You'll Soon See These New Signs Around South Dakota

Life-Saving Signs: A New Initiative in South Dakota

You may start noticing a new sign around South Dakota, and while it may seem simple, state leaders hope it can make a life-saving difference.

The South Dakota Department of Social Services and the Helpline Center have partnered with businesses and organizations across the state to install permanent signs promoting the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. In all, 112 aluminum signs have been placed - or soon will be - in eight South Dakota communities.

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A Beacon of Hope: Promoting the 988 Lifeline

The signs are located at businesses, shopping centers, schools, colleges, and other public spaces, reminding people that help is always available. Anyone experiencing a mental health crisis, struggling with substance use, or having thoughts of self-harm can call, text, or chat 988 anytime, day or night. The service is free, confidential, and connects callers with trained professionals at the Helpline Center.

The campaign comes as mental health continues to be a growing concern across the state. An estimated 149,000 South Dakota adults are living with a mental health condition, and about one in nine teens between the ages of 12 and 17 experience serious thoughts of suicide each year.

A Call to Action: Encouraging Connections When It Matters Most

State officials say they hope the signs will help make the 988 number as familiar as 911, so people know exactly where to turn during a crisis.

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According to the Department of Social Services, suicide remained one of the state's leading causes of death in 2024, especially among adults ages 20 to 39. State data also shows 94 overdose deaths were reported last year.

Officials hope these highly visible reminders will encourage anyone who is struggling - or anyone concerned about a loved one - to reach out before a crisis becomes overwhelming. Help is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

South Dakota "Tunnel to Nowhere"

All controversies aside (because as we all know, there are many) South Dakota's Mount Rushmore was and remains an astonishing achievement by sculptor Gutzon Borglum and his son (interestingly enough) named Lincoln.

Many people, however, don't know that there is a secret tunnel just behind Lincoln's head (Abraham Lincoln that is, not Lincoln Borglum) that has been named one of the Greatest Places in the United States.

Sculptor Borglum believed that in time people would forget the meaning behind Mount Rushmore and that its importance would fade in the American consciousness. So he wanted an addition to the monument which would ensure that didn't happen.

Very few people have seen this "secret tunnel" behind Mt. Rushmore without the permission of the National Park Service, and to be honest there isn't a whole lot to see in the unfinished condition in which it remains.

Gallery Credit: Patty Dee

Weirdest Tourist Traps Even the Locals Love in South Dakota, Minnesota, and Iowa

I don't know if everyone will agree with the writers at Thrillist Travel, about which tourist attractions are the weirdest in the tri-state area.

I mean there are so many strange things to see when you travel. From giant pheasants and fish to giant balls of twine, there's no shortage of kooky, kitsch in the tri-state area.