Mount Rushmore is a granite mountain in South Dakota with etched likenesses of four US presidents. Sculptor Gutzon Borglum began work on the sculpture in 1927, and it took 14 years to complete. The presidents symbolize American freedom and democracy. The mountain was refurbished in 1998 and includes a museum, trail, and other attractions.
Mount Rushmore is a granite mountain in the Black Hills of South Dakota that features etched likenesses of the heads of four presidents. Sculptures of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt were made by sculptor Gutzon Borglum. The official name of Borglum’s spectacular sculpture is Mount Rushmore National Memorial, but the name is commonly abbreviated.
The mountain is named after an attorney, Charles E. Rushmore, who dealt with Black Hills mining claims in 1885. Borglum began work on the giant sculpture on August 10, 1927, and chose the particular mountain he made both for the texture of the granite and the direction of the sun as he worked. The sculpture of him took 14 years to carve, as he worked on the piece gradually.
Scarce funds and bad weather forced Borglum to delay work for long periods of time, but he worked on it whenever he could. The final cost of the sculpture was $900,000 US Dollars (USD). Borglum was a trained artist before starting the project and studied with the famous French sculptor Auguste Rodin.
The presidents carved on Mount Rushmore are said to symbolize American freedom and democracy. George Washington denotes the struggle for independence, while Thomas Jefferson represents the notion of popular government. Abraham Lincoln symbolizes the concept of equality and the union of states. Theodore Roosevelt represents the international significance of the United States in the 20th century.
Borglum’s original plan was to carve the entire bodies of presidents into the side of the mountain, but time and cost did not permit. He carved Washington’s head first, then Jefferson’s and Lincoln’s. The sculptor had nearly finished Roosevelt’s head in 1941 when he died. Borglum’s son finished the Roosevelt head to complete the monument later in 1941.
Mount Rushmore was refurbished in 1998 at a cost of $56 million USD. The Lincoln Borglum Museum shows a 13-minute film about sculpture carving, and a hike on the Presidential Trail leads to the base of the mountain. The attraction includes restaurants, a bookstore, and a gift shop. Children’s activities are available at certain times of the year. Each night, the mountain carvings are illuminated for a few hours after dark.
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