Mount Rushmore--Presidents: A Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary Amy Bracewell for National Park Service Every year, the many visitors to Mount Rushmore National Memorial in the Black Hills of South Dakota draw inspiration from the colossal portraits of four outstanding presidents of the United States: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt. Gutzon Borglum carved his gigantic Shrine of Democracy Sculpture into ancient granite high on the southeast face of Mount Rushmore “in commemoration of the foundation, preservation, and continental expansion of the United States.” The faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt are about 60 feet high, and the grouping extends approximately 185 feet along the crest of Mount Rushmore. Dark ponderosa pines and other evergreens set off the stark white sculpture. Added at the time of the Bicentennial of the Declaration of Independence in 1976, a flag-lined formal Avenue of Flags creates an impressive approach. In 1923, South Dakota State Historian Doane Robinson came up with an idea for attracting tourists to the State. Robinson envisioned shaping a cluster of tall thin granite peaks called the Needles into statues of explorers and Indian leaders.

The Needles stand where the Black Hills rise from the plains as a gateway to the Rocky Mountains and the West. In 1924, Robinson wrote sculptor Gutzon Borglum about his idea. Borglum telegraphed back his enthusiastic support. Avenue of Flags at Mount Rushmore National Memorial Amy Bracewell for National Park Service Born to a Danish American family on a homestead in Idaho in 1867, Gutzon Borglum made his name celebrating things American in a big way. In 1908, he created a large, 40 inches-high head of Abraham Lincoln. Representatives of the United Daughters of the Confederacy soon contacted him about creating a portrait head of Robert E. Lee on the side of Stone Mountain in Georgia. Convinced that the scale of the mountain would dwarf a single head, he convinced them to create a huge group portrait of General Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and Jefferson Davis. Borglum completed the head of Lee in 1924, but a dispute with the backers of the project soon led to his dismissal and the eventual removal of his work. His departure from Georgia made it possible for him to concentrate on Mount Rushmore.

Borglum scouted out a location far better than the fragile Needles: 5,725-foot Mount Rushmore. Its broad wall of exposed granite was more suitable for sculpture and received direct sunlight for most of the day. Borglum himself selected the presidents for the memorial, to reflect the nation’s first 150 years of history and to make the project a national, rather than regional one. Original plans included only George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Borglum picked George Washington the father of the new country because he was a leader in the American Revolution, the first president of the United States, and the man who laid the foundation of American democracy. Abraham Lincoln was selected for preserving the Union during the Civil War and abolishment of slavery. As the project progressed, Borglum added Thomas Jefferson and Theodore Roosevelt. Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence, began America’s westward expansion by purchasing the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803, which doubled the size of the country, adding all or part of 15 present-day States.

Theodore Roosevelt, 26th president of the United States and extremely popular in the early 20th century, linked the east and the west through the construction of the Panama Canal and was famous as a “trust buster,” fighting large corporate monopolies and championing the working man. Initial planning and fund-raising began in August 1925. The project was almost out of money in 1927 before carving even began. Borglum and the planners succeeded in getting the support of President Coolidge when he was vacationing in the Black Hills. Coolidge dedicated the memorial in 1927. In the closing days of his term in office, he signed a bill approving matching funds. The Federal Government would eventually cover almost all of the almost million-dollar cost of construction. On October 4, 1927, the carving process began. Local gold miners carefully removed rock from the mountain using small charges of dynamite, leaving a three to six inch layer of granite. They used 75-pound jackhammers to remove the next layer and then the carvers took over. First, they drilled a series of shallow holes and then removed the area between them, often by hand.

Hand tools smoothed the stone and added small details, like wrinkles and moles. Four hundred people worked on the project. Frequently suspended because of bad weather and money problems, the work was dangerous, but miraculously there were no fatal accidents. During the Depression, it was welcome relief work for many, and for many others it came to be a labor of love. As “Red” Anderson said, "more and more we sensed that we were creating a truly great thing." Interpretive ranger program Mount Rushmore - U.S. Presidents - HISTORY.com Google The Birth of Mount Rushmore Mount Rushmore, located just north of Custer State Park in South Dakota’s Black Hills National Forest, was named for the New York lawyer Charles E. Rushmore, who traveled to the Black Hills in 1884 to inspect mining claims in the region. When Rushmore asked a local man the name of a nearby mountain, he reportedly replied that it never had a name before, but from now on would be known as Rushmore Peak (later Rushmore Mountain or Mount Rushmore). Did You Know? A bill introduced in Congress in 1937 proposed that a carving of Susan B.

