Governor Dennis Daugaard announced Friday that he has reached an agreement with the National Park Service to re-open Mount Rushmore for the duration of the federal government shutdown.

The National Park Service will charge the state $15,200 per day to operate the monument. The monument will re-open Monday morning at 8 a.m. local time at the latest.

Currently, Mount Rushmore is the only National Park to be re-opened under the agreement.  Governor Daugaard says the Shrine to Democracy is the attraction most people want to see.

Additionally, the State of South Dakota will not bear the entire cost.  Governor Daugaard assembled partners from across South Dakota to “buy a day” of operation of Mount Rushmore.  The initial list includes,  The Mount Rushmore Society,  Rapid City CVB / BID Board,  Black Hills Central Reservations,  West River Foundation,  Lawrence & Schiller,  Lantis Enterprises, Inc.,  Neiman Enterprises, Inc.,  J. Scull Construction Service, Inc.,  Avera Health,  First PREMIER Bank/PREMIER Bankcard,  MDU Resources,  Sanford Health,  ISIS Hospitality,  Wall Drug, and One anonymous donor.

More From KKRC-FM / 97.3 KKRC