Going Places: Mt. Rushmore

Mt. Rushmore is one of the most patriotic, historic, and well-crafted sites in America. The history of the monument and its creation is fascinating, especially since it was completed during the great depression.

You can see Mt. Rushmore from many vantage points in the Black Hills, but the best way to see it is to get up close and personal by visiting the national park and walking the trail that runs under the monument. It is marked in yellow on the national park’s map. My photos are arranged is this post in the order they would appear on the trail, to the best of my ability.

http://www.nps.gov

You begin at the avenue of flags. The flag of each of the fifty states are on display here. They are arranged in alphabetical order, so it is easy to find yours. There is also a nice view of the monument above the flags.

This is a wench that was used by two workers (by hand) to lower works, tools, and equipment in bosun chairs to the work site.

This is one of the most unique views on the trail—looking up through the rocks.

Mt. Rushmore was named, in the late 1800s—well before it was carved, for Charles E. Rushmore. Rushmore was an attorney for a mining company and spent a lot of time in Black Hills, where he was very well liked. The story goes that he was interested in the mountain and asked the name of it. It didn’t have one, so the guide said it was Rushmore.

Doane Robinson had the idea for the carving in 1923. His idea gained the support of South Dakota Senator Peter Norbeck. They enlisted sculptor Gutzon Borglum to make it happen. The group agreed to sculpt the presidents and Borglum began sketching. The first and obvious choice for the sculpture was George Washington. Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson were also easy choices. The final choice, helped along by President Coolidge during his 1927 visit, was Theodore Roosevelt.

Drilling began on August 10, 1927, after President Coolidge’s dedication speech (see below). Washington’s head was unveiled July 4, 1930.

In the fall of 1931 work had to be stopped for a lack of funds. In 1934, they removed the original Jefferson head on Washington’s right, and started on the current one, due to problems with the rock. It was unveiled on August 30, 1936. The Lincoln head was unveiled on September 17, 1937. July 2, 1939 the Roosevelt head was unveiled. Gutzon Borglum died on March 6, 1941. His son Lincoln, who had worked on the project from the beginning, replaced him as head sculptor. He completed the heads as much as possible and had them sealed, but was unable to remove the broken rock at the bottom or carve the rest of the figures. (They were planned to be sculpted to the waist). The hall of records was not completed, either, though a modified version was finally added in 1998 (see below). Work was completed in 1941.

To carve the mountain, Borglum first had to blast off the out rock because it was full of cracks. Stairs and tramway cars were built to carry supplies to the top. Borglum used pointing to translate the measurements of his models to the mountain. He put a metal pole in the center of the place Washington’s head would be. Then he used a protractor for direction, placed perpendicularly through the pole and using the scale of the model. Finally he dropped a plumb line past the protractor. The plumb line could be used for measurement and location by moving it up and down and right and left. After pointing determined where the blasting should be done, holes were drilled into the rock and filled with small amounts of dynamite. The drillers sat in bosun chairs that were lowered down the mountain.


http://www.nps.gov

They were so accurate with the drilling and blasting that they could do it within inches. After the blasting, honeycombing was used to add more detail. Holes were drilled again, but this time a hammer was used to knock off chunks of rock. Finally, faces were smoothed by bumping—using pneumatic hammers with steel bits.

The trail is helpfully marked with signs like this to show you where you are.

In the sculptors studio you will see models and tools that Borglum used before and during construction.

This picture shows a drill that was used for making the holes for blasting and honeycombing. The wench was used to raise and lower workers on the mountain.

Plaster masks of the presidents were used by the workers for visual comparisons. They were hung down the mountain on cables.

This is a model of the legendary hall of records. Borglum began constructing the hall of records behind Lincoln’s head, planning to fill it with important documents, statues, and inscriptions. Despite the conspiracy theories, it was not completed. It would have been 100 feet by 80 feet. In 1998, a small vault was created in the unfinished hall of records and porcelain panels containing information about the project and documents such as the Constitution were sealed in.

Mt. Rushmore above the sculptor’s studio.

Borglum View Terrace

After 14 years and $989,992.32, the monument was complete.

The amphitheater below the monument.

Honeycombed rock in the museum.

An example of pointing in the museum.

In the evenings, Mt. Rushmore is illuminated. Check the schedule here.

I don’t usually want pictures of myself, but I had to have one here!

Bonus: The National Presidential Wax Museum in Keystone, South Dakota (the town outside Mt. Rushmore) has a tableau of President Coolidge giving a speech at the dedication ceremony in 1927. The museum is much more fun than it sounds. You should check it out if you have the chance. The website is here.