Anthony's head be included among the luminaries at Mount Rushmore, but fell through due to a rider on the existing appropriations bill mandating that federal funds be spent only on those carvings already begun. Seeking to attract tourism to the Black Hills in the early 1920s, South Dakota’s state historian Doane Robinson came up with the idea to sculpt “the Needles” (several giant natural granite pillars) into the shape of historic heroes of the West. He suggested Red Cloud, a Sioux chief, as a potential subject. In August 1924, Robinson contacted Gutzon Borglum, an American sculptor of Danish descent who was then working on carving an image of the Confederate General Robert E. Lee into the face of Georgia’s Stone Mountain. Luckily for Robinson, the headstrong Borglum was on the outs with the group that had commissioned the Lee sculpture, and would soon abandon the project. Borglum suggested that the subjects of the South Dakota work be George Washington and Abraham Lincoln , as that would attract more national interest. He would later add Thomas Jefferson and Theodore Roosevelt to the list, in recognition of their contributions to the birth of democracy and the growth of the United States.

Sculpting the Presidents at Mount Rushmore During a second visit to the Black Hills in August 1925, Borglum identified Mount Rushmore as the desired site of the sculpture. Even as local Native Americans and environmentalists voiced their opposition to the project, deeming it a desecration of the natural landscape, Robinson worked tirelessly to raise funding for the project, aided by Rapid City Mayor John Boland and Senator Peter Norbeck, among others. After President Calvin Coolidge traveled to the Black Hills for his summer vacation, the sculptor convinced the president to deliver an official dedication speech at Mount Rushmore on August 10, 1927; carving began that October. In 1929, during the last days of his presidency, Coolidge signed legislation appropriating $250,000 in federal funds for the Rushmore project and creating the Mount Rushmore National Memorial Commission to oversee its completion. Boland was made the president of the commission’s executive committee, though Robinson (to his immense disappointment) was excluded.

To carve the four presidential heads into the face of Mount Rushmore, Borglum utilized new methods involving dynamite and pneumatic hammers to blast through a large amount of rock quickly, in addition to the more traditional tools of drills and chisels. Some 400 workers removed around 450,000 tons of rock from Mount Rushmore, which still remains in a heap near the base of the mountain. Though it was arduous and dangerous work, no lives were lost during the completion of the carved heads. Mount Rushmore as a “Shrine of Democracy” On July 4, 1930, a dedication ceremony was held for the head of Washington . After workers found the stone in the original site to be too week, they moved Jefferson’s head from the right of Washington’s to the left; the head was dedicated in August 1936, in a ceremony attended by President Franklin D. Roosevelt . In September 1937, Lincoln’s head was dedicated, while the fourth and final head–that of FDR’s fifth cousin, Theodore Roosevelt–was dedicated in July 1939.

Gutzon Borglum died in March 1941, and it was left to his son Lincoln to complete the final details of Mount Rushmore in time for its dedication ceremony on October 31 of that year. Mount Rushmore National Memorial, known as the “Shrine of Democracy,” has become one of the most iconic images of America and an international tourist attraction. In 1959 it was made even more famous as the scene of a climactic chase scene in Alfred Hitchcock’s “North by Northwest.” (In fact, South Dakota did not allow filming on Mount Rushmore itself, and Hitchcock had a large-scale model of the mountain built in a Hollywood studio.) In 1991, Mount Rushmore celebrated its 50th anniversary after undergoing a $40 million restoration project. The National Park Service, which maintains Mount Rushmore, records upwards of 2 million visitors every year. Tags Mount Rushmore National Memorial Lincoln figure on Mount Rushmore, 1937 Mount Rushmore National Memorial A Local Legacy Can you name the presidents carved on Mount Rushmore? Carving started on the amazing Mount Rushmore National Memorial in 1927.

It continued for 14 years, with the help of more than 350 people. The faces of four presidents are carved into the mountainside: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt. At first, there was a suggestion to carve famous western figures, people like Buffalo Bill, Lewis & Clark, and Sacagawea. But a special group, a "commission," instead chose these presidents because they best represented the "foundation, expansion and preservation" of the United States. A sculptor named Gutzon Borglum was asked to design Mount Rushmore. He chose the dramatic setting for this sculpture in the Black Hills of South Dakota. He decided that the best way to remove large pieces of rock from the mountain was to use dynamite. He and his workers became skilled at carving Mount Rushmore using carefully placed dynamite. In fact, more than 90 percent of the mountain was carved by dynamite! The rest was finished using air hammers. The faces of the presidents were finished one by one, Washington in 1930, Jefferson in 1936, Lincoln in 1937 and Roosevelt in 1939.

Today, Mount Rushmore is one of the most recognized monuments in the United States, with more than 2.7 million visitors each year. page 1 of 1 Mount Rushmore Audio Tour Mount Rushmore National Memorial is one of the country's most recognizable landmarks, attracting more than two million people each year. This huge sculpture features the carved faces of four beloved U.S. presidents approximately sixty feet in height. The four presidents from left to right are George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. These four distinguished leaders were chosen by the lead sculptor of the project because of their role in preserving the country and expanding it. George Washington George Washington was born on February 22, 1732, and is most famous for being the first President of the United States. His role as commander of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War prior to his presidency was also key in obtaining independence from the British. With George Washington's incredible influence in the formation of the country, he is referred to with much affection as the "Father" of the country.

