United States President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit South Dakota for the July 3rd fireworks display at Mount Rushmore. Back in 2009, the Independence Day Fireworks show over Mount Rushmore was halted due to concerns of forest fires and for the environment. But this year the display is back.

South Dakota became a state in 1898. Because of the rural nature of South Dakota, it has often been viewed in politics as a 'Fly Over' state. Meaning that it isn't necessarily viewed as a good use of political time for a sitting president or presidential candidate to make the effort to come to our state to court constituents.

Yet over the years, some U.S. Presidents have come to South Dakota for a visit. Some to make appearances and speeches, while others came to enjoy the states natural beauty and relaxing outdoor vistas.

With the announcement of this latest POTUS visit, I got to wondering just exactly which sitting presidents have swung by South Dakota for a stopover. It turns out that 17 Presidents have come to hang out in S.D.

According to SDPB, this is the list of U.S. Presidents who have visited South Dakota while in office:

  • William McKinley - 1899
  • William Howard Taft - October 1911
  • Theodore Roosevelt - April 1902
  • Woodrow Wilson - September 1919
  • Calvin Coolidge - June-July & August 1927
  • Franklin D. Roosevelt - August 1936
  • Harry Truman - May 1948
  • Dwight Eisenhower - June 1953
  • John Kennedy - August 1962
  • Richard Nixon - June 1969
  • Gerald Ford - August and October 1976
  • Ronald Reagan - September and October 1986
  • George H.W. Bush - Sept., 1989, July 1991, Sept 1992 & Oct 1992
  • Bill Clinton - September & November 1996, July 1999
  • George W. Bush - August 2002
  • Barack Obama - May 2015
  • Donald Trump - 2018
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