Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1915-10-22
MEMORIAL TO The CIVIL WAR
Gutzon Borglum Proposes Plan to
Make the Pyramids Of Egypt
Look Like Pikers.
STONE MOUNTAIN AT ATLANTA

by Gutzon BorglVm, when he passed
through Omaha last week, Is now dis
closed by the address delivered by him
at San Francisco before the convention
of the United Daughters of the Confed-
eracy, In which he proposes the CONVEX
sion OF "Stone mountain which Is a
natural shaft of granite sixteen miles
from Atlanta. into a colossal sculptured
monument as a southern memorial of the
great civil war. This project, II carried
out. would, he declares, make the pyra-
mids Of Egypt look insignificant in COM
parison. and outshine the Greek Aropolis.
Explaining his plan. Mr.. Borglum said:
Memorial to south.
TT has seemed to me that the only
fitting memorial to the south Of "a built
by the equally great south of our day is
to reconstruct, as we can, the great
characters of those days and In colossal
proportion carve them in high and full
relief in action. mounted and on foot.
moving across the face of the granite
mountain in the arrangement of two
wings Of an army. following the noun
tain contour, moving naturally across ifs
face to the east. These figures should be
in scale with the mountain; they must
be visible and readable at a distance Of
several miles, their likeness recognizable
and maintained. The groupings represent
the official heads of the south, including
officers. cavalry. artillery and infantry.
Portraits should include the foremost
men In the different branches OF the
service from each state.
81 have visited the mountain. examined
| its face and contours from all points of
view before recommending or even con-
ceiving this plan or method of production.
4 I have taken many photographs of the
/ various profiles OF the mountain, have
secured all available photographs extant.
acquainted myself with expert reports
upon the character OF the granite itself,
have consulted with experts upon the
engineering difficulties that must be over
/ come, and II Is after this careful ac-
quaintance with the subject directly in
hand that I recommend this method as
the possible one. as we'll as the most
heroic and monumental plan, suited to
| the position given us. / also propose, as
| shown in the rough sketch, to cut into
the face of the mountain at it's very base
and directly under the central group OF
Lee and Jackson. but hidden in the forest
and invisible from the spectators from
the neighboring hills. a huge colonnads
OF thirteen columns. one for each Of the
confederate states; these columns will
be cut standing in the face of the bass
of the mountain, the granite excavatet
around and back OF them. Back Of thes'
columns. I propose also to create room
reaching sixty feet into the mountain and
running entire length OF the colonnade,
this room. or great hall, to be hereafter
dedicated to the United Daughters OF the
Confederacy and to be used by them as q
gathering place. I further suggest thai
they deposit here their archives contain
ing the most complete record that can b.
assembled OF the war. This hall woul'
be approached through beautiful parl
which win be a part of and the propert!
of the reservation; a broad flight o.
granite steps would lead to the entrancI
and would complete the memorial. II
other words. this memorial Is contained
within the natural surface Of this grea
mountain.