Mount Rushmore a tribute to America
Tucked into the Black Hills of Western South Dakota and standing as a memorial to the principals of the U.S. government is Mount Rushmore.
The faces of four presidents, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln look southeast full of stoic nobility.
Chris Ingebretsen, a park ranger who has been at Mount Rushmore for nine months, said the monument is proof of the American spirit in that 400 workers would work on the mountain to carve something they believed in.
According to information provided by the National Park Service, the monument had its genesis in 1923 when state historian Doane Robinson suggested carving some giant statues in the granite hills of South Dakota.
Gutzon Borglum, the son of Danish immigrants, began working on the project in 1927 following the dedication of the memorial by President Calvin Coolidge. The broad wall of exposed granite of the 5,725-foot Mount Rushmore, named in 1885 for Charles E. Rushmore, a lawyer from New York, was chosen for its location and prominence.
“I think its more or less what he set out to create – a shrine to democracy,” Ingebretsen said.
Borglum’s 14 years of work entailed six and one-half years of actual carving. He first created plaster models of the presidents based on paintings, photographs and his own interpretations. One inch on the plaster models worked out to be one foot on the mountain.
According to the information packet, Borglum had originally ruled out dynamite as a tool for rock removal, but the rock turned out to be so hard, blasting was the only way to efficiently remove it to reach solid granite viable for carving. Pneumatic drills were used to shape the rock after workers dynamited to within a few inches of the desired measurements.
The Washington head was dedicated in 1930, followed by Jefferson in 1936, Lincoln in 1937 and Roosevelt in 1939, according to the information pamphlet.
Ingebretsen said guests can be on the park grounds during the winter from 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. and in the summer from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Rebecca Inge, a volunteer at the park, said there were other natural attractions in the vicinity.
“I would definitely not miss Wind Cave or Jewel Cave,” she said.
Ingebretsen agreed.
According to the South Dakota vacation guide, within 30 miles of Mount Rushmore are located Wind Cave National Park, Jewel Cave National Monument and the Crazy Horse Memorial, another mountain carving dedicated to the Native American chief.
Inge said mountain climbing is also popular with tourists.
“I have yet to climb Harney Peak,” Inge said. “It’s the highest point between the Rockies and the Swiss Alps.”
Ingebretsen said also nearby are Devil’s Tower, located in northeastern Wyoming and Badlands National Park, located approximately 50 miles to the east of Mount Rushmore.
“The name is appropriate,” Ingebretsen said. “I’m glad I don’t live there, but it’s nice for a couple of days of camping or hiking.”
For visitors, there is no admission fee at Mount Rushmore, but an $8 per car parking fee is charged. The landmark is open year round.