America's story carved in Mount Rushmore

Fri Jun 3, 2022

Four Presidents, One Giant Rock

Over three million visitors come to the Black Hills of South Dakota each year. Why come to such a desolate and out-of-way place, you may ask? Once you observe the majesty of the faces of presidents Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln carved into the granite mountainside of Mount Rushmore, you will know the answer. Mount Rushmore is one of the United States’ most recognizable symbols, and the story of how Mount Rushmore was built is a testament to American ingenuity and fortitude.

An idea is born: the beginnings of Mount Rushmore

Mount Rushmore was originally named for New York City lawyer Charles E. Rushmore, who in 1884 had come to the Black Hills in search of possible mining sites. Noticing a nearby mountain, Rushmore asked the locals what the name of the mountain was. It turned out that the mountain didn’t really have a name, so it was named Mount Rushmore.

Robinson had originally wanted local heroes to be used, and he suggested the Native American Chief Red Cloud as one of the faces to carve. Borglum objected to this idea, saying that using more famous figures in American history, such as George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, would attract more tourists to the monument. Robinson agreed with Borglum, and they later added Theodore Roosevelt and Thomas Jefferson to the list. With the faces of the sculptures in mind, Borglum set to work looking for the mountain to place them.

Carving the Idea into Granite

In the summer of 1926, Borglum decided to use Mount Rushmore as the site. In spite of some criticism from naturalists and Native American groups, Borglum began to look for funding for the site. The next year, President Calvin Coolidge, who just happened to be vacationing in the Black Hills visited with the sculptor. Borglum convinced the president to give a speech dedicating Mount Rushmore as the site for the monument. Later in 1927, the U.S. government passed a bill that allocated $250,000 for the building of the monument. Now that he had the funding, Borglum could set to work with building the monument.

All told, over 400 workers braved dangerous conditions to help etch the faces into Mount Rushmore. They blasted over 450,000 tons of rock, took them away from the hillside and put them in a giant heap that still stands next to the monument. Originally the design was supposed to include the presidents’ bodies along with their faces. However the project came to a standstill after the final head was completed in 1939. The final dedication was made in 1941; sadly though, Borglum had passed away earlier that year and was not able to see his vision become the complete monument.

Why these presidents?

All together, the presidents’ faces told a noble story of the United States and were suitable for a “Shrine of Democracy” as Mount Rushmore is known. There was a reason behind why each of the presidents was chosen for Mount Rushmore though:

George Washington: the first U.S. president; he represents the founding of our democracy
Thomas Jefferson: wrote the Declaration of Independence, which expresses many of the principles of the United States’ founding
Theodore Roosevelt: was a symbol not only of industrial development but of wildlife conservation
Abraham Lincoln: president during the Civil War, he helped to hold the nation together in a time of crisis

Mount Rushmore Fun Facts

Jefferson was originally going to be on Washington’s right side. They realized that this wasn’t going to work, so they blew off Jefferson’s face with dynamite and re-carved it on the left side.
All in all, the sculpture cost $989,992.32 to build
Amazingly, no one died during construction of Mount Rushmore
There is a cave behind Mount Rushmore called the “Hall of Records.” It was supposed to be a place where visitors could see the story of how the sculpture was built. It was left incomplete due to lack of money.