Mount Rushmore, which celebrated its 80th anniversary in 2021, remains one of the most visited and iconic national memorials in the United States. Here are some quick facts about its history and current state.
Previous and Current Name of the Mountain
The famous rock on which the presidents’ faces are carved was given different names by the local tribes. The most popular one was the “Six Grandfathers” rock, which was quite symbolic. This peak is also known as “Keystone Cliffs,” “Cougar Mountain,” “Slaughterhouse Mountain,” and “Sugarloaf Mountain.” Charles E. Rushmore is credited with the current name. He was a lawyer who oversaw the region’s gold claims. The story says that Rushmore and his guide William Chalis went to the place in 1885 to inspect it, and Rushmore asked about the name of the rock. Challis proposed naming the mountain Rushmore. This name was first entered into the official register of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names in 1930.
Doane Robinson, “Father of Mount Rushmore”
Doane Robinson, a historian, is well-known for his support for the idea of sculpting the Black Hills ridge. He also oversaw the entire project. Initially, Mount Rushmore was not part of the plan, and there was no indication that the U.S. presidents would be carved. Robinson considered carving the heroes of the local Lakota tribe, such as the leader Red Cloud, as well as other popular Western figures such as Buffalo Bill Cody, Lewis, and others, into nearby peaks.
Sculptor Gutzon Borglum
Gutzon Borglum, Danish, was invited to the project by Doane Robinson. Borglum was working on another stone carving project in Georgia at the time, but he was dissatisfied with it. He admitted that it wouldn’t hold up over time due to climate and geography, so Robinson’s proposal was a good bet. Having visited the site, Borglum offered to carve something more massive and majestic than the Needles peaks. He also proposed changing the sculpture’s theme and carving busts of U.S. presidents. That would be a more nation-oriented project, in his mind, and Robinson agreed with him.
Four Achievements of Four Presidents
The presidents whose images should be sculpted were considered based on their notable deeds and achievements affecting the U.S. nation. George Washington (leftmost bust) was chosen because he was a founder of the nation. His image symbolizes the beginning of U.S. history.
Thomas Jefferson’s image (second left) was intended to depict the nation’s expansion. His deeds, such as the Louisiana Purchase deal and the writing of the Declaration of Independence, proved this choice.
Theodore Roosevelt (third from the left, second from the right) symbolized conservation and industrial development. He enacted several anti-monopoly laws in the States and significantly expanded the area of the country’s forests and national parks.
Abraham Lincoln (rightmost) symbolized devotion to the concept of national unity. His actions during the Civil War, as well as his overall policy during his presidency, strengthened the Union states.
Carving Took 14 Years and was Done by Miners
Borglum began carving the rock in 1927, with over 400 men working on it. Most of them were gold hunters willing to earn money for such work. Many of them were already experts in working with hammers and using dynamite for rock blowing. There were only three artists on the site: Borglum, his son Lincoln, and the invited expert Korczak Ziolkowski. The latter, on the other hand, only oversaw the site for 19 days before moving on to carving work in the nearby area as part of another project.
A New Project Imaging Technology was Used
Gutzon Borglum is known as an inventor of the pointing machine, which allowed him to visualize the image on the rock. The machine used a 1:12 scaling and was quite precise in mapping the enlarged picture.
Only 10% of the Initial Rock was Left Untouched
Carving and dynamite blow affected the mountain significantly. Approximately 90% of it was used for the carving project. More than 450,000 tons of rock mass was extracted from it.
Each Face is 60 Feet High
This is the height of each president’s face. However, the maximum depth to which carvers descended during the project, reached 500 ft. They were lowered in winches, with supervisors appointed to watch and shout to those who controlled the winch. They sat on the opposite side of the rock and warned the crane operators if the winch moved too quickly or too slowly. The winches were suspended on the ⅜-inch metal cables and were cranked manually.
3 Million Visitors Annually
In the 2010s, approximately 3 million people visited the mount each year. During a Covid-19 pandemic outbreak, the number of tourists dropped to 2.07 million (2020 data). This memorial, on the other hand, ranks first among the most popular national memorials in the United States.
