15 Jun Mount Rushmore | Honoring Giants In American History
When monuments are declared “national monuments” they have historic and cultural significance to the United States. Mount Rushmore is one of the most iconic and beloved national monuments in all of America. Depicting the heads of four presidents, four giants of our history, who helped form and shape our great nation.
Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore, a granite batholith formation in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The four American presidents are George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln.
Why were these four individuals chosen? A quick history.
George Washington, our first president, led the Revolutionary War against Great Britain, chaired the Constitutional Convention and is known as the Father of our Country. Thomas Jefferson, our third president, wrote the Declaration of Independence, commissioned the Lewis and Clark Expedition after negotiating the Louisiana Purchase that doubled the size of the United States. Abraham Lincoln, our 16th president, served during the Civil War, ultimately seeing the end of it, freeing the slaves and re-uniting the Union. Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th U.S. president, is credited with establishing the national parks system. His efforts to champion the conservation of our country’s natural resources, is one of the reason we even had the ability to have a national monument such as Mount Rushmore.
Where did the idea for Mount Rushmore begin?
The idea for the sculpture honoring these giants in American history was first proposed by South Dakota historian Doane Robinson in 1923, who hoped to attract tourists to the state. The attraction worked as Mount Rushmore is now visited by nearly 3 million people annually.
In 1925, Robinson contacted sculptor Gutzon Borglum to discuss the possibility of carving the faces of notable figures into the Black Hills. Borglum was initially uninterested, but eventually agreed to take on the project. In 1927, construction on the sculpture began with a team of workers and the use of dynamite to blast away the granite. A team of over 400 men would be needed to complete the project.
Borglum and his team faced many challenges during the 14-year construction period. Funding was a constant problem, as the project was not initially supported by the federal government. Additionally, the Great Depression hit during the early years of construction, making it difficult to secure funding from private sources. Borglum also had to deal with issues related to the weather, as well as the difficulty of carving into the hard granite.
Despite these challenges, the project continued, and the faces of Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln were completed between 1934 and 1941. The sculptures are 60 feet high and 400 feet above the ground. Borglum died in 1941, just before the completion of the sculptures, and his son Lincoln Borglum took over the project.
Mount Rushmore National Memorial funding ran out and the monument was declared complete on October 31, 1941. Overall, the project cost $989,992.32 and took 14 years to finish.
Final Thoughts
Since its completion Mount Rushmore has become a major tourist destination, attracting millions of visitors each year. The site also includes a museum, a visitor center, and a presidential trail that offers views of the sculptures from different angles.
The monument represents some of the key foundations of America. Inflection points that have gotten us to where we are today. Periods of great struggle that have led to great prosperity. America is not perfect, but as our founders had hoped, together we may build a more perfect union.
You will never forget the first time you visit Mount Rushmore – it’s truly a national treasure.
Photo courtesy of TravelSouthDakota.com
