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MOUNT RUSHMORE

National Memorial of . This robust man with The model was first measured by fastening a his great variety of interests and talents left horizontal bar on the top and center of the head. As this extended out over the face a plumb bob MOUNT RUSHMORE his mark on his country. His career encom­ was dropped to the point of the nose, or other passed roles of political reformer, trust buster, projections of the face. Since the model of Wash­ rancher, soldier, writer, historian, explorer, ington's face was five feet tall, these measurements hunter, conservationist, and vigorous execu­ were then multiplied by twelve and transferred to NATIONAL MEMORIAL the mountain by using a similar but larger device. tive of his country. He was equally at home Instead of a small , a thirty-foot swinging on the western range, in an eastern drawing Four giants of American history are memorialized here in lasting , their likenesses boom was used, connected to the stone which would room, or at the Court of St. James. He typi­ ultimately be the top of 's head and carved in proportions symbolical of greatness. fied the virile American of the last quarter extending over the granite cliff. A plumb bob of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th was lowered from the boom. The problem was to adjust the measurements from the scale of the centuries. More than most Presidents, he and he presided over the Constitutional Con­ model to the mountain. The first step was to locate On the granite face of 6,000-foot high knew the West. He was perhaps the greatest the point of the nose since that was the extreme Mount Rushmore in the of South vention that drew up the Constitution of the conservationist among our Presidents, and he projection of the face. If it were found that sev­ Dakota the likenesses of four great in 1787. took action to arrest what he felt was a squan­ eral feet of rock had to be removed to reach the have been sculptured. The four men are As first President of the United States, he nose point, this was indicated by paint marks. dering of our national resources. Then other projected points of the face, such as , , successfully launched the new Nation on a His administration witnessed the building the frontal bones, were located and measured. Abraham , and . sure and steady course. A practical states­ of the , new and greater re­ After the rough points were established, men Each likeness is carved out of solid granite man, the strongest feature of his character sponsibility in the , and the exten­ suspended in swing seats began the drilling and and measures about 60 feet from chin to was prudence. He normally did not take blasting. . . . The blasting was done in such a way sion of United States naval power. One of forehead. sculptured the action until he had weighed every circum­ as to leave a great rough, egg-shaped mass. . . . his best known admonitions is, "Speak softly It was possible to dynamite within an inch or models and directed the work. The Wash­ stance and consideration; but when decision and carry a big stick, you will go far." two of the intended surface, and occasionally this ington figure is finished as far as the shoul­ had been reached he carried out his purpose. was done at Rushmore. But generally, blasting was ders, adding to the overall dimensions of the "Upright intentions and close investigation," not carried on closer than six inches to the surface. group. This group of sculptured figures is he said, were his guides. The Roosevelt and Lincoln as they appeared in 1940. It was not practicable to dynamite too near, be­ The Sculpturing cause the charges had to be so small and the holes one of the largest ever undertaken. The so near together that little, if any, labor was saved. heads are in the proportion of men 465 feet Thomas Jefferson Gutzon Borglum, the noted sculptor se­ Measuring, drilling, blasting, drilling, wedging, and bumping was the ordinary work cycle. The high. Each head is twice as high as the head Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declara­ lected to execute the carvings, began work on of the great Sphinx of Egypt. for Religious Freedom and the founding of and industry from humble circumstances to term "carving" was only a figure of speech in this tion of Independence, would have been great public eminence and national honor. This the granite face of Mount Rushmore, August gigantic project. The four great Americans represented here the among his greatest by that act alone. But that noble document frontier lawyer was a true liberal. He knew 10, 1927, the same day that President Calvin stand as giants among the Presidents of the accomplishments. After about 6l/ years of actual work ex­ was only one of the many accomplishments and loved the common man. Liberalism to Coolidge dedicated the memorial. The real, 2 first century and a quarter of our Nation's The most notable achievement of his two tending over a period of more than 14 years, he bestowed upon the shaping of the new him was not a garment that he wore on occa­ organized work of drilling and blasting stone, history. They built well in the development terms as President was the purchase of the the work on the sculptures came to an end Nation. Throughout his life he was a foe sion; it was, as one of his biographers has however, began on and continued, of our democratic processes of government, vast Louisiana territory. The Louisiana Pur­ in October 1941. Borglum himself had died to all kinds of human tyranny. He labored chase more than doubled the land area of the said, "the fiber of his mind." with many lapses caused by lack of funds and and are honored here because of it. for a democracy with a broader base in the unfavorable weather, for nearly 14 years until 7 months earlier at the age of 74, leaving the young Republic. It opened new fields of His use of the English tongue is unmatched final work to his son, . The interests of the common man. More than among the American great. It resembles in death stayed Borglum's hand in . George Washington economic opportunity for men of all classes latter spent the remaining available money most of his contemporaries he believed that Borglum used at Mount Rushmore the and degrees of wealth, perpetuated for three- its simplicity and power the Elizabethan on Roosevelt's face (which was never com­ Just as George Washington was the first through the combination of education and engineering methods he had evolved at Stone quarters of a century the constructive influ­ English of Shakespeare and the King James pleted), finishing the lapels and collar of American President, so was his likeness the reason the common man could rise to the Mountain in . The first step was to ences of the democratic frontier, and guaran­ version of . If "the final cause of Washington's coat, blocking out Jefferson's first of the four to be sculptured on Mount challenge of republican government. blast away the surface rock until a point was teed the physical greatness and strength of the speech is to get an idea as exactly as possible collar, and putting some last touches on Rushmore. The movement for liberty cen­ He was an American pioneer in many reached where a solid granite face, unbroken United States. out of one mind into another," he succeeded Lincoln's head. tered in him during the . branches of science. His habits and temper­ supremely well in doing it. by the deep fissures lining and crosschecking The memorial cost §989,992.32, Federal The great qualities of personal leadership ament were those of a scholar. He was a His thought processes were characterized the face of the mountain was exposed. The Government appropriations amounting to he displayed, his accomplishments as Com­ philosopher-statesman, and at the same time The man who, more than any other, pre­ by tenacity of logic and conclusions slowly work was done by drills, jackhammers, and §836,000 of the total. mander of the American armies, his personal the most versatile of Americans. He was a served the Union and freed the slaves will reached, but then firmly held. He was a dynamite. Borglum trained a group of ex- integrity, and his unyielding devotion to the patron of the arts and the leading figure in rank forever as one of the foremost Ameri­ statesman overflowing with those rare human miners to do the work. All the drilling and American cause gave strength and inspiration the classical revival of architecture in the cans. He gave to his country a new birth of qualities of humility and mercy. His own blasting was done on the basis of measure­ Selected Chronology to the Thirteen American Colonies. After United States. He was a builder whose freedom and a "Government of the people, words might well be used to describe the man ments obtained from a model. the successful conclusion of the war, he con­ creative genius comprehended both physical by the people, and for the people." himelf, "With malice toward none; with The most vivid description of the work is DECEMBER 28, 1923: tinued to be a national leader. He led the structures and the shaping of the political The sixteenth President of the United charity for all." given by Gilbert C. Fite in his book, Mount Colossal in Black Hills suggested movement for a better instrument of govern­ forms of the Republic. Jefferson himself States was a 6-foot 4-inch giant of uncommon Rushmore, published and copyrighted in by , then Director of ment to replace the Articles of Confederation counted the penning of the Virginia Statute the South Dakota Historical Society strength with a face of deep hollows and Theodore Roosevelt 1952 by the University of Oklahoma Press, heavy shadows. He typifies, better perhaps Norman. This description, quoted below, MARCH 3 and 5, 1925: The National Park System, of which this area is a unit, is dedicated to conserving the scenic, than any other man, the precious birthright The likeness of Theodore Roosevelt was has been taken with permission of the author Federal Government and South Dakota scientific, and historic heritage of the United States for the benefit and inspiration of its people. of every United States citizen to rise by merit the last of the four to be carved on the side and the publishers. authorize sculpture in Black Hills For your safety and the protection of the wilderness, and historic resources of the Na­ memorial, do not climb Mount Rushmore; tional Park System in such ways and by such disturb rocks, plants, or wildlife; or picnic means as will make them available for the in the memorial. (Picnic facilities are avail­ use and enjoyment of present and future able in nearby Black Hills National Forest.) generations. Ask park rangers for information or MOUNT assistance. Administration Mount Rushmore National Memorial is administered by the of Mission 66 is a program designed to be the U. S. Department of the Interior. A completed by 1966 which will assure the superintendent, whose address is Keystone, maximum protection of the scenic, scientific, S. Dak., is in immediate charge. RUSHMORE