One of his most notable quotes is, "It is better to be alone than in bad company." Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson was born on April 13, 1743, and served as the third President of the United States. He is also well known as being the main author of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. His visions of what America should be have made him one of the most influential of the Founding Fathers. Major accomplishments during his presidency include the Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis and Clark Expedition. He is known for many philosophical statements, including, "A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine." Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt was born on October 27, 1858, and is well known for his energetic persona and his cowboy image. He served as the twenty-sixth President of the United States, and was a key figure in the Republican Party during his political career. He is also known for inviting the press into the White House for daily briefings, which later became a tradition, and for adding on to the Monroe Doctrine, and passing the Pure Food and Drug Act.

Theodore Roosevelt was known to have said, "A man who is good enough to shed his blood for the country is good enough to be given a square deal afterwards." Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, and served as the 16th President of the United States. Although his presidential term was cut short when he was assassinated in 1865, he led the country through the Civil War and was successful in ending slavery in the country. His Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 abolished slavery, and he also promoted passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution. In speaking of the Civil War, Lincoln stated, "A house divided against itself cannot stand." Mount Rushmore Grand Legends Tour You can learn more about Mount Rushmore and the many other attractions in the area with the nine hour Mount Rushmore Grand Legends Tour. This comprehensive guided tour begins with a visit to Mount Rushmore, and then moves on to Custer State Park , the Iron Mountain Road, Sylvan Lake , and the Crazy Horse Memorial . The final leg of this great experience takes you on the 1880 Train , a vintage train that travels across the Black Hills .

Facts About Mount Rushmore Facts About Mount Rushmore By Martin Kelly Updated April 08, 2016. Mount Rushmore, also known as the President's Mountain, is located in the Black Hills of Keystone, South Dakota . The sculpture of four famous presidents, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln, was carved into the granite rock face. According to the National Park Service, the monument is visited each year by more than three million people. History of Mount Rushmore National Park Mount Rushmore National Park was the brainchild of Doane Robinson, known as the “Father of Mount Rushmore.” His goal was to create an attraction that would draw people from all over the country to his state. Robinson contacted Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor who was working on the monument at Stone Mountain, Georgia. Borglum met with Robinson during 1924 and 1925. He was the one who identified Mount Rushmore as a perfect location for a grand monument. This was due to the cliff's height above the surrounding area and the fact that it faced southeast to take advantage of the rising sun each day.

continue reading below our video 10 Facts About the Titanic That You Don't Know Robinson worked with John Boland, President Calvin Coolidge , Congressman William Williamson, and Senator Peter Norbeck to gain support in Congress and the funding to proceed. Congress agreed to match up to $250,000 of funding for the project and created the Mount Rushmore National Memorial Commission. Work began on the project. By 1933, the Mount Rushmore project became part of the National Park Service. Borglum did not like having the NPS oversee the construction. However, he continued to work on the project until his death in 1941. The monument was deemed complete and ready for dedication on October 31, 1941. Why Each of the Four Presidents Was Chosen Borglum made the decision about which presidents to include on the mountain. Following are the main reasons according to the National Park Service why each was chosen for the sculpture: George Washington - He was the first president and represented the foundation of American democracy. Thomas Jefferson - With the Louisiana Purchase, he greatly expanded the nation. He was also the author of the hugely influential Declaration of Independence.

Theodore Roosevelt - He not only represented the industrial development of the nation, but was also widely known for conservation efforts. Abraham Lincoln - As the president during the US Civil War, he represents the preservation of the nation above all costs. Facts About Mount Rushmore Thomas Jefferson was originally started on George Washington's right. However, after 18 months they realized that it was not working. Jefferson's face was dynamited off and carved on the other side. It took 14 years to complete Mount Rushmore. No one died while building Mount Rushmore. The sculpture cost $989,992.32 to build. There is a cave behind the carving called the "Hall of Records." It was intended to house the story of Mount Rushmore but was never completed due to lack of funding. George Washington's face is 60 feet long. 90% of the heads were carved with dynamite You can visit the Avenue of Flags at Mount Rushmore representing the 50 states , District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico , American Samoa Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands. Gutzon Borglum studied in Paris and became friends with Auguste Rodin who heavily influenced the young artist.

Borglum was the first American sculptor to have his work purchased by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City . While Borglum had begun the sculpture on Stone Mountain, Georgia, he never finished it. He left on bad terms, and his work was cleared away from the mountain face. Another sculptor, Augustus Lukeman, was called in to finish the work. Borglum was a member of the Freemasons and possibly a member of the Ku Klux Klan . Borglum was often away during the sculpting of Mount Rushmore. While it was being completed, he also made a sculpture of Thomas Paine for Paris and Woodrow Wilson for Poland. His son supervised the work on the mountain during his absence. Whose Faces are on Mount Rushmore? Follow Us Whose Faces are on Mount Rushmore? Mount Rushmore attracts approximately three million people every year, making this Shrine of Democracy a monumental destination. People visit this site to personally see and witness this humongous mountain carving of great leaders and to appreciate the sculptor's ability to think big.

