On April 19, 1993 a plane crashed, killing the eight on board and breaking the hearts of South Dakota and the Nation. On board were Governor George S Mickelson, Roland Dolly, Ron Reed, Angus Anson, David Birkeland, Roger Becker, and the pilot of the plane David Hansen.
The plane crash happened at about 4 o’clock in the afternoon. The plane struck a silo near Zwingle, Iowa, killing everyone aboard. They were about 8.5 miles short of the Dubuque airport. The plane reported engine trouble. In South Dakota, flags were lowered in the state at about 7:30pm to honor the victims. On April 22, 1993, the casket of George S Mickelson was lowered and buried into the ground, surrounded by friends, family, and a state in mourning. Since that fateful day, memorials have been erected for the 8 victims.
The 8 Victims Lost That Day:
- George S. Mickelson, 28th Governor of South Dakota, 1987-1993
- Angus C. Anson, General Manager & Chief Executive, Northern States Power - South Dakota.
- Ron R. Becker, Program Manager/Chief Pilot, South Dakota Aviation Services.
- David S. Birkeland, president & CEO, First Bank of South Dakota.
- Roland Dolly, commissioner, governor's office of economic development.
- Roger Hainje, president, Sioux Falls Development Foundation.
- David H. Hansen, State Pilot of South Dakota.
- Ron R. Reed, commissioner, governor's office of energy policy.
The Fighting Stallions is a Bronze sculpture of two fighting stallions, on a artificial hill with on the sides eight granite plaques commemorating four state employees, the Governor, and three Sioux Falls corporate leaders.
Fighting Stallions is enlarged in bronze from the 1935 mahogany carving by South Dakota sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski. The sculpture was selected because it symbolically represents South Dakota's struggle to overcome adversity, desire for achievement and courage to believe in the future. It is a tribute to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
Fighting Stallions Memorial was constructed by the people of South Dakota as a lasting memorial to eight South Dakotans who perished in an airplane crash April 19, 1993. The state plane, N86SD, crashed due to propeller assembly failure in poor weather on a farm near Dubuque, Iowa.
To get credit for this Virtual Cache,
1. Please email me through geocaching.com the answer to this question. Located on a plaque near the memorial what year was the monument dedicated to the people of South Dakota?
2. Upload a photo of yourself standing in front of or somewhere next to the monument with your log (the finder;s face is not be REQUIRED to make the "find"). .
Thanks for visiting.
Virtual Rewards 3.0 - 2022-2023
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