Mount Rushmore
Happy Halloween everyone. Carving pumpkins is nothing like carving a mountain, but on October 31, 1941 (71 years ago today) work on the Mount Rushmore National Memorial was completed. The faces of four presidents were carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore near Keystone, South Dakota. The project was sculpted by Danish-American Gutzon Borglum and his son, Lincoln Borglum, The finished project featured 60-foot (18 m) sculptures of the heads of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. The entire memorial covers 1,278.45 acres and is 5,725 feet (1,745 m) above sea level.
South Dakota historian Doane Robinson is credited with coming up with the idea of carving the likenesses of famous people into the Black Hills region of South Dakota in order to promote tourism in the state. The Mount Rushmore location was chosen because it had the advantage of facing southeast for maximum sun exposure. Robinson wanted it to feature western heroes like Lewis and Clark, Red Cloud and Buffalo Bill Cody. Borglum decided the sculpture should have a more national focus, and chose the four presidents.
Congress authorized the Mount Rushmore National Memorial Commission on March 3, 1925 President Coolidge insisted along with Washington, two Republicans and one Democrat be portrayed.
After securing federal funding, construction on the memorial began in 1927. Between October 4, 1927, and October 31, 1941, Gutzon Borglum and 400 workers sculpted the colossal 60 foot (18 m) high carvings of U.S. presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln to represent the first 150 years of American history.Upon Gutzon Borglum's death in March 1941, his son Lincoln Borglum took over construction. The initial concept called for each president to be depicted from head to waist, but lack of funding forced construction to end on October 31, 1941.
These presidents were selected by Borglum because of their role in preserving the Republic and expanding its territory. The image of Thomas Jefferson was originally intended to appear in the area at Washington's right, but after the work there was begun, the rock was found to be unsuitable, so the work on the Jefferson figure was dynamited, and a new figure was sculpted to Washington's left.
In 1933, the National Park Service took Mount Rushmore under its jurisdiction. Engineer Julian Spotts helped with the project by improving its infrastructure. For example, he had the tram upgraded so it could reach the top of Mount Rushmore for the ease of workers. By July 4, 1934, Washington's face had been completed and was dedicated. The face of Thomas Jefferson was dedicated in 1936, and the face of Abraham Lincoln was dedicated on September 17, 1937. In 1937, a bill was introduced in Congress to add the head of civil-rights leader Susan B. Anthony, but a rider was passed on an appropriations bill requiring federal funds be used to finish only those heads that had already been started at that time. In 1939, the face of Theodore Roosevelt was dedicated.
The U.S. National Park Service took control of the memorial in 1933, while it was still under construction. It continues to manages the memorial to the present day. Mount Rushmore attracts nearly three million people annually.
If carving a mountain sounds like too ambitious a project, let me leave you with these design ideas for your pumpkin tonight (Fillmore, Buchanan, Benjamin Harrison and Obama):
South Dakota historian Doane Robinson is credited with coming up with the idea of carving the likenesses of famous people into the Black Hills region of South Dakota in order to promote tourism in the state. The Mount Rushmore location was chosen because it had the advantage of facing southeast for maximum sun exposure. Robinson wanted it to feature western heroes like Lewis and Clark, Red Cloud and Buffalo Bill Cody. Borglum decided the sculpture should have a more national focus, and chose the four presidents.
Congress authorized the Mount Rushmore National Memorial Commission on March 3, 1925 President Coolidge insisted along with Washington, two Republicans and one Democrat be portrayed.
After securing federal funding, construction on the memorial began in 1927. Between October 4, 1927, and October 31, 1941, Gutzon Borglum and 400 workers sculpted the colossal 60 foot (18 m) high carvings of U.S. presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln to represent the first 150 years of American history.Upon Gutzon Borglum's death in March 1941, his son Lincoln Borglum took over construction. The initial concept called for each president to be depicted from head to waist, but lack of funding forced construction to end on October 31, 1941.
These presidents were selected by Borglum because of their role in preserving the Republic and expanding its territory. The image of Thomas Jefferson was originally intended to appear in the area at Washington's right, but after the work there was begun, the rock was found to be unsuitable, so the work on the Jefferson figure was dynamited, and a new figure was sculpted to Washington's left.
In 1933, the National Park Service took Mount Rushmore under its jurisdiction. Engineer Julian Spotts helped with the project by improving its infrastructure. For example, he had the tram upgraded so it could reach the top of Mount Rushmore for the ease of workers. By July 4, 1934, Washington's face had been completed and was dedicated. The face of Thomas Jefferson was dedicated in 1936, and the face of Abraham Lincoln was dedicated on September 17, 1937. In 1937, a bill was introduced in Congress to add the head of civil-rights leader Susan B. Anthony, but a rider was passed on an appropriations bill requiring federal funds be used to finish only those heads that had already been started at that time. In 1939, the face of Theodore Roosevelt was dedicated.
The U.S. National Park Service took control of the memorial in 1933, while it was still under construction. It continues to manages the memorial to the present day. Mount Rushmore attracts nearly three million people annually.
If carving a mountain sounds like too ambitious a project, let me leave you with these design ideas for your pumpkin tonight (Fillmore, Buchanan, Benjamin Harrison and Obama):
