Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Borneo orangutan
Malaysia • 12 days, 11 nights
Wild Borneo: Secrets of an Ancient Rainforest
from
Pastel de nata
Portugal • 8 days, 7 nights
Portugal: A Culinary Adventure from Porto to Lisbon
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The Ravne tunnels.
Ravne Tunnels
Colors and volumes in the patio.
Monterrey’s Contemporary Art Museum (MARCO)
Inside Wonderwerk Caves, underground caves and excavation, Kuruman, Northern Cape
Wonderwerk Cave
The ‘Old Secretariat’ government building in New Delhi.
The 'Old Secretariat'
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Jeremy Bentham’s Auto-Icon in its new location in 2020
The Jeremy Bentham Auto-Icon: Why This Legendary Philosopher Put His Own Body on Display
about 3 hours ago
The truth is out there—somewhere.
The Truth Is Out There at the Dreamland Resort (or Should We Say ‘Area 51?’)
2 days ago
Edward Payson Weston
How the 6-Day Race Became an American Spectator Obsession
3 days ago
Alresford Spy Toilet
This Public Bathroom in a Sleepy English Village Was an Epicenter for Cold War Espionage
5 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States South Dakota The Trail of Governors

The Trail of Governors

A series of life-sized statues of each governor of the state of South Dakota.

Pierre, South Dakota

Added By
Kevin
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
28th governor George S. Mickelson, 1987-1993 (he died in a plane crash).   Kevin OKeeffe / Atlas Obscura User
28th governor George S. Mickelson, 1987-1993 (he died in a plane crash).   Kevin OKeeffe / Atlas Obscura User
32nd governor Dennis Daugaard, 2011-2019.   Kevin OKeeffe / Atlas Obscura User
25th governor Richard F. Kneip, 1971-1978 (he left office to become Ambassador to Singapore), the last Democrat (or otherwise non-Republican) to be elected governor of South Dakota.   Kevin OKeeffe / Atlas Obscura User
21st governor Ralph Herseth, 1959-1961, whose daughter, Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, went on to serve in Congress from 2004-2011, and is now President of Augustana University in Sioux Falls.   Kevin OKeeffe / Atlas Obscura User
27th & 30th governor Bill Janklow, the longest-serving governor in South Dakota history (and the third-longest serving governor in United States history), as well as quite possibly our most controversial modern governor.   Kevin OKeeffe / Atlas Obscura User
8th governor Frank M. Byrne, 1913-1917.   Kevin OKeeffe / Atlas Obscura User
20th governor Joe Foss, 1955-1959, decorated hero in the Pacific Theater of the Second World War.   Kevin OKeeffe / Atlas Obscura User
2nd governor Charles H. Sheldon, 1893-1897, with the state capitol dome visible behind him.   Kevin OKeeffe / Atlas Obscura User
11th governor Carl Gunderson, 1925-1927.   Kevin OKeeffe / Atlas Obscura User
31st governor Mike Rounds, 2003-2011, the junior U.S. Senator from South Dakota since 2015.   Kevin OKeeffe / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Generally thought to be inspired by Rapid City's tribute to the presidents, South Dakota's capital, Pierre (pronounced like "pier"), boasts the Trail of Governors. Some of the same artists worked on both projects, including sculptor John Lopez of the Kokomo Gallery in Lemmon.

The trail itself runs on a generally northeast-to-southwesterly trajectory, beginning just across the street from the governor's mansion, and continuing alongside the state capitol building, through downtown Pierre, and to the banks of the Missouri River.  

Spaced along the trail are the realistic-looking statues of the governors themselves. Every single one of South Dakota's 32 ex-governors can be found alongside the trail. 

Related Tags

Politics Statues Trails

Know Before You Go

The trail can perhaps most reasonably (if a bit arbitrarily) be said to begin at its northeastern most statue ie. the one of Carl Gunderson, located at the southeastern corner of N Washington Avenue and E Cabot Street (just east of the governors' mansion).

Community Contributors

Added By

Kevin OKeeffe

Published

September 18, 2023

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trail_of_Governors
The Trail of Governors
124 N Washington Ave
Pierre, South Dakota, 57501
United States
44.36517, -100.339725
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Pierre Gaultier de Varennes et de La Vérendrye Monument

Fort Pierre, South Dakota

miles away

Capa Ghost Town

Capa, South Dakota

miles away

Okaton Ghost Town

Murdo, South Dakota

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of South Dakota

South Dakota

United States

Places 59
Stories 7

Nearby Places

Pierre Gaultier de Varennes et de La Vérendrye Monument

Fort Pierre, South Dakota

miles away

Capa Ghost Town

Capa, South Dakota

miles away

Okaton Ghost Town

Murdo, South Dakota

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of South Dakota

South Dakota

United States

Places 59
Stories 7

Related Places

  • Marion, Indiana

    Garfield Trail

    Larger-than-life sculptures of the world’s most famous cat mark the birthplace of creator Jim Davis.

  • A crowd of statues

    Taoyuan, Taiwan

    Garden of the Generalissimos

    A Taiwanese garden teems with the retired statues of the island's former dictator.

  • Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Spomenik Francetu Prešernu

    When this monument to Slovenia's national poet was erected, it's said to have sparked the ire of nearby church authorities.

  • Frederikssund, Denmark

    'Min Indre Svinehund' ('My Inner Beast')

    This striking pig statue was part of a 1993 guerilla art project against racism.

  • Moche, Peru

    Paseo de la Cultura Mochica

    This walk to the Pacific Ocean is surrounded by modern statues of Mochica Gods.

  • Javier Javelina

    Tucson, Arizona

    Javier Javelina On a Tandem

    First Joe Pagac sculpture; sculpture reflects native Tucson wildlife in an urban setting.

  • Anna Kéthly in her boxy dress.

    Budapest, Hungary

    Anna Kéthly Statue

    A bronze woman in a stylized dress honors a courageous politician.

  • Goddess of Liberty

    Austin, Texas

    The Goddess of Liberty

    After 97 years of constant vigilance from the dome of the Texas State Capitol, the original Goddess of Liberty retired to a life of climate-controlled leisure.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.