Mt. Rushmore

Mt. Rushmore isn't really on the way to anywhere or near anything.  So we after many years of wanting to visit, we decided that we would just have to make a point to go there, and we are SO glad that we did! 

QUICK NOTES:

When we visited: early Sept. 2017

What the weather was like: cool and clear.  Definitely jacket weather, it got chilly as the sun went down

How long we spent there: 3-4 hours

Was that long enough?  Yes.  You really need half a day to do the hiking around, visit the Sculptor's Studio and visit the gift shop (Sadly, I just found out that the Sculptor's Studio is closed until Spring 2019 for renovation.)

What was the price:  the National Park is free, but parking is $10

Where can you get more information:

• Mt. Rushmore National Memorial Official Website
• The History Channel: Mt. Rushmore

-----------------------------------------------------------------

The Black Hills of South Dakota are beautiful!  Those who lived there knew it, but very few others.  In the early 1920's, 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 a carving of the Confederate General Robert E. Lee at Stone Mountain in Georgia.  Borglum suggested that George Washington and Abraham Lincoln would make better subjects for the carving because they would attract more interest from people from all over the country. Later, Thomas Jefferson and Theodore Roosevelt were added to the list. 

Why were these presidents chosen?

• 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.  
• Thomas Jefferson was the author of the Declaration of Independence and 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.  

Mount Rushmore in South Dakota’s Black Hills National Forest is now the site of the four large carved sculptures depicting the faces of U.S. Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. Led by the sculptor Gutzon Borglum, work on the project began in 1927 and was finally completed in 1941. During that time, some 400 workers worked on the sculpture under dangerous conditions,  a total of 450,000 tons of rock was removed in order to create the enormous carved heads, each of which reach a height of 60 feet (18 meters). In sculptor Gutzon Borglum’s original design, the four presidents were meant to be represented from the waist up, but the project ran out of money and  stopped the carving after completing only their faces. Doane Robinson got his wish and Mt. Rushmore attracts about 2 million visitors every year, and is one of the most popular tourist attractions in America.

Fun Facts About Mount Rushmore:
From this site

• 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. 
• 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. 

Clowards Untethered Notes:

• Our favorite part was visiting the Sculptor's Studio.  There you find the original replica that was used to make measurements during the carving.  It's 1/12 the size of what was sculpted on the mountain.

• If you can time it right, try to listen to a Ranger's program.  The Rangers are extremely knowledgeable and can explain how the sculpture was made and answer any questions you have.

• While you're there hiking around, try to find where we took this picture...