"Calvin Coolidge in the Black Hills"

On August 2, 1927, President Calvin Coolidge shocked the nation by announcing he would not seek reelection.

The declaration came from the Black Hills of South Dakota, where Coolidge was vacationing to escape the oppressive Washington summer and to win over politically rebellious farmers. He passed his time at rodeos, fishing, meeting Native American dignitaries and kick-starting the stagnant carving of Mount Rushmore.

But scandal was never far away as Coolidge dismissed a Secret Service man in a fit of anger. Was it this internal conflict that led Coolidge to make his famous announcement or the magic of the Black Hills?

Veteran South Dakota journalist Seth Tupper chronicles Coolidge's Black Hills adventure and explores the lasting legacy of the presidential summer on the region.

Publicity and reviews

• “Coolidge book a Black Hills keeper,” by Bob Mercer, South Dakota Capitol correspondent
• “A Visit From Calvin Coolidge 90 Years Ago Changed The Black Hills Of South Dakota,” by Steve Zind, Vermont Public Radio
• Audio interview on “In the Moment” with Lori Walsh, South Dakota Public Broadcasting
• “How South Dakota’s Black Hills (may have) changed Calvin Coolidge,” by Michael Taube, The Washington Times
• “Presiding from the Ponderosas: Coolidge in the Black Hills,” by Katy Beem, SDPB Living blog
• “South Dakota’s Presidential Independence Day,” by South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard
• “Thoroughly Modern Coolidge: Review: ‘Calvin Coolidge in the Black Hills’ by Seth Tupper,” Joseph Bottum, The Washington Free Beacon
• “Journal reporter writes book on Coolidge summer,” Rapid City Journal
• In the Moment … “Calvin Coolidge in the Black Hills,” South Dakota Public Radio
• “Kimball native chronicles Calvin Coolidge’s Black Hills adventures in upcoming book,” The Daily Republic