You have a vault in your home that contains all your most vital belongings, but did you know that your home state has one, too? To make it even more South Dakota, this vault is hidden in our most iconic landmark and is so secret that most people do not even know it exists:

Hiding out inside Mount Rushmore is the super secret and super fascinating Hall of Records.
Flickr/Jim & Robin
Located behind Abraham Lincoln's head, the Hall of Records contains a few of the country's most valuable artifacts, including the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, and the Bill of Rights.
YouTube/MountRushmoreNPS
Engineered and dreamed up by Mount Rushmore sculpture Gutzon Borglum, the Hall of Records was intended to be an 800-foot stairway that led to a grand hall measuring 80 feet by 100 feet.
YouTube/MountRushmoreNPS

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Sadly, because of Borglum's untimely death, these original plans never came to fruition, though the Hall was finally finished (albeit smaller) in 1998.
YouTube/MountRushmoreNPS
While the Hall of Records is not nearly as intricate as Borglum envisioned (the illustrations and hand-carved descriptions of various American landmarks never came to be), it is still a vital part of American history.
YouTube/MountRushmoreNPS
Because of its location and the documents it holds, the Hall of Records is not open to the public.
YouTube/MountRushmoreNPS
To learn more about the Hall of Records, please visit the National Park Service's website.
YouTube/MountRushmoreNPS

Check out this YouTube video by MountRushmoreNPS to learn more about the Hall of Records:

Do you have a favorite attraction, event, or restaurant that you would like to see featured here on Only in South Dakota? We would love to hear about it via our nomination form! For even more to see and do in the area, you will want to check out The Keystone Cemetery Is One Of South Dakota’s Spookiest Cemeteries.

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Mount Rushmore, Mt Rushmore, Mount Rushmore Unorganized Territory, SD 57751, USA