The memorial sculptures from a little distance showing the granite formation of Mount Rushmore.

OCTOBER 1, 1925: rial contains an area of about 2 square miles. Dedication of Mount Rushmore as a na­ tional memorial Travel Routes to the Memorial OCTOBER 4, 1927: First drilling for sculptures Mount Rushmore National Memorial is 25 JULY 4, 1930: miles southwest of Rapid City and 3 miles Dedication of Washington figure from Keystone, S. Dak. The memorial is 2 miles west of U. S. 16A on a paved . AUGUST 30, 1936: Sightseeing tours by bus are available from Dedication of Jefferson figure Rapid City from June 1 to September 30. SEPTEMBER 17, 1937: Dedication of Lincoln figure About Your Visit JULY 2, 1939: Because of the favorable light, morning Dedication of Roosevelt figure is the best time to view and photograph the , 1941: sculptures. They are also very impressive Final drilling at Mount Rushmore when illuminated by floodlight each night from dark until 9:45, from June 1 to Labor The Memorial Area Day. In addition, during the summer ­ Carving of the sculptures was authorized son, evening programs are held in the new by act of Congress in 1925. By another act amphitheater. in 1929, the Mount Rushmore National Me­ A coffee shop, cafeteria, and souvenir shop morial Commission was created. In 1938, are in a new concessions building erected at Congress designated not more than 1,500 the memorial by the Mount Rushmore Na­ UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR National IVLemorial acres of Federal lands in Harney National tional Memorial Society of the Black Hills. Forest for the memorial. In 1939, the Na­ The concessions are operated by the Moun­ Fred A. Seaton, Secretary tional Park Service, U. S. Department of the tain Company, Keystone, S. Dak. Hotel and SOUTH DAKOTA NATIONAL PARK SERVICE • Conrad L. Wirth, Director Interior, assumed responsibility for the ad­ tourist accommodations are available in ministration of the memorial. The memo­ nearby towns. Cover photo credit: Black Hills Studio, Inc. Revised 1958 U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1958—0-448979