Advertisement "The purpose of the memorial is to communicate the founding, expansion, preservation, and unification of the United States with colossal statues of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt." - Gutzon Borglum (sculptor) The idea of having famous and inspirational faces carved on a mountainside was first conceptualized by Doane Robinson, who was the state historian of South Dakota. He conceived the thought in 1923, to attract more people to South Dakota with gigantic carvings of western heroes like Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, John Fremont and George Armstrong Custer near the area known as the Needles. Gutzon Borglum, who was to sculpt these heroes, inspected the area and found it to be unfit for carving, and convinced Robinson that the carvings of National heroes on Mount Rushmore would be ideal for both tourism and as a base for patriotism. Not many people know that Mount Rushmore was an incomplete monument. The Sculptor's Studio displays Borglum's original working model, that shows the full bust of these presidents rather than just their faces. But when Borglum ran out of quality granite, and the project ran out of money, the plan was dismissed.

Interestingly, Mount Rushmore was originally known as 'Six Grandfathers' to the Sioux community. It got its present name from an esteemed New York lawyer, Charles E. Rushmore, who was inspecting the legal aspects of the properties situated in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Gutzon Borglum described the illustrious Mount Rushmore, saying, "Hence, let us place there, carved high, as close to heaven as we can, the works of our leaders, their faces, to show posterity what manner of men they were. Then breathe a prayer that these records will endure until the wind and the rain alone shall wear them away." Why were these Four Presidents Preferred? Robinson and Borglum envisioned heroes who displayed exceptional courage, nobility and strength. Someone who fought for a cause, for freedom and equality. These four former United States Presidents were chosen to honor them for their outstanding contributions and patriotic guidance. George Washington was selected because he was regarded as the father of the United States and represented its struggle for independence, its constitution and its liberty.

He once said, "Liberty, when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth." Thomas Jefferson was honored as the author of the Declaration of Independence, a representative government, and for the expansion of the United States through the Louisiana Purchase. He used to say, "Rightful liberty is unobstructed action, according to our will, within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others." Theodore Roosevelt was selected because he saw through the completion of the Panama Canal, linking the two oceans and opening the connecting waters of the East and the West. He once said, "It is not what we have, that will make us a great nation; it is the way in which we use it." Abraham Lincoln was chosen for preserving the Union through one of America's darkest hours and for the ideals of freedom and equality for all. He left us saying, "I leave you, hoping that the lamp of liberty will burn in your bosoms until there shall no longer be a doubt that all men are created free and equal." The Nitty-Gritty's of Mount Rushmore Doane Robinson gained support from major players in South Dakota and Washington D.C. with the help of Senator Peter Norbeck and Congressman William Williamson.

The US Congress passed legislation authorizing the mountain carving in Harney National Forest Preserve (now Black Hills National Forest) which is located in the southwestern part of South Dakota. Four hundred workers were employed, machines were set up and facilities were developed. Borglum began carving the mountain on October 4, 1927. The work was initiated with the face of George Washington followed by Thomas Jefferson on Washington's right side. After around two years of working on Jefferson's face, the granite was found to be badly cracked and Jefferson's face had to be blasted off the mountain. Jefferson was started again on the left side of Washington. The four faces were completed and unveiled one by one for the public, beginning with President George Washington's face, which was finished in the year 1934. President Thomas Jefferson's face followed in the year 1936, with President Abraham Lincoln being completed in the year 1937, and finally President Theodore Roosevelt in the year 1939. All the other Presidents' noses were carved 20 feet long, except George Washington's nose, which was carved 21 feet long.

After the death of Gutzon Borglum, it was his son Lincoln Borglum who added final touches and completed the memorial on October 31, 1941. To help preserve this landmark - in the year 2005, Karcher's (a German company known for its superior pressure washers) were selected to clean and remove lichen, algae, moss that were present on Mount Rushmore. The cleaning was carried out solely with hot water. No chemicals were used. Today, many visitors are emotionally evoked at the mere sight of this magnificent monument, carved in hard granite. Gutzon Borglum once told his son Lincoln that, "Nothing but the Almighty can stop me from completing this task.", showing his determination and ability to think big. So, what does Mount Rushmore mean to you? If important figures of today were to be carved, whose faces would you choose and why? Prabhakar Pillai Carving History - Mount Rushmore National Memorial (U.S. National Park Service) Carving History Gutzon Borglum observes two workers carving an eye on Mount Rushmore.

Charles D'Emery October 4, 1927 - October 31, 1941 Mount Rushmore is a project of colossal proportion, colossal ambition and colossal achievement. It involved the efforts of nearly 400 men and women. The duties involved varied greatly from the call boy to drillers to the blacksmith to the housekeepers. Some of the workers at Mount Rushmore were interviewed, and were asked, "What is it you do here?" One of the workers responded and said, "I run a jackhammer." Another worker responded to the same question, " I earn $8.00 a day." However, a third worker said, "I am helping to create a memorial." The third worker had an idea of what they were trying to accomplish. The workers had to endure conditions that varied from blazing hot to bitter cold and windy. Each day they climbed 700 stairs to the top of the mountain to punch-in on the time clock. Then 3/8 inch thick steel cables lowered them over the front of the 500 foot face of the mountain in a "bosun chair".

