Mount Rushmore blockage stirs anger in South Dakota

NPS cones to block "viewing" of Mount Rushmore

Blocking access to trails and programs at South Dakota’s most popular attraction was one thing, but state officials didn’t expect Congress’ budget stalemate to shut down a view of Mount Rushmore. The cones first went up Oct. 1, said Dusty Johnson, Gov. Dennis Daugaard’s chief of staff. The state asked that they be taken down, and federal officials did so with some of them. The state was told the cones were a safety precaution to help channel cars into viewing areas rather than to bar their entrance. “I think reasonable people can disagree about that,” Johnson said. The cones were down again Friday as a blizzard hit the Black Hills and plows needed access to the roads, Johnson said. He said the state would be monitoring to see whether the cones are put back along viewing areas. “Once the snow’s off the ground, we’re going to be keeping an eye on how the cones go up,” Johnson said...more