Every year, over three million visitors flock to South Dakota to see a special granite mountain called Mount Rushmore. Located in the Black Hills, Mount Rushmore National Memorial boasts of carvings of the faces of four past US presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. Did you know that it took 14 years to build this? Carving started out in 1927 and was finally completed in October 31, 1941. More than 350 people helped in making these 60 foot high carvings!

Mount Rushmore

The creation of Mount Rushmore was the brainchild of Jonah LeRoy “Doane” Robinson, a state historian of South Dakota. Known as the “Father of Mount Rushmore”, Robinson’s main goal was to make an attraction that would draw plenty of visitors to his state. He then made contact with a sculptor called Gutzon Borglum during 1924 and 1925. It was Borglum who initiated the idea that Mount Rushmore was a perfect location to make a grand monument. Backed up by Borglum’s words, Robinson worked with influential people like President Calvin Coolidge, Senator Peter Norbeck, Congressman William Williamson and John Boland to gain support in Congress and for the funding to proceed. Their efforts were successful as Congress agreed to give $250,000 as funding for the project and even created the Mount Rushmore National Memorial Commission.

Before sculptor Gutzon Borglum started carving work on Mount Rushmore in 1927, he first created a model of the past four presidents on a 1-to-12 inch scale. An inch on the model represented a foot on the cliff. In transferring the measurements, the workers had to determine where the top of the head would be so that an apparatus similar to a large protractor can track down the corresponding points on the cliff. The team quickly determined the amount of rocks to remove by substituting feet to inches.

It is interesting to note that 90% of the mountain was carved by dynamite. The use of dynamite made it easier to remove large pieces of rocks. Also, drillers used air-powered tools to do the process of “honeycombing”, which is drilling closely spaced holes to exacting depths. Using chisels and hammers, the rock between the holes was broken away. A pneumatic drill was used for the final process called “bumping” wherein a special bit also done to make the finished surface as smooth as a concrete sidewalk.

The faces of the presidents were done individually. The first to be carved was the face of George Washington in 1930. The second face that was carved was Thomas Jefferson in 1936. It was followed by the face of Abraham Lincoln in 1937. The last face to be carved was of Theodore Roosevelt in 1939. After Gutzon Borglum’s death, his son, Lincoln, devoted seven months in refining the monument. The construction stopped on October 31, 1941 where the historic monument was finally completed for all to see.

Today, Mount Rushmore does not only celebrate the wonderful craftsmanship of Gutzon Borglum and his team of workers. It also serves to immortalize the heroes of American history. Each of the faces in the monument symbolizes something. George Washington represented the struggle for independence of America. Thomas Jefferson represented the idea of democracy as the government by the people. Abraham Lincoln represented the ideas on equality and the permanent union of the states. Lastly, Theodore Roosevelt represented the 20th century role of the United States in world affairs. These faces look down from high above in the mountain to remind everyone that the impossible can be possible.

Visitors can also learn history while marveling at the great structure of Mount Rushmore! There are various educational tours that one can join. There is a Ranger Walk wherein you will walk with a park ranger for 30 minutes while he highlights the natural and cultural history of Mount Rushmore along with the Black Hills. There is also a Sculptor’s Studio Talk where you can learn about the different tools and techniques used in the carving of this mountain sculpture. It even includes demonstrations of the tools and stories from workers. In the evening, one can also join a program wherein the focus is on the presidents, patriotism and the history of the nation. Starting with a ranger talk, the evening program also presents a film called Freedom: America’s Lasting Legacy. There are also new tours like exploring the customs and traditions of local American Indian communities and a self audio tour where you can hear the story of Mount Rushmore while exploring the route around the park. These educational tours matched with the scenic beauty of Mount Rushmore makes a vacation to this place truly an amazing experience!

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