A half dozen state legislators want Wyoming to have its own Mount Rushmore.
Six sponsors have filed House Bill 106, “Monument to America,” calling for $40,000 to establish a task force to recommend a monument by the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026.
The Monument to America would be “similar in size and scope” to the Mount Rushmore National Memorial, which has 60-foot-high faces of presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln carved out of granite cliffs.
Wyoming’s monument would feature historical figures from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. Locating the sculpture on Wyoming school trust land would generate income for state schools and other institutions, according to the bill.
“Some people think ‘are you crazy?’”
Rep. Steve Harshman
Rep. Steve Harshman (R-Casper), the principal sponsor of the measure, said the idea is to draw tourists while simultaneously recognizing 250 years of American history.
“I’ve been a history geek my whole life,” Harshman said. “It was really 100 years ago — 1925 — the South Dakota Legislature gave approval to find a location for a monument that would honor our first 150 years.
“It’s been incredibly successful,” he said of Mount Rushmore. “Two and a half million visitors a year, half a billion [dollars] in economic impact to the Black Hills.”
Locating the monument on state school trust land would “benefit our children in perpetuity,” and diversify school funding to be less reliant on oil, gas and coal revenues, he said.
‘Are you crazy?’
Harshman has five co-sponsors; Reps. Andrew Byron (R-Jackson) and Trey Sherwood (D-Laramie) and Sens. Jim Anderson (R-Casper), Evie Brennan (R-Cheyenne) and Bill Landen (R-Casper).
“I didn’t search out a bunch of co-sponsors,” he said. “I just asked a few people.”
He understands that the bill is a bit unusual.
“Some people think ‘are you crazy?’” he said.
Nevertheless, the sponsoring six will soldier on and seek to fend off critics.
Some faultfinders might ask “why alter nature?”
“If that was the case, why would we build a house or build a fence or build a power line or, you know, build a water pipeline or do anything?” Harshman asked.
Mount Rushmore was named after a New York lawyer who visited the cliffs in about 1884 to consolidate holdings of the Harney Tin Company.
The four presidents were carved from the cliffs between 1927 and 1941. Mount Rushmore National Memorial is operated by the National Park Service.
Before Rushmore
The four presidents’ faces were first blasted by dynamite and then carved into cliffs called the Six Grandfathers by the Lakota who used the surrounding area for religious ceremonies, according to the National Park Service.
The 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie gave the land to the Lakota but the U.S. repossessed the property after the Great Sioux War of 1876, spurred by the discovery of gold in the area.
The Sioux conflicts included the Battle of Little Bighorn and the demise of George Armstrong Custer.
Harshman is aware of Mount Rushmore’s complexity as a symbol of democracy and freedom, as well as colonialism and racism.
“I have our Wyoming tribes on the committee as well,” Harshman said. “I look at the four on Mount Rushmore [and] they’re not perfect, but boy, what incredible foresight.”
Wyoming’s 68th Legislature convenes its 40-day general legislative session Tuesday, during which the 31 senators and 62 representatives will decide whether the one-page bill will be carved in stone.
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