South Dakota State Nickname: The Mount Rushmore State
Fact-checked • Updated December 16, 2025
"The Mount Rushmore State"
Also Known As:
About the Nickname The Mount Rushmore State
South Dakota's official state nickname is The Mount Rushmore State, adopted by lawmakers in 1992. The name comes from Mount Rushmore National Memorial, where sculptors carved four presidential faces into granite between 1927 and 1941. Nearly three million people visit the monument each year.
Meaning of 'The Mount Rushmore State'
This South Dakota nickname refers to the massive sculpture near Keystone in the Black Hills. Gutzon Borglum chose this granite cliff because the rock could support carvings 60 feet tall. Workers spent 14 years using dynamite and jackhammers to shape the faces of Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln.
About 400 people worked on the project between 1927 and 1941. They removed roughly 450,000 tons of rock from the mountainside. Tourism connected to Mount Rushmore became South Dakota's largest industry over time, bringing millions of dollars into the state economy each year.
State legislators made the Mount Rushmore State official in 1992. Before that vote, South Dakota had used several different nicknames without any legal designation. The monument appears on license plates and in tourism materials across the state today.
Other Nicknames
The Sunshine State
Tourism promoters in the 1920s and 1930s started calling South Dakota the Sunshine State to attract visitors. Weather data shows the state averages about 213 sunny days per year, with particularly clear skies in the Black Hills. Travel brochures and postcards from that era used the unofficial South Dakota nickname regularly. Florida had already claimed the same name though, which created confusion. South Dakota eventually stopped using Sunshine State as its primary identifier because Florida's association with the phrase was stronger and more widespread.
Land of Infinite Variety
Mid-century tourism campaigns promoted South Dakota as the Land of Infinite Variety. The phrase described how visitors could see Badlands formations, pine-covered mountains, wide prairies, and river valleys within one state's borders. Marketing materials from the 1950s and 1960s used this nickname to encourage people to explore multiple regions during their trips. Some modern brochures still mention it, though the name never went through legislative adoption. Travel writers appreciated how the phrase captured South Dakota's geographic contrasts without exaggeration.
Coyote State
Newspapers and magazines in the late 1800s called South Dakota the Coyote State because these animals thrived across the prairie landscape. Settlers encountered large coyote populations as they moved into the territory. The animals adapted well to changing conditions even as ranching and farming spread. Some people thought Coyote State might become the official South Dakota nickname and motto before Mount Rushmore gained fame. Wildlife biologists still track healthy coyote populations throughout the state's grasslands and hills today.
Blizzard State
Severe winter storms gave South Dakota the nickname Blizzard State during the late 1800s. Arctic air masses moving south clash with warmer winds in this region, creating dangerous whiteout conditions and heavy snowfall. The brutal winter of 1880-1881 killed livestock and trapped settlers in their homes for weeks. People started using Blizzard State after experiencing these harsh seasonal patterns year after year. Modern weather tracking confirms the state still faces regular severe winter storms, though the nickname never received official status from legislators.
Interesting Facts
Fact 1 of 6
Mount Rushmore took 14 years to complete and required about 400 workers using dynamite and carving tools.
Sources & References
This article has been researched using authoritative sources to ensure accuracy and reliability.
Official South Dakota government resource listing state symbols including the Mount Rushmore State nickname and when it was officially adopted
Official National Park Service site with detailed history of Mount Rushmore National Memorial, construction timeline, and visitor information
Historical research and archives documenting South Dakota's various nicknames throughout history and their usage in official state records