“The size of the monument should be determined by the degree of significance of the event being celebrated for the entire civilization. We are not trying to carve an epic out of stone, depict a moonlight scene, or write a sonnet; we are not dealing with mysticism or tragedy, but rather with constructive and dramatic moments or turning points in our amazing history.”- Gutzon Borglum, sculptor who created Mount Rushmore.
Mount Rushmore National Memorial is without doubt one of the most famous landmarks in the United States - a tribute to the great American presidents, designed to preserve the memory of the country's great history for centuries to come.
Located in the Black Hills, South Dakota, the memorial attracts about three million people annually.
The author of the idea for the creation of the monument was the local historian Doan Robinson; however, according to his original plan, other personalities who influenced the formation and development of the country, for example, the Indian leader Red Cloud, famous American pioneers, were to be depicted in the rock.
But let's talk about everything in more detail …
Historian Doan Robinson is often referred to as the "Father of Mount Rushmore." In 1923, in order to attract tourists to South Dakota, he first proposed to create monumental sculptures of the Indian chief Red Cloud, American explorers Lewis and Clark, or other famous personalities of the era of the conquest of the Wild West. Although Robinson was not the first American to express the idea of creating monumental sculptures. Back in 1849, Missouri Senator Thomas Hart Benton proposed carving a huge figure of Christopher Columbus in the Rocky Mountains.
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Robinson shared his idea with the sculptor Hudson Borglum, famous for creating carvings in stone. Hudson agreed to come to Black Hills in 1924, inspect the area, and analyze the possibility of such a project. The Black Hills Scenic Area in South Dakota is often referred to as the "Island on the Prairie" because of its numerous granite hills surrounded by vast expanses of open steppe. Borglum especially liked the southeast-facing Mount Rushmore, which had sun for most of the day. It was the tallest mountain in the surrounding area with solid granite rock.
Borglum agreed to take part in the project on condition of creating something bigger. He wanted to create a monument to commemorate American history. And the best option for this is the creation of sculptures of the country's great political figures. The choice fell on the figures of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. Robinson didn't mind.
Implementing a huge project is not an easy task. First, a permit must be obtained to work on the mountainside. The bill allowing the use of federal lands for the needs of the monument was approved easily. The bill in the South Dakota state legislature encountered a number of obstacles along the way. Approved only on the third try, on March 5, 1925, Governor Gunderson signed into law.
Then the project faced a funding problem. Months passed, and potential sponsors were in no hurry to part with their money. Environmentalists believed the project would disfigure the mountainside. Others questioned the ability of a mere mortal to improve what was created by Mother Nature.
The successful implementation of the project was facilitated by US President Coolidge, who promised funding from the federal budget. The government provided seed funding of up to $ 250,000 and created the Mount Rushmore National Memorial Commission.
Borglum began work in 1927 and continued it for 14 years until his death in 1941. Mount Rushmore was transformed with dynamite, the cost of the work was almost $ 1,000,000 - a huge amount of money at the time.
Why exactly these four presidents on Mount Rushmore?
George Washington (1732-1799, first president) led the struggle of the American colonies and achieved independence from Great Britain. As the founder of a new country, he laid the foundations for American democracy. In terms of importance, Washington is the most iconic figure on the mountain.
Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826, 3rd President) - author of the Declaration of Independence. He acquired Louisiana from France in 1803, annexed a number of other states, doubling the territory of the state.
Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865, 16th president) preserved the unity of the state during the greatest test - the civil war. He was firmly convinced that slavery must be ended.
Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919, 26th president) was instrumental in the implementation of the Panama Canal project. Known as the "destroyer of trusts," he went to great lengths to curb the activities of large corporate monopolies and secure the rights of the working class.
Borglum developed an efficient and relatively inexpensive technology for removing large amounts of excess rock using explosives. 90% of all rock was removed with dynamite charges (approximately 450,000 tons). Dynamite was used until 7.5 to 15 cm of excess rock remained, which was then removed with pneumatic tools.
Borglum designed the sculptures of the four presidents in a 1 to 12 ratio. One inch (2.54 cm) on the model equaled one foot (30.5 cm) on the rock. Workers replaced inches with feet and quickly determined the amount needed to remove the rock.
Drillers used pneumatic tools to drill many holes next to each other, a technique known as honeycomb. The holes drilled closely to each other weakened the granite, and the excess rock was removed without significant effort. Then the surface was polished using the same pneumatic tools with special cutting edges.
First we worked on the figure of George Washington. The image of Thomas Jefferson began to be carved to the right of Washington. After two years of work, deep cracks appeared on the surface of Jefferson's face. His image had to be destroyed and started over on the left side of Washington.
The statue of George Washington was inaugurated on July 4, 1934.