Some of the workers admitted being uneasy with heights, but during the Depression, any job was a good job. The work was exciting, but dangerous. 90% of the mountain was carved using dynamite . The powdermen would cut and set charges of dynamite of specific sizes to remove precise amounts of rock. Before the dynamite charges could be set off, the workers would have to be cleared from the mountain. Workers in the winch house on top of the mountain would hand crank the winches to raise and lower the drillers. If they went too fast, the drillers in their bosun chairs would be dragged up on their faces. To keep this from happening, young men and boys were hired as call boys. Call boys sat at the edge of the mountain and shout messages back and forth assuring safety. During the 14 years of construction not one fatality occurred. Dynamite was used until only three to six inches of rock was left to remove to get to the final carving surface. At this point, the drillers and assistant carvers would drill holes into the granite very close together. This was called honeycombing. The closely drilled holes would weaken the granite so it could be removed often by hand.

Visitors to the site were very interested in the honeycombed granite and would often ask, "How can I get a piece of rock like that?" The hoist operator would usually respond, "Oh, I can't give that away. I'm holding onto it for a buddy of mine that works up on the mountain." The visitor would respond, "I'll pay, I'll give you $2.00 for it." The hoist operator's reply was, "Nope, nope, I'd really catch it if I gave away my buddies piece of granite." If the visitors were very determined to get a piece of that granite, they would make another offer. "I'll give you $6.00 for that piece of honeycomb granite." The hoist operator would pretend to pause and think about it... then he would say, "Alright for $6.00 I'm willing to take the heat." The hoist operator would give the visitors the piece of honeycombed granite and take their $6.00. The visitor would leave very pleased with their rare and hard won souvenir.

The hoist operator would wait until he was sure the visitors were gone and he would get on the phone to the top of the mountain and say, "Boys send down another one!" Another piece of honeycombed granite was sent down, ready for the next visitor looking for a special souvenir from Mount Rushmore. After the honeycombing, the workers smoothed the surface of the faces with a hand facer or bumper tool. In this final step, the bumper tool would even up the granite, creating a surface as smooth as a sidewalk. From 1927 to 1941 the 400 workers at Mount Rushmore were doing more than operating a jackhammer, they were doing more than earning $8.00 a day, they were building a Memorial that people from across the nation and around the world would come to see for generations. Mount Rushmore National Memorial travel guide - Wikitravel 10 Get out Mount Rushmore National Memorial [1] is a United States National Memorial located in the American state of South Dakota , in the vicinity (35 miles) of Rapid City .

Featuring the monumental faces of four former Presidents of the United States of America, blasted and carved from the white rock, Mount Rushmore represents an iconic destination for many travellers to the area. Mount Rushmore depicts the faces of four former U.S. Presidents (from left to right): George Washington, first president Theodore Roosevelt, twenty-sixth president Abraham Lincoln, sixteenth president The four, 60-foot granite faces of Mount Rushmore National Memorial draw more than three million visitors each year, and that's just for each head! The first blast on the mountain occurred in 1927. Under the direction of sculptor Gutzon Borglum, 400 workers labored through hot summers and cold winters to create the sculpture, nearly 500 feet up the side of the mountain. More than 90 percent of the mountain was carved using dynamite. The fine details of the faces were achieved with a jackhammer. Operators hung from the top of the mountain in bosun chairs held by steel cables. Despite the dangerous work, during the 14 years of construction, not a single person died. The memorial was officially declared complete on October 31, 1941.

However, Gutzon Borglum’s vision was not totally completed – original plans included head-to-waist depictions of the presidents. When Borglum died suddenly in July 1941, his son, Lincoln, tried to continue his father’s work, but funding ran out as America entered World War II. Visitors wanting to see a model of Borglum’s original dream can view it at the Sculptor’s Studio located at the Memorial. Another part of Borglum’s grand vision was for a Hall of Records to be carved into the canyon behind the faces. Borglum envisioned a majestic room that held important documents like the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Borglum started blasting the hall, but never finished it. On August 9, 1998, Borglum’s Hall of Records was somewhat completed when a repository was placed in the floor of the hall entry. Inside a titanium vault are sixteen porcelain enamel panels inscribed with the story of Mount Rushmore, the reasons for selecting the four presidents and a short history of the United States. The Hall of Records is not accessible to visitors, but is left as a record for people thousands of years from now.

