traveled from the Aberdeen area just to see the statue. I'm told that there are LED lights that illuminate the quilt at night and that air runs through the statue.

Equally impressive to the statue is the location. Coming down the hill into the Missouri River is one of the most beautiful spots in the state.

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