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A History of Mount Rushmore National Monument

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A History of Mount Rushmore National Monument the world’s largest bas-relief be- Paris under the tutelage of Auguste ing sculpted by Borglum on Stone Rodin, the father of modern sculp- Mountain, Georgia. No American ture, and Borglum wanted to make artist had tried anything on that scale his own mark by dwarfing the Colos- before, and people from around the sus of Rhodes and Statue of Liberty. country drove to Georgia to watch In Borglum’s words, “Sheer mass is Borglum work. Robinson realized emotional.” South Dakota needed something Borglum chose George Washing- equally grand to bring tourism to his ton to represent the birth of the na- A HISTORY OF MOUNT rural state. tion, Thomas Jefferson to symbolize Robinson contacted Borglum, the expansion of the nation (which RUSHMORE NATIONAL whose stubbornness and ego had nearly doubled after the 1803 Louisi- MONUMENT led to him quitting the Stone Moun- ana Purchase), Abraham Lincoln who tain project and destroying his mod- embodied the preservation of the el busts in the process, for which nation through the challenges of the “Nothing but the Almighty can stop Georgia had a warrant out for his ar- Civil War, and Theodore Roosevelt me from completing this task.” rest. Considered one of New York’s who represented the development —Gutzon Borglum great sculptors, Borglum was 57 of the nation. years old and penniless with a family Unfortunately, South Dakota didn’t The Mount Rushmore National to support. Borglum was invigorated have the money for such an under- Monument is a massive granite by the potential of the South Dakota taking. South Dakota Senator Peter sculpture carved into the face of project. Initially, Robinson proposed Norbeck believed in the project and Mount Rushmore. Danish-American sculpting the Needles granite pillars was Borglum’s advocate through the sculptor Gutzon Borglum worked for to look like Buffalo Bill, Lewis and long years plagued with budget trou- fourteen years leading a team that Clark, or Sacagawea, but Borglum bles. Norbeck convinced President dynamited and jackhammered rock refused. The pillars were too delicate Calvin Coolidge to spend a summer into the visages of George Washing- and the characters too parochial for in South Dakota fishing. Each night ton, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lin- Borglum’s tastes. while the president slept, thousands coln, and Theodore Roosevelt, that Borglum proposed Mount Rush- of trout were added to his favorite we now associate with South Dakota more as an alternative site designed stream. Having enjoyed his vacation and presidential greatness. Complet- to honor the greatest of America’s immensely, the president agreed ed during a period of economic di- presidents. Mount Rushmore, part to federal matching funds, but only saster, it was only through the bullish of the Black Hills, was known as the $50,000 had been raised. On August patriotism of Borglum that the mon- Six Grandfathers by the Lakota In- 10, 1927, President Coolidge official- ument was finished, intertwining the dians until it was renamed after the ly dedicated Mount Rushmore and monument’s history with Borglum’s. visit of prominent New York attor- work began. In 1923, South Dakota state his- ney, Charles Rushmore. Most of the 400 men who worked torian Doane Robinson read about Borglum had studied sculpture in on the monument were locals, drawn by the good pay ($8 a day) but had no Mount Rushmore experience. Each day they ascended 12 NORTH DAKOTA 500 stairs, picked up a 40-50 pound N jackhammer or dynamite and, se- 83 281 cured by ropes, descended the face MONT. Aberdeen 85 12 of the cliff where the wind constant- 12 75 ly blew. Some men quit because of 212 212 212 Watertown Borglum (who fired one man for yo- MINN. WYO. Spearfish SOUTH DAKOTA 29 deling), the height, or the dust. Only about six and a half years were spent 90 14 Pierre Brookings actually carving the mountain, while Rapid City 14 83 281 the rest of the time the project took 81 16 Mount Rushmore Mitchell was the fault of weather delays or 90 183 funding delays. Hot Springs 83 Sioux Falls On July 4, 1930, Borglum unveiled 18 385 IOWA 18 85 Washington’s face. At 60 feet in 18 18 29 75 Yankton height, Washington’s head was al- 183 20 NEBRASKA 281 most as tall as the entire height of 50 mi 20 81 83 50 km Sioux City the Great Sphinx in Egypt. 20 inch Geography News Network 06/22/15 © 2015 continued > – 1 – from previous page > ton. Borglum wired presidents, con- ing shape—Borglum was now over shafts of granite in each pupil meant gressmen, oil barons, senators, and 70 years old. Still, he hadn’t tired that when sunlight hit the flat end of even the Duke of Windsor—usually of the project. He wanted to create the shaft, the eyes appeared to twin- on their dime. At the end of 1932, a Hall of Records where the Decla- kle and follow a person’s movement. Senator Norbeck snared $100,000 in ration of Independence and other The next day, Mount Rushmore was relief money for jobs on the moun- important documents could be the dateline in newspapers across tain and got the National Park Ser- kept, but in 1941 World War II over- the country and a new fixed point in vice to take over, which would guar- whelmed Mount Rushmore, cutting the American consciousness. 27,000 antee more money. After a year and it off from future funding. Within a people came to visit during the first a half of silence, work began again. week, Borglum died at age 73 from year. Borglum was a celebrity. The Surprisingly, the workers always complications following surgery. Lin- nation’s excitement led Borglum to came back, quitting more stable jobs coln finished the detail work after his believe he’d finish Mount Rushmore to return to the mountain. Without father’s death but was unable to fin- within four years. He was wrong. them, Mount Rushmore wouldn’t ish the Hall of Records. A series of events slowed prog- have been completed; Borglum The total cost of the project was ress. First, Senator Norbeck was di- couldn’t train a new crew every year. $989,992.32. In 1998, at the behest agnosed with cancer. Following 18 When Borglum’s son, Lincoln, was of Borglum’s family, the Hall of Re- months of work on Jefferson’s like- 21 his father began leaving him in cords was finished with 16 porcelain ness they had to blast his face off charge. Lincoln was the opposite of enamels of the documents Borglum from Washington’s right side and his father: calm, objective, and easy- felt should be safeguarded there. carve him on the left due to weak going. When Borglum would fire a Today Mount Rushmore receives granite. Next came the Great De- man unfairly, Lincoln would often re- almost three million visitors a year pression, then the Dust Bowl, and hire him if the man’s work was good. from around the world. work ground to a halt as 7% of South In 1935, President Franklin Roos- Brought to you by Geography Dakota’s population left. Borglum evelt dedicated Jefferson’s visage. In News Network. June 22, 2015. #148. spent months rallying in Washing- 1938-39 the final two faces were tak- QUESTIONS 1. Which of the Mount Rushmore presidents is not minted on a US coin? 2. If someone could be added to Mount Rushmore, who would you add? Why? SOURCES http://www.americaslibrary.gov/es/sd/es_sd_mount_1.html http://www.mtrushmore.net/ http://www.jeanpatrick.com/mount_rushmore_faqs.htm http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOIYfaSWOMQ http://www.visitrapidcity.com/things-to-do/mount-rushmore/facts-figures#.VSPDtPBpmSo http://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/mount-rushmore http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/primary-resources/rushmore-documents-hall-records/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Rushmore Seth and Julie Dixon Seth is a geography professor at Rhode Island College within the Political Science Department and in the past has worked in the Department of Educational Studies where he supervised Social Studies student teachers in the public educational system. He curates online resources on a site titled Geography Education which is designed to share news articles, videos and other resources that teach geography in the classroom. Julie has continued to express her love of geography through her travels and writing. – 2 –.
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