History[ edit ] Mount Rushmore is named after Charles E. Rushmore, a New York City attorney who was sent out to this area in 1884 to check legal titles on properties. The giant outcropping of rock was a favorite place that many presidents visited with their families. The four granite faces that give the mountain its greatest claim to fame were carved over a 14-year period (October 4, 1927 - October 31, 1941) by over 400 workers under the supervision of Gutzon Borglum, an American sculptor. Each face is about 60 feet high; if the bodies were to be included, each figure would be about 460 feet high. Mount Rushmore is a project of colossal proportion, colossal ambition and colossal achievement. It involved the efforts of nearly 400 men and women. The duties involved varied greatly from the call boy to drillers to the blacksmith to the housekeepers. The workers had to endure conditions that varied from blazing hot to bitter cold and windy. Each day they climbed 700 stairs to the top of the mountain to punch-in on the time clock.

Then 3/8 inch thick steel cables lowered them over the front of the 500 foot face of the mountain in a "bosun chair". Some of the workers admitted being uneasy with heights, but during the Depression, any job was a good job. The work was exciting, but dangerous, 90% of the mountain was carved using dynamite . The powdermen would cut and set charges of dynamite of specific sizes to remove precise amounts of rock. Before the dynamite charges could be set off, the workers would have to be cleared from the mountain. Workers in the winch house on top of the mountain would hand crank the winches to raise and lower the drillers. During the 14 years of construction not one fatality occurred. Dynamite was used until only three to six inches of rock was left to remove to get to the final carving surface. At this point, the drillers and assistant carvers would drill holes into the granite very close together. This was called honeycombing. The closely drilled holes would weaken the granite so it could be removed often by hand. After the honeycombing, the workers smoothed the surface of the faces with a hand facer or bumper tool.

In this final step, the bumper tool would even up the granite, creating a surface as smooth as a sidewalk. From 1927 to 1941 the 400 workers at Mount Rushmore physically sculpted, through the rock and soil, a landmark that people from across the nation and around the world would travel to see for generations to come. By plane[ edit ] The closest commercial airport to Mount Rushmore is Rapid City Regional Airport [2] . South Dakota State Route 16 links Rapid City with Mount Rushmore. By road[ edit ] Travelers on I-90 should exit at Rapid City and follow Highway 16 southwest to Keystone and then Highway 244 to Mount Rushmore. Travelers coming from the south should follow Highway 385 north to Highway 244, which is the road leading to the National Memorial. Fees/Permits[ edit ] Entrance to the Memorial is free; however, there is a fee to park. This fee isn't covered by the National Park Pass, Golden Age or Golden Access Passport cards because the parking facilities are privately owned.

The structure was built to accommodate visitation, and because federal or donated funds weren't available, it was contracted out, and the non-profit organization became Presidential Parking Inc. Parking is $11 for private vehicles (cars, motorcycles, and RVs). Mount Rushmore National Memorial Information more "The purpose of the memorial is to communicate the founding, expansion, preservation, and unification of the United States with colossal statues of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt." - Gutzon Borglum Mount Rushmore National Memorial is host to almost three million visitors a year from across the country and around the world. They come to marvel at the majestic beauty of the Black Hills of South Dakota and to learn about the birth, growth, development, and preservation of our country. Over the decades, Mount Rushmore has grown as a symbol of America - a symbol of freedom and hope for people from all cultures and backgrounds. All the cultures that make up the fabric of this country are represented by the memorial and surrounding Black Hills. One of the most important gifts we can give our visitors at Mount Rushmore National Memorial is an understanding and love for our nation's history and cultures and an appreciation of the importance of caring for that legacy.

more The Black Hills The Black Hills, known as Paha Sapa (hills that are black) are sacred to the Sioux. Throughout the centuries, many tribal nations lived and traveled within reach of what would become the Mount Rushmore National Memorial. The first European explorers to see the Black Hills were probably Francis and Louis-Joseph Verendrye. These French explorers were traveling through South Dakota near the Missouri River. The exact route they were using is unknown, but according to Louis-Joseph's journal, on New Year's Day in 1743, they were on a bluff overlooking the Missouri River and were "...in sight of mountains." It was reported that their American Indian guides would not take them any closer to the mountains because hostile bands of Indians were known to live there. Lewis and Clark heard tales about the Hills from other traders and trappers, but it wasn't until 1823 that Jedediah Smith and a group of about 15 traders actually traveled through them. While fur trade was at its peak, the Black Hills were explored to some extent by adventuresome trappers, but because the hills were considered sacred by the Lakota, most trappers avoided the area.

Several reports of the discovery of gold in the "Black Hills" were heard during this time. However, the exact location where the gold was discovered was often confusing because the Laramie Range in Wyoming was also occasionally called the "Black Hills." As immigration across the continent increased there was a marked decline in American Indian-white relations. The Army established outposts nearby, but they seldom entered the Black Hills, thinking that doing so would surely cause trouble. Trouble, however, was already brewing. Bands of Lakota reportedly raided settlements and then retreated to the cover of the Hills. Because of this, Lt. G.K. Warren was assigned the task of making a thorough reconnaissance of the plains of South Dakota, including the area known as the Black Hills. The study of the area was supplemented by another reconnaissance in 1859-60 by Capt. W.F. Reynolds and Dr. F.V. Hayden. In 1861, residents of what is now Eastern South Dakota were organizing groups of miners and explorers to investigate the Hills and reports of gold found there. In 1865 they asked Congress for a military reconnaissance to do a geological survey on the Black Hills.

