Mount Rushmore: A Token of America'a Past

Discover the history behind the national monument we all know as Mount Rushmore.

What is it about Mount Rushmore that draws nearly 3 million visitors every year to stand before the granite faces of our country's past Presidents? One of many national monuments, Rushmore represents much more than a hot spot tourist attraction that many believe it to have become.  Situated amidst the Black Hills of South Dakota, the sacred land of the Lakota Sioux, this 86 year old memento is a prime reminder of our American history, and of the patriotism our country has been consecrated with.

In the early 1920's, Doane Robinson, the official historian for the state of South Dakota, felt the extreme lack of tourism for the state, as many didn't visit due to tough, winding road conditions, apart from the lacking "tourist attractions," so to speak. He felt that South Dakota was beautiful, but he complained that tourists got tired of the scenery when there was "no special interest to make it personally impressive to them."  He envisioned a grand sculpture upon the granite facings of the Black Hills, one to commemorate the grand accomplishments of the nation, and he knew just the person to do it.

He wrote to Gutzon Borglum, a successful sculptor in the states, asking him if he would carve the later grand monument, into the granite cliff.  While Borglum was in the midst of carving a figure of Robert E. Lee into a cliff face in Georgia, he became well interested in Robinson's offer, knowing his relations and funding with the Stone Mountain Monumental Association was running low.  Soon, Borglum traveled to South Dakota to scope out the perfect site for the massive carving, and soon found it near Harney's Peak, one of South Dakota's largest mountains.

Interestingly enough today, many people believe the national monument received its name after its completion. But the mountain face was named in the 1880's after Charles Rushmore, an attorney who made mining claims in the area where the monument rises today.

Many candidates were considered during the time before the initial carving into Mount Rushmore, including Wild Buffalo Bill Cody, Red Cloud, and Lewis and Clark. But Borglum wanted to exemplify the first 150 years of the United States, and decided precisely on George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Teddy Roosevelt. George Washington represented the foundation of the country and the initial creation of the United States as a country. The significance in Thomas Jefferson was his wise decision to expand the country with the Louisiana Purchase, opening western lands to new settlers. Abraham Lincoln was looked at as the one who held our country together during the Civil War, even when the southern states seceded from the union. As for Teddy Roosevelt, many of whom wonder his significance, he was responsible for developing the United States into a strong, powerful nation. Borglum, among others, thought that these 4 past Presidents would be gloriously represented by this carving.  He said that he wanted people to come to see his monument out of interest, but leave a better, well rounded American citizen.

Initially, Borglum wanted to carve the Presidents from head to waist, as he envisioned a large sculpture, one that would last thousands of years, similar to that of The Stonehenge.  When the carving started in 1927, it was hoped by the government that funds for the memorial would be covered only half by them, and the other half from other sources.  Although Borglum dreamed of carving the presidents from head to waist, federal funding just wasn't enough, although federal funding provided nearly 85% of the funding that went into building the monument.

All together, about 400 men were hired to work on the carving, only about 30 men at time.  Despite the low wages and dangerous work conditions, many men still sacrificed themselves for the job when the Great Depression rolled around a few years later, as they were desperate for money.  Nearly the entire cliff side was carved using dynamite, and other smaller portions were chiseled away using smaller tools.

The construction continued until 1941, when Borglum, age 73, died after having complications from surgery. His son, Lincoln, took over for him briefly. But as federal funds were low, and the United States had just entered World War II, it was decided that the continuation of construction was to be ceased, and that the monument must be considered as "completed."

Many people today do not know the original intentions of the carvings into the face of Mount Rushmore, and would be surprised to know that the faces we see carved up there today could have been entirely different people.  It is because of Borglum's original intentions that this national monument is known greatly today, and because of his wise selection of those Presidents who carried this nation to where it stands today.