A Lasting Legacy
Calvin Coolidge's sojourn in the Black Hills in the summer of 1927 altered the region's history in a number of ways. Daily reports on the president's activities appeared in newspapers around the country and helped promote the scenic beauty and recreational opportunities in the area. The development of roads and other infrastructure made the Black Hills more accessible to the first generation of automobile tourists. The visit also helped convince Coolidge to support the carving of Mount Rushmore, which would become a magnet for visitors in future decades.
For the residents of Pine Ridge and Native peoples across the nation, however, the Coolidge summer left a mixed legacy. After the president's historic visit to the reservation, meetings with tribal leaders, and a speech that nodded toward his openness to revamping federal/tribal relations, Coolidge left South Dakota, and later his presidency, without making any significant changes to Indian policy beyond his signing of the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924.
After the president and Grace Coolidge returned to Washington, D.C. in September, they often spoke fondly of their time in the Black Hills.