U.S. Senators John Thune (R-South Dakota) and Tim Johnson (D-South Dakota) praised the Senate’s bipartisan passage of their resolution celebrating South Dakota’s 125th anniversary of statehood.
“Nearly 125 years ago, our great nation formally welcomed South Dakota into the Union,” said Thune. “Since then, millions of Americans have enjoyed the beauty of our great plains, rolling hills of the Missouri River, and splendor of the historic Black Hills, including America’s ‘Shrine to Democracy,’ Mount Rushmore. South Dakota’s dynamic and resourceful workforce has made our state the number one place in the country to do business, and our proud agricultural tradition has a tremendous impact on our nation’s food supply. Yet it is South Dakota’s people, past and present, that are by far our greatest commodity. I join all South Dakotans in celebrating this important milestone and am pleased to join Senator Johnson in formally recognizing South Dakota’s 125-year history in the United States Senate. May God continue to bless our great state.”
"South Dakota proudly became one of the United States 125 years ago,” said Johnson. “South Dakotans have a lot to celebrate this year. Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills has become an enduring symbol of democracy and America. Visitors to South Dakota enjoy the vastness of the wide open plains, the stark beauty of the Badlands, the world’s only Corn Palace, the delight in finally making it to Wall Drug, and the best pheasant hunting in the country. Our agriculture industry has powered our economy feeding the world and producing renewable energy. Lending a helping hand to others has been an integral part of South Dakotans pioneering tradition. Whether it involves assisting a neighbor to bring in the crops or helping a stranger dig their car out of a snowbank, helping others is part of who we are as South Dakotans. I am pleased to join Senator Thune in recognizing South Dakota’s 125-year history knowing a great frontier is still ahead.”
A copy of Senate Resolution 566, celebrating the 125th anniversary of South Dakota Statehood, is available here.