President Franklin Roosevelt unveiled the Thomas Jefferson statue in 1936.
On September 17, 1937, in honor of the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Constitution, the statue of Abraham Lincoln was unveiled.
The figure of Theodore Roosevelt was inaugurated in 1939. In the same year, night lighting of the memorial was installed.
Work on Mount Rushmore continued for another two years. In March 1941, Gutzon Borglum unexpectedly dies, never being able to fully realize his plan - to carve images of presidents from head to waist. A model of Borglum's original dream can be seen in the sculptor's workshop on the Memorial grounds.
With the death of Borglum and the impending involvement of the United States in World War II, the final work on Mount Rushmore came to an end. On October 31, 1941, the monument was declared completed. Despite the hazardous working conditions, not a single worker died in 14 years of construction.
Mount Rushmore National Memorial has become an iconic symbol of American history. Over the course of 14 years, the imposing granite slope of the mountain was transformed into the likeness of four figures of great presidents of the United States. What seemed almost impossible has become reality.
Today, Mount Rushmore is considered one of the most famous symbols of America.
Mount Rushmore is controversial among Native Americans for the following reasons.
In 1868, the United States officially recognized the Black Hills area as the possession of the Lakota Indians, signing a peace treaty with them (“As long as rivers flow and grass grows and leaves appear on trees, this land will belong to the Indians). But in 1874 gold was discovered in the Black Hills, and soon the United States government required the Indians to move to the reservations. The Great Sioux War began (1876-1877), which ended with the defeat of the Indians and their resettlement on the reservation. So the Native Americans lost their territory.
It is believed that the Memorial is based on the theme of racial superiority. Carved into the hillside are images of the four presidents whose reign was characterized by the most active land acquisition from Native Americans. In addition, the author of the Borglum monument was an active member of the Ku Klux Klan, an organization whose members claimed the superiority of white people over representatives of other races.
Interesting Facts
Mount Rushmore is one of the monuments that can stand without exaggeration for a century - the natural destruction of stone is only one inch in ten thousand years. Despite the durability provided by nature itself, a three-dimensional scan of the monument was carried out in 2010 - this measure will allow to restore its original appearance in case of unforeseen destruction
The mountain got its name in honor of Charles Rushmore, a New York lawyer who often visited there
Initially, it was assumed that the image of Jefferson would be located to the right of Washington, but it turned out that the stone there was not suitable for such sculptural ones, and it had to be moved to another place
The size of the eyes of the stone presidents is about three meters in diameter
Borglum originally planned to create full-length images of the presidents
Borglum knew President Theodore Roosevelt personally
Gutson Borglum started this project in 1927, when he was already 60 years old. Despite the fact that the sculpture was created for such a long time, it only cost $ 1 million.
The carved faces are at an altitude of 1,676 meters above sea level. If the body were attached to the head on this scale, then the height of each figure would be about 142 meters. The height of each of the carved heads corresponds to the level of a 6-story building.
Measured from crown to chin, each sculpture is as tall as the Great Sphinx in Egypt. The width of each eye is about 3 m 30 cm, the mouth is about 5 m 50 cm, and the length of the nose of each president is about 6 meters.
Completing the construction of the monument was not easy. This took a lot of experience and skill. It took dynamite to clear the big rocks. First, the workers carved oval blocks that served as the basis for the heads. Then the specialists dug up the rock at a distance of several centimeters from the actual measurements. Further, they used tools such as pneumatic hammers, sledgehammers, wedges and nails to finally cut out the contours of the head. During this process, about 360 thousand tons of rocks were removed.
- Visiting sites at Mount Rushmore National Memorial are open year-round, seven days a week, with the exception of December 25. The information center is open from 8 am to 10 pm from late May to early September and until 5 pm from October to April. Opening hours can sometimes change. The sculptor's studio is open only during the warm season from 9 am to 6 pm. The lighting ceremony at the amphitheater starts at 21:00. The sculptures are illuminated for 1-2 hours at night throughout the year.
- There is no entrance fee to Mount Rushmore National Memorial. Payment is required only for a parking space.
- June, July and August are the peak of the influx of visitors, the busiest days are July 3 and 4. The best time to visit is September and October, or April and May.
- On the territory of the Memorial there are catering places and a souvenir shop. Food items are limited in winter.
- Mount Rushmore is facing southeast, the best time for viewing and photographing in the early morning.
How to get there
The nearest airport is in Rapid City, 36 km from Mount Rushmore National Memorial. From there by car, first take Highway 16A, then Highway 244. Or take Route 16 towards Keystone and then Highway 244 to Mount Rushmore. The Memorial does not serve public transport in Rapid City.
Well, this is how the mountain should probably look from the other side.