Mount Rushmore

How did this sculpture come about? 

In 1923 Doane Robinson, superintendent of the South Dakota Historical Society had a vision of a massive mountain memorial carved from stone so large that it would put SD on the map. He dreamed of Western figures such as Chief Red Cloud, Buffalo Bill Cody, Lewis and Clark and Sioux warriors along the SD skyline. He asked US Senator Peter Norbeck to help with the project. Sculptor Gutzon Borglum accepted his offer to take on the project. 

Upon his arrival in Sept. 1924, Borglum informed Robinson that his life's work would not be spent immortalizing regional heroes. He insisted the project be national in nature and timeless in it's relevance to history. The four presidents chosen were to create a reminder of the birth, growth, preservation and development and pursuit of individual liberty. Borglum found Harney Peak (7,242) Aug 13, 1925. 

Supporters of the project scrambled for funding. 

In 1927, President Coolidge went to SD for a fishing vacation. He and his family stayed at the State Game Lodge in Custer State Park. Little did Coolidge know that the creek where he was fishing was being stocked each night from a local fish hatchery and the fish were contained in the area by chicken wire that had been stretched across the creek both upstream and downstream. This extended his vacation for 3 months which gave Borglum and Norbeck time to convince him to nparticipate in the formal dedication of Mt Rushmore. On Aug 10, 1927 Coolidge dedicated a cornerstone and declared Mt Rushmore a "national shrine" and pledged federal funding.

How long did the project take? 

Work began in 1927 and was on and off until 1941. Borglum employed 400 local workers and men highly skilled in using dynamite. They could blast within four inches of the finished surface and grade contours of the lips, nose, cheeks, necks and brow. 90%of the 450,000 tons of granite removed from the mountain was taken out with dynamite.

Borglum made a model on a 1-12 inch scale. (1 inch equals 1 foot). To transfer measurements from the model, the head placement was determined on the mountain, then the corresponding point was found on the model. A protractor was mounted horizontally on top of the model's head. A similar, 12 times larger, apparatus was placed on the mountain. By substituting feet for inches, workers could determine how much rock to remove. Drills and special bits were used to leave a finished surface as smooth as a sidewalk.

A driller was paid $1.25 per hour. The crew was often laid off due to lack of funds and harsh winter weather. After Borglum's death, his son, Lincoln, spent another 7 months refining the monument, but as America prepared for war, funds were diverted elsewhere. On Oct 31, 1941, Congress declared the monument complete

Years ago we took our kids to this landmark. Needless to say, it's changed. More commercial, more structures, more stores, more souvenirs, but the heads haven't changed and neither has the patriotic program. We chose to go at night. Our first encounter was the massive walkway to the mountain, the goats who came down to have dinner, a movie highlighting each of the presidents, the lighting of the heads and then they called all the past and present military personnel on to the stage. Each one gave his/her name and branch of service and then we all sang our national anthem. Very moving.