The military recognized the importance that the Lakota Nations attached to the area, and in 1867 Gen. William T. Sherman stated that the Army was not in any position to investigate the Black Hills and would not protect any civilians who did so. Pressure to move into the Hills was temporarily halted in 1868 when the land west of the Missouri was granted to the Lakota in an effort to bring about a lasting peace with the tribes of the plains. The treaty prohibited settlers or miners from entering the Hills without authorization. In return, the Lakota agreed to cease hostilities against pioneers and people building the railroads. In 1870 stories continued to circulate in Eastern South Dakota about gold and other wealth to be had in the Hills. The citizens of Yankton again pressed for an expedition. The Army and the Department of the Interior tried to discourage any entry into the Hills. American Indian raids and constant pressure from the citizens of Yankton caused General Phillip Sheridan to propose an expedition to investigate the possibility of establishing a fort in the Black Hills. The Army suggested a fort to aid in controlling the bands of American Indians who would raid settlements and then return to the Hills to hide. The expedition, led by Lt. Col.

George A. Custer left from Fort Lincoln rather than Fort Laramie because of the large concentration of American Indians at Fort Laramie and the trouble that such an expedition would have caused. The purpose of Custer's expedition was to find a suitable location for a fort. However, for unexplained reasons, a geologist and several miners were included in the party. The miners occupied their time searching for gold, and on July 30, near the present-day town of Custer, their efforts were rewarded. After Custer's report of gold in the Hills, the citizens of Yankton again petitioned the government to open the Hills. The government held firm to the position that the Hills belonged to the Lakota. This did not stop the rush of hopeful miners. The first group to reach the Hills was the Gordon Party. Originally lead by Thomas Russell and later by John Gordon, the party consisted of 28 adventurers including Annie Tallent (Tallent is credited with being the first white woman in the Black Hills). They were soon forced to leave by the Army. During the winter of 1874 and 1875 the Army tried to keep miners and settlers out, but by spring they found the task to be impossible.

In 1875 another expedition organized by the Army entered the Hills to determine its true mineral value. Walter Jenney reported gold could be extracted with sophisticated equipment, but individual miners would have a hard time of it. By 1875 Col. Richard I. Dodge estimated 800 white men were mining or residing in the Hills. Mining camps were established near Custer, Hill City and Deadwood. As old claims played out, new ones were found and towns died or were born almost overnight. By 1876, approximately 10,000 people populated the Hills. In the spring of 1875 the federal government attempted to solve the problem of ownership of the Hills by inviting American Indian leaders to Washington D.C.. The American Indians refused all offers and would not relinquish ownership of the land. Some of the Indian wars that followed were a result of these problems. The ownership of the Black Hills is still in question. A 1980 Supreme Court decision that attempted to settle the issue by paying the Lakota tribes for the land was not accepted by the Lakota as many of them are still trying to gain ownership of the land sacred to them.

Mount Rushmore Getting the sculpting project underway was a challenge all by itself. Once State Historian Doane Robinson and others found a sculptor, Gutzon Borglum, they had to get permission to do the carving. Senator Peter Norbeck and Congressman William Williamson were instrumental in getting the legislation passed to allow the carving. Williamson drafted two bills, one each, to be introduced to Congress and the State Legislature. The bill, requesting permission to use federal land for the monument, was easily passed. The bill sent to the State of South Dakota was not going to be as easy. The Mount Harney National Memorial bill was defeated twice and almost a third time when, on March 5, 1925 Governor Gunderson signed the bill. The Mount Harney Memorial Association was established by the Governor later that summer. Early in the project money was hard to find despite Borglum's promise that eastern businessmen would gladly make large donations. He also promised the people of South Dakota that they would not be responsible for paying for any of the mountain carving. In the summer of 1927, President Calvin Coolidge was in the Black Hills, and Borglum was planning a formal dedication of the mountain.

Borglum hired a plane to fly over the State Game Lodge in Custer State Park where Coolidge was staying. As he flew by, Borglum dropped a wreath to invite the President to the dedication ceremony. Fortunately, Coolidge agreed to attend. On August 10, 1927 Mount Rushmore was formally dedicated. At the dedication ceremony President Coolidge gave a speech and promised federal funding for the project. A meeting was arranged for Borglum to meet with the Secretary of the Treasury, Andrew Mellon. Mellon's approval would be critical to the passage of the Mount Rushmore National Memorial Act through both houses of Congress. Borglum convinced Mellon of the project's importance. Mellon was willing to fund the entire project but Borglum said he would need only half the money from the government on a matching basis. The rest, he said, he could raise privately. Senator Norbeck was stunned that Borglum would turn down full funding. President Coolidge signed the bill authorizing federal funding. The Rushmore bill authorized government matching funds up to $250,000.00 and created the Mount Rushmore National Memorial Commission with 12 members appointed by the President.

