Near Keystone in Pennington County, South Dakota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Thomas Jefferson
3rd President
| — | 1801-1809 | — |
Photographed by Curtis Moore, September 7, 2021
1. Thomas Jefferson Marker
Thomas Jefferson
“I have learnt to expect that it will rarely fall to the lot of imperfect man to retire from this station with the reputation & the favor which bring him into it.” - First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1801
Born April 13, 1743, Shadwell, Virginia
Married Martha Wayles Skelton (1748-1782), January 1, 1772
Children Martha (1772-1836), Jane (1774-1775), infant son (1777), Mary (1778-1804), Lucy (1780-1781), Lucy (1782-1784)
Died July 4, 1826, at Monticello, Virginia, on the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the same day President John Adams died
Education College of William and Mary, 1762
Occupation Lawyer, scientific farmer
Political party Democratic-Republican
Career Highlights • Minister to France • George Washington's Secretary of State John Adams' Vice President
National Highlights • The Louisiana Territory purchased from France for $15 million • The Lewis and Clark expedition explored the Northwest • Importing African slaves to the United States became illegal
“Never did a prisoner, released from his chains, feel such relief as I shall on shaking off the shackles of power. Nature intended me for the tranquil pursuits of science, by rendering them my supreme delight. But the enormities of the times in which I have lived, have forced me to take a part in resisting them, and to commit myself on the boisterous ocean of political passions.'
-Letter to P. S. Dupont de Nemours, March 2, 1809, two days before leaving office
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Gutzon Borglum, sculptor of Mount Rushmore
In the portraits and data we have of him we see the young man, the torch-bearer, the artist, the architect, the musician and builder, the creator in all his varied moods. I am sorry I have only one portrait to make of him.”
- New York Times Magazine, August 25, 1940
[Captions:]
Portrait by Charles Wilson Peale
Independence National Historical Park
Portrait by Benjamin Henry Latrobe
Library of Congress
Artifacts from the Lewis and Clark expedition at Monticello
R. Lautman/Monticello
This exhibition was made possible by the National Endowment for the Humanities with additional support from the South Dakota Humanities Council
Erected by National Endowment for the Humanities and the South Dakota Humanities Council.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Parks & Recreational Areas • Patriots & Patriotism • War, US Revolutionary. A significant historical date for this entry is January 1, 1772.
Location. 43° 52.727′ N, 103° 27.429′ W. Marker is near Keystone, South Dakota, in Pennington
Photographed by Curtis Moore, September 7, 2021
2. Thomas Jefferson Marker
Regionally, this marker is in West River, in the Badlands, and in Greater Rapid City. It is also in the American Black Hills, in the Lewis & Clark Corridor, on the prairies, and on the Northern Plains. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once Rupert’s Land and also the Louisiana Purchase.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: George Washington (a few steps from this marker); Theodore Roosevelt (within shouting distance of this marker); Abraham Lincoln (within shouting distance of this marker); (Mount Rushmore) Chronology (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); History of the United States of America (about 600 feet away); The Power to Carve a Mountain (about 700 feet away); Rushmore Workers (approx. 0.2 miles away); "We Are Still Here" (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Keystone.
Credits. This page was last revised on October 10, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 9, 2021, by J. Makali Bruton of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 448 times since then and 55 times this year. Last updated on October 10, 2026, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 9, 2021, by J. Makali Bruton of Washington, District of Columbia. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
