Update: with a tip of the hat to the folks at the SilentCal blog, it looks like Rapid City will soon be installing a marker to commemorate Coolidge’s historic and unique statement about “not choosing” to run in 1928, a statement he made while vacationing in South Dakota.
Rapid City, SD – not too distant from Mt. Rushmore (where Coolidge is not enshrined, much to my chagrin; but at least he spoke at the beginning of the work there in 1927), has been completing an ambitious project in its historical district: to honor each president of the U.S. with his own statue. South Dakota artist John Lopez created the statue of Calvin Coolidge, who appears to wave his big Stetson hat in a gesture of welcome to Rapid City visitors. Now if that doesn’t pull the throngs to Rapid City, I don’t know what will. And Calvin Coolidge would certainly appreciate that no government funds were spent on this project, as each statue has been privately funded.