Coolidge appointed ten of the twelve members and said Hoover should appoint the other two. When Hoover took office, he quickly appointed the final two members to the commission but did not meet with the Commission. The Commission had to meet with the President to begin work. Congressman Williamson was asked to make an appointment with the President, asking him to organize the Commission meeting. Frustrated by the slow pace, Borglum decided he would try to get in to see the President himself. When he got to the White House, he got into an altercation with the President's secretary and Williamson's appointment was cancelled. Eventually, Williamson got in to see the President, convinced him of the importance of the project and getting the first meeting of the Commission set up. Hoover met with the Commission within a couple of days. Officers were elected and on the day following the meeting, Williamson and Boland, the secretary of the executive committee, went to Mellon and received the first funding from the government. Mellon gave them $54,670.56 to match funds already spent by the Mount Harney Association. One notable exclusion from the new Mount Rushmore National Memorial Commission was Doane Robinson.

The father of the project was not even put on the list of potential candidates to serve on the committee to be selected by the President. Robinson continued to support the project and generously offered, "Let me help where I can." Soon, feeling unneeded, Robinson moved away from the Rushmore project. The Commission was organized and money was in the bank; work on the mountain could begin in earnest. Workers were hired, machinery was installed, and facilities were developed. In the 1930's Norbeck managed to get emergency relief funds through the New Deal and get those funds matched by the Rushmore Appropriation. In 1933 a major change developed with the signing of Executive Order 6166 by President Franklin Roosevelt. Mount Rushmore was placed under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service. Borglum did not like being under the "watchful eye of the government." Julian Spotts, an engineer by training, was sent by the National Park Service to assist with the work. Spotts made improvements that made work on the mountain more efficient and easier on the workers. In 1938 Borglum removed all roadblocks to his complete control over the Rushmore project.

At this time the Mount Rushmore Memorial Commission was reorganized, and new members who allowed Borglum complete control over almost everything were named. Borglum wanted to create the Hall of Records, a large repository carved into the side of the canyon behind the carving of the presidents to tell the story of Mount Rushmore and America. Work was stopped in 1939 when there was a threat of losing funding for the entire sculpture if the money was not used exclusively on the carving of the faces as was originally intended. Work on the Hall of Records stopped and was never started again. For the final two years of the project, Lincoln, Borglum's son, was in charge while Gutzon was constantly trying to get more money for the project. In March of 1941, as a final dedication was being planned, Gutzon Borglum died. With the artist gone and the impending involvement of America in World War II, finishing work on Mount Rushmore drew to a close. On October 31, 1941 the monument was declared complete. Receiving permission to do the carving, finding funding, and managing personalities were all a part of the challenge to establish Mount Rushmore National Memorial.

At times, it seemed harder to keep the project going than it was to do the colossal carving of the four presidents. In the end, cool heads, charm, and determination saw the memorial through to the end. Since, Mount Rushmore National Memorial has become a great icon of American history. more The field documentation at Mount Rushmore, including geo-referenced laser scanning and photography, took place in May of 2010. Teams from CyArk, Historic Scotland and the Glasgow School of Art (CDDV), RESPEC, and Wyss Associates, Inc. all worked together with National Park Service staff for over two weeks to fully document the sculpture and park grounds. In order to laser scan the face of the mountain sculpture completely, a special tripod rig was designed by the team, engineered by Hermanson Egge Engineering, and manufactured locally in Rapid City. The NPS ropes team repelled down the face of the mountain sculpture with this tripod rig and the laser scanner to scan the details of the sculpture that could not otherwise have been captured. During the two weeks of field documentation, over 200 laser scans were performed, collecting billions of data points.

In addition to the laser scan data collected, individual photographs and panoramic images were taken on the sculpture and throughout the park grounds. These images were used to photo-texture the laser scan data. All the data collected has been used to create a variety of media for digital preservation. This media will be used for the on-going preservation and conservation of the mountain and for public education and interpretation of the memorial. more As stewards of Mount Rushmore National Memorial, the National Park Service strives to preserve the mountain sculpture and its surrounding natural environment. NPS has slowed the process of erosion by sealing the cracks on the top of the sculpted portions of Mount Rushmore, leaving the vertical cracks open to allow the release of water to minimize the process of freezing and thawing, especially in the harsh unpredictable South Dakota winters. The National Park Service team uses strain gauges and fiber optic communication lines to gather data on the monitored blocks within the sculpture. The laser scan data is being used to closely examine the cracks within the sculpted part of Mount Rushmore. Examining these cracks helps determine their “strike and dip” or simply illustrate the direction in which the individual blocks would go if they did move.

This ability to forecast potential movement has been greatly enhanced by the data collected through the scanning process. The many facilities at the memorial have changed over time to better meet the needs of the increasing numbers of visitors over the years. In the mid-1990’s work began on the current facilities accommodating the nearly three million people that now visit Mount Rushmore National Memorial each year.

Question: How many US Presidents faces are carved into Mount Rushmore?
Answer: Four