Crying Hill letter | City of Mandan
Crying Hill letter | City of Mandan
The City of Mandan announced a new effort to clean and restore the "MANDAN" letters on Crying Hill.
This past fall, the City sought permission from Three Affiliated Tribes, the property owners for the land under “M,A,N,D” to clean up the area and work on restoring the letters. The City of Mandan owns the land under the last two letters “A, N”.
Mandan High School’s Four Directions group gave the effort a theme, “Honoring the past, Healing the future.” The hope is after the project is complete, for the high school group to bring the community out to Crying Hill to teach them about the history and significance of the location.
In September 2024, volunteers from Doosan Bobcat contributed by removing trees and clearing brush around the letters. Initially, plans were made to scrape and repaint the concrete letters this spring. However, upon closer inspection, it became clear that more extensive work was necessary.
A landscape architect has created a concept for this endeavor, which includes lighting to illuminate the letters. City leaders are currently looking for private funding to cover an estimated cost of $1.2 million.
The site has seen various changes since its original sign was installed in June 1934. Those interested in learning more about its history can visit mandanhistory.org for information provided by the Mandan Historical Society.
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