A statue of former Gov. Kristi Noem could be on display by next summer along the Trail of Governors in Pierre.

John Lopez, a sculptor from the northwest South Dakota town of Lemmon, has begun working on Noem's life-size bronze statue, which is tentatively scheduled to be installed and unveiled in June 2026, the Trail of Governors Foundation said in a Facebook post .

When it's completed, Noem's statue will join the statues of her 31 predecessors on a trail that runs from downtown Pierre to the state Capitol grounds. Private donations fund the project.

Noem was elected as the state's first female governor in 2019. She left that role to become Homeland Security secretary under President Donald Trump.

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