An American icon. A representation of freedom, pride, and hope. A man made marvel, Mt Rushmore. We have all seen the picture. Four president faces carved into the granite mountain side of South Dakota’s Black Hills. Behind every piece of art, every city, every citizen is a story. How does a monolith piece such as Mt Rushmore come to be and why? Why were Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln choosen? Maybe it’s a question that you never think to ask, until you are face to face with this colossal piece of art.
As we trip through the Black Hills of South Dakota one gets a sense of pride from the people who live here. The beauty of the black hills mezmorizes you. Rolling green hills covered in Pondarosa Pine, large open meadows abudented with wild life, granite topped mountains and hidden caves. The locals will point you in the direction of their favorite gems and some will say “Have you been to Mt Rushmore?” Built for tourism it is a sight to behold.

My parents say that I have been to Mt Rushmore probably 40 times, however I only remember 1 time when I was 12 and my grandparents took me on a trip across the country. My parents and I left South Dakota when I was 3. Yet oddly it feels like home. Maybe it was the baby book filled with pictures at Mt Rushmore and the stories of weekend jaunts into the Black Hills or it could have been the pro American images of the busts flashed on the TV screen all of my life, either way once you see it for yourself it leaves you questioning how it cam into existence.
It all began in 1924 when Doane Robinson, a local historian, was looking to bring more tourism to the area. He contacted Danish American sculpture Gutzon Borglum, who was already working on a mountain carving in Georgia of Robert E Lee, to come and take a look at the Black Hills. Robinson originally thought that figures of the west like Buffalo Bill Cody and Red Cloud should be it’s subject, however Borglum wanted to appeal to a wider audience and thus chose the presidents.

“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

Why These Presidents?

It was a simple as one artists opinion on which men represented pivotal moments in history best. His reasoning was sound and so it was decided. Early models of the mountain showed the memorial to include Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln from the waist up. Roosevelt was a later addition and it should be noted that Roosevelt and Borglum were friends and supporters of one another. Whether this was the reason for the addition of Roosevelt is unknown as Borglum believed each man to have made great strides for the nation.

Washington
First President. Laid the foundation for democracy. Given the promonent position on the hill due to representing the birth of the nation.
“The preservation of the sacred fire of Liberty, and the destiny of the Republican model of Government, are justly considered as deeply, perhaps as finally staked, on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.” George Washington

Jefferson
Third President. Wrote the Declaration of Independence. Doubled the size of the country with the Lousiana Purchase.
“We act not for ourselves but for the whole human race. The event of our experiment is to show whether man can be trusted with self – government.” Thomas Jefferson

Roosevelt
Twenty sixth President. Connected east and west with the Panama Canal. The working mans president, called the “trust buster,” he fought to break up corporate monopolies.
“The first requisite of a good citizen in this Republic of ours is that he shall be able and willing to pull his weight – that he shall not be a mere passenger.” Theodore Roosevelt

Lincoln
Sixteenth President. Preservation of the union of the United States. Abolition of slavery.
“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.” Abraham Lincoln

Construction

Construction began on October 4th on 1927 and included nearly 400 men and women with various duties. They earned $8 a day, good wages especially through the depression, working in the blazing sun and bitter cold of the Black Hills. It was a 700 step climb to the top of the mountain to punch the time clock and begin the dynamiting. Amazingly in the 14 years of construction there was not one fatality.

The rock was dynamited away until the last 3 to 6 inches where they would then drill holes close together like honey comb. This was easier to break away by hand and then they would smooth the rock with a bumper tool. Workers quickly found that tourists, fascinated with the build, wanted pieces of this “honey comb” and would offer cash for a chunk. Soon there was a bit of a racket finagling a little side money out of souvenir seeking tourists.

In 1930 President Washington’s face was revealed, then Jefferson in 1936, Lincoln in 1937 and Roosevelt in 1939. A large space between Washington and Jefferson due to lack of funding. In the spring of 1941 Borglum dies due to complications from prostate surgery and his son Lincoln takes over the project. Funding always being an issue with completing the monolith carving and WWII looming, carving was declared complete in October of 1941.

Colossal

At 400 feet high and 1500 ft across this colossal sculpture was made to awe the people. Gutzom Borglum declared “Sheer mass is emotional.” A passionate man who was a determined patriot Borglum sought to memorialize American achievement. It is an accomplishment that he surpassed. His vision now an American icon, preserving the growth and development of our great nation while promoting appreciation and understanding of our history and culture.

South Dakota now has nearly three million visitors a year to Mt Rushmore. Standing below these colossal faces and staring at men who led colossal lives gives a sense of pride for our nation, a sense of inspiration for this monumental feat, and a sense of gratitude for the freedom and opportunity that this land offers. The success of one man is the ladder from which others can follow. No matter what success means to you, no matter how colossal, it is possible.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/sordid-history-mount-rushmore-180960446/

https://www.nps.gov/moru/learn/historyculture/index.htm
https://www.nps.gov/moru/learn/historyculture/carving-history.htm

Construction Photographs thanks to the Gutzon Borglum museum.