In the Black Hills of southern South Dakota, in the United States (US), stands the enormous sculpture known as Mount Rushmore National Memorial. With the aid of his son, Lincoln Borglum, the sculptor Gutzon Borglum designed the sculpture and oversaw the project’s completion from 1927 until 1941.
On the southeast side of Mount Rushmore, enormous, roughly 60-foot-tall sculptures of the heads of former US Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln have been chiseled out of granite.
As a monument of the first 150 years of the nation’s war for independence and the founding of the republic as embodied by George Washington, Mount Rushmore is regarded as a precious American asset.
Mount Rushmore: History
In order to draw tourists, Mount Rushmore was designed to symbolize not merely the untamed magnificence of the local terrain, but also the victory of western civilization over that geography through its anthropomorphic portrayal.
Doane Robinson, a South Dakota state historian, proposed a gigantic sculpture in the Black Hills in 1923, envisioning likenesses of notable Native American and American Old West figures on a needlelike rock structure at Custer State Park.The four heads in the sculpture, according to Borglum, should stand for the first 150 years of the United States: Washington should stand for the nation’s founding, Jefferson for its colonization of the continent, Roosevelt for its rise to power both domestically and internationally, and Lincoln for its survival through the Civil War.
Ideation of Mount Rushmore:
In order to boost tourism in South Dakota, historian Doane Robinson came up with the idea for Mount Rushmore in 1923.
The Needles, which are granite pillar sculptures, were supposed to be created. Borglum soon came to understand that the eroding Needles were too flimsy to support carving. Because Mount Rushmore faced southeast and received the most sunlight, he decided on this greater position.
The Four United States Presidents Carved on Mount Rushmore:
1 George Washington: He established American democracy and was the country’s founding father. Washington was chosen by Borglum to be the mountain’s most prominent figure and symbolize the founding of the United States because of his significance.
2 Thomas Jefferson: Because Jefferson was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, a text that serves as an inspiration for democracies all around the world, Gutzon Borglum chose Jefferson to represent the development of the United States.
3. Theodore Roosevelt: He earned the moniker “trust buster” for his efforts to dismantle powerful corporate monopolies and defend the rights of the average working man. Borglum selected Roosevelt to symbolize the growth of the US.
4. Abraham Lincoln: Lincoln considered upholding the union to be his most solemn responsibility. He firmly believed that slavery must be outlawed. Lincoln was chosen by Gutzon Borglum to stand for the preservation of the United States.
Amazing Facts Related To Mount Rushmore:
- Doane Robinson, a South Dakota historian, had the idea to erect a sculpture in the Black Hills in 1923. He sought a strategy for luring visitors to the region. It works. Nearly 3 million visitors now travel to Mount Rushmore every year.
- Beginning in 1927, Mount Rushmore’s carving was completed in 1941.
- Jefferson took about two years to complete. When it was determined that the rock wasn’t acceptable, the partly finished face was “erased” from the slope using dynamite.
- The sculpture was initially intended to depict the presidents’ whole bodies, including their waists.
- The noses might endure up to 2.4 million years until they are entirely worn down because each one is almost 240 inches long.
- For Mount Rushmore’s preservation, several activities are being done. To monitor 144 hairline fractures, this necessitated inserting 8,000 feet of disguised copper wire in 1998. Fiber optic cable was used in 2009 to replace the copper wire.
- President Roosevelt’s visage was only carved with the pince-nez and ridges on the top cheekbones; neither the lenses nor the earpieces were included. When viewed from a distance, the president seems to be wearing glasses. It is a superb sculptural feat and optical deception.
Ending Note:
One of the most recognizable pictures of the United States is the collection of sculptures at Mount Rushmore. The monument is currently one of the NPS facilities with the highest visitor traffic and one of the most popular tourist destinations in the nation.
A treasured American asset, Mount Rushmore commemorates the first 150 years of the nation’s battle for freedom.