About Mount Rushmore

Did you know that the massive carving of the four US Presidents on Mount Rushmore National Memorial was supposed to show their head up to their waists? Now, that would have been really magnificent. The heads carved there right now are awe-inspiring for sure, but had they finished the sculpture to their waist, it would have been several times grander.

The Mount Rushmore National Memorial was started during the time of President Calvin Coolidge. The monument was created to boost tourism in South Dakota. The four US presidents that are carved into the face of that mountain are George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. These presidents were chosen because of their contribution in the preservation of the union and the expansion of the territories of the USA.

It took 14 years and around 400 workers to finish the head carvings. The project cost almost $1 million dollars to build. Dynamites were used to chip off large chunks of the mountain. The details were carved using handheld tools. No one was killed during the making of the monuments despite the size and the dangerous nature of the undertaking. Every now and then, the surfaces of the sculptures are inspected by mountain climbers to check for cracks or any damages. Of course, as with any national monument, the USA flag stands proud near the entrance to usher in all the visitors eager to be awed by this inspiring monument.

The sculpturing started in 1927 wherein the faces of the 4 presidents (Theodore Roosevelt, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln) had to be sculpted.

While George Washington brought in the concept of Democracy, Thomas Jefferson spread the need of having a government chosen by people. Theodore Roosevelt was famous for his business reforms and Abraham Lincoln was one of the important figures in ending the practice of slavery in the US.

The first figure to be sculpted was George Washington. To his right, Borglum planned to carve Thomas Jefferson. Two years down the lane, the rock had cracked and hence, this figure was blasted and finally Jefferson’s face was sculpted to the left of George Washington. In 1934, the face of George Washington was unveiled to the public. Jefferson’s sculpture was unveiled in 1936. The sculpture of Abraham Lincoln’s face got completed in 1937. Theodore Roosevelt’s face was the last to be unveiled in 1941.

Today, Mount Rushmore is South Dakota’s top tourist attraction. Over 2 million tourists visit the monument every year. The Mount Rushmore National Park does not charge admission fee. The only fee the tourists pay when they visit the park is the parking fee.

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