This was due to the cliff's height above the surrounding area; its composition of granite, which would be slow to erode; and the fact that it faced southeast, to take advantage of the rising sun each day. William Williamson, and Sen. Peter Norbeck to gain support in Congress and the funding to proceed. Borglum did not like having the NPS oversee the construction. However, he continued to work on the project until his death in The monument was deemed complete and ready for dedication on October 31, Despite its "perfect" location, Mount Rushmore was built on land that was sacred to the Indigenous peoples who lived there.
To this day, many consider the construction of the monument a desecration of the land. In an treaty, the U. Yet Congress did not even consider this fact when granting funds for the project. Borglum made the decision about which presidents to include on the mountain. According to the National Park Service, here's his reasoning:. There was certainly pushback as to the choice of figures to represent on the monument. With , tons of granite that needed to be removed, the sculptor found out early on that jackhammers were not going to take care of the job fast enough.
He employed a munitions expert to insert charges of dynamite into drilled holes and blasted the rock off when the workers were off of the mountain. During production, the design went through nine changes. What appears isn't exactly how the sculpture was conceived by sculptor Borglum, who also had plans for wording to be etched into the rock face, called the Entablature.
It was to contain a brief history of the United States, highlighting nine important events between and , carved into an image of the Louisiana Purchase. Given issues over the wording and funding and the fact that people wouldn't be able to read it from a distance, that idea was scrapped.
Another plan was to have a Hall of Records in a room behind Lincoln's head that would be accessed by the public via a staircase from the base of the mountain. On display would be important documents in a room decorated with mosaics. It too was discontinued, in , due to a lack of funding. Congress told the artist to concentrate on the faces and just get it done. A tunnel is what remains.
It does house some porcelain panels giving the background about the building of the monument, the artist, and the presidents, but it's inaccessible to visitors due to the lack of a staircase. Mock-ups of the design include the four presidents from the waist up. Funding was always an issue, and the directive was to just stick with the four faces. Thomas Jefferson was originally started on George Washington's right, and the carving of Jefferson's face began in However, the granite there was full of quartz.
Workers kept blasting off the quartz, but after 18 months they realized that the location was just not working. Hand tools smoothed the stone and added small details, like wrinkles and moles. The workers had to endure conditions that varied from blazing hot to bitterly cold and windy.
Each day they climbed stairs to the top of the mountain to punch-in on the time clock. For thousands of years, several tribes of Sioux roamed the land from present-day Minnesota, across the Dakotas to Wyoming. Generally nomadic, they followed the migration of huge buffalo herds. In the 18th and 19th centuries, cooperation with trappers was followed by conflict with settlers.
However, the discovery of gold in the area resulted in Native Americans getting forced off the land. Even the traditional name of the mountain, Six Grandfathers, faded into history after an expedition including New York attorney Charles Rushmore renamed it in A legal battle for the land continues to this day. Borglum planned to create a large room within the mountain that would hold documents and artifacts central to American history.
The proposed Hall of Records was to be drilled into the north wall of the small canyon behind the faces. A lack of funding only allowed a small portion of the tunnel to be built, and for decades, the site was ignored. The repository box contains 16 porcelain enamel panels. Inscribed on the panels is the story of how Mount Rushmore came to be carved, who carved it, the reasons for selecting the four presidents depicted on the mountain and a short history of the United States.
Learn more about Mount Rushmore and plan your trip at nps. Photo by Gerald Pace www. The Big Idea The idea of a large mountain carving is credited to South Dakota State Historian Doane Robinson, who was looking for ways to attract tourists to the state. Mount Rushmore National Memorial under construction. Photo from the National Park Service archives. Fireworks at Mount Rushmore National Memorial. Photo by Janet Williams www. But it's hard to make out the details of the sculpture in person.
The Grand View Terrace is about feet from the rock face. To get as close as possible, you have to walk along the Presidential Trail, which is still more than feet away. People often complain about how disappointing the monument is in real life. Close-up photos of the monument show the detailed features of each president's face.
But in real life, you have to make your way through crowds of people to catch a distant look, and use binoculars to really see the detail. On July 3, President Donald Trump held a political rally in front of crowds of people. The monument looks tiny in the distance. Though some photos framed just right make the faces appear somewhat larger than other images. The monument also sits on contested land. Before Trump's speech took place, a group of protesters largely comprised of Native Americans held a demonstration against Trump for using sacred land.
Since it's nearly 80 years old, the sculpture is also constantly developing new cracks and in need of repair. Some things may be better seen from the internet. Loading Something is loading. Email address.
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