Part of the park · 1941
Pillars of the Nation
Two pillars of stone sent by every state in the union, finished in August 1941, beside two older pillars of South Dakota rock and fossils.
The story
In 1940, with war threatening, park caretaker Oscar Ellefson, who had built many of the park's early attractions, proposed two pillars made of stone native to each of the forty-eight states, to stand for the unity and strength of the nation. The Chamber of Commerce wrote to its counterpart in every state capital asking for specimens, and every state sent one. The pillars were finished in August 1941 and named the Pillars of the Nation.
They joined two older pillars, built in 1937 of South Dakota stone, fossils and Native artifacts donated by Emil M. Christianson of Hills, Minnesota. Alaska and Hawaii, admitted in 1959, are not represented. Parks and Recreation refurbished all four in 1999 and lit the South Dakota pair.
Photographs: Photograph by Missy Kitzman, Sioux Falls, 2010, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; National Register of Historic Places nomination photograph, 1983, Vivian Young and Jamie Haworth-Smith, City of Sioux Falls; public record.
At a glance
| Proposed | 1940, by caretaker Oscar Ellefson |
|---|---|
| Finished | August 1941 |
| Stone | One specimen from each of the 48 states |
| Older pair | 1937, South Dakota stone and fossils from Emil M. Christianson |
| Refurbished | 1997 and 1999 |
| Where | 26th Street entrance, south end |
Questions: Sioux Falls Parks and Recreation, 605-367-7060.
The marker, in full
Pillars of the Nation
Erected 2000 by the Minnehaha County Historical Society and Dr. and Mrs. John Wichtman · HMdb · All seven markers
With World War II threatening the tranquility of the United States in 1940, Oscar Ellefson, caretaker and builder of many early McKennan Park attractions, proposed a new project. Ellefson envisioned designing and building two pillars made of stones native to each of then 48 states that would symbolize the unity and strength of the nation. With help from the Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce, letters were sent to chamber offices in every state capital requesting specimens of local stone.
Nationwide patriotic fervor fueled the project. All states readily responded with stones found in their locales. The pillars were completed in August 1941 and were named "The Pillars of the Nation."
Emil M. Christianson of Hills, Minnesota, earlier had donated native South Dakota stone fossils and Indian artifacts to build the two older pillars.
In 1999 the Sioux Falls Parks and Recreation Department refurbished all four pillars and installed lighting fixtures on the "South Dakota " pillars.
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Mrs. John Wichtman in Honor of their Daughters, Meg and Laura.
Keep walking
Next parts of the park.
The sunken garden
Stone walls, a fountain and beds replanted by hand every spring. The park's wedding venue.
Lady Liberty
A bronze Liberty on the fieldstone pedestal that held a wooden one through the war years.
The wading pool
Free since 1929. The fourth pool on the site opened May 29, 2026, with a slide, sprays and a new bathhouse.