Kristi Noem, the 33rd Governor of South Dakota, was honored in Pierre today, as her statue was added to Pierre’s Trail of Governors and her portrait was added to the State Capitol collection of gubernatorial portraits. Both were unveiled in an outdoor ceremony near Hilger’s Gulch, the site of the Noem statue. Governor Noem was on hand to offer remarks; the ceremony also included words from Governor Larry Rhoden, Mayor Todd Johnson, Trail of Governors Chairman Rick Jensen, and a short biography of Noem being read by Lt. Governor Tony Venhuizen.
Trail of Governors statue
The life-size bronze statue of Governor Noem was created by sculptor John Lopez of Lemmon. The statue portrays Noem in a cowboy hat and western wear, recalling her rodeo background. It’s an image that Noem used as governor as she promoted South Dakota as a freedom-loving state, particularly following the Covid-19 pandemic. Noem’s statue also includes her favorite horse, “Ice Man.”
The Noem statue is in place near the intersection of Church Street and South Dakota Boulevard, at the south end of Hilger’s Gulch.
Governor Noem’s statue, like every other statue on the Trail of Governors, was commissioned by the Trail of Governors Foundation and was paid for entirely by private donations. A gallery of all of the statues on the Trail of Governors, and a map of the Trail, can be seen here.
Gubernatorial portrait
Noem’s official portrait was completed by David Uhl, a Colorado portraitist and painter. It is at least the third painting of Noem that Uhl has completed, including earlier paintings of Noem at the Custer State Park Buffalo Roundup, and of Noem with a motorcycle, commemorating the Sturgis motorcycle rally. The official portrait portrays Noem on horseback, riding “Blondie.”
Noem’s portrait is the first in the official collection to include a horse. Noem is the third governor to be painted wearing a cowboy hat, following Tom Berry and Walter Dale Miller. It joins several other portraits that portray the governor in an outdoor setting, including Tom Berry, Frank Farrar, Harvey Wollman, William J. Janklow (first portrait), and Walter Dale Miller. With the exception of Berry’s, and now Noem’s, the other all portrait the governor near the State Capitol.
Like her statue, the Noem portrait was paid for entirely by private donations. It now hangs now hangs on the first floor of the State Capitol, along with her thirty-two predecessors. A gallery of the Governors Portrait Collection can be seen here.
SoDak Governors 