By Paisley Kirkpatrick
Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore, a batholith (a large emplacement of plutonic rock that forms from cooled magma deep in the Earth's crust) is located in the Black Hills in Keystone, South Dakota. My children's visit to the monument a month ago stirred my interest in the history of the iconic symbol of the United States that over two million visitors view annually.
The Majestic figures of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln are surrounded by the beauty of the Black Hills. Sculptor Gutzon Borglum created the design and oversaw the project's execution from 1927-1941with the help of his son, Lincoln Borglum.
Mount Rushmore features 60-foot sculptures of the heads of four United States presidents: George Washington (1732–1799), Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919), and Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865). The memorial park covers 1,278.45 acres and is 5,725 feet) above sea level.
South Dakota historian Doane Robinson conceived the idea of carving the likenesses of famous people into the Black Hills of South Dakota in order to promote tourism in the region. The sculptures face southwest, which gives them maximum sun exposure. Robinson originally wanted to feature American West heroes like Lewis and Clark, Red Cloud, and Buffalo Bill Cody, but Borglum thought the sculpture should have broader appeal and chose the four presidents.
After securing federal funding through the enthusiastic sponsorship of "Mount Rushmore's great political patron" U.S. Senator Peter Norbeck, construction began in 1927. The presidents' faces were completed between 1934 and 1939. After Gutzon Borglum's death in March 1941, his son took over as leader of the construction project. Each president was originally to be depicted from head to waist. Lack of funding forced construction to end in late October 1941.
Mount Rushmore features 60-foot sculptures of the heads of four United States presidents: George Washington (1732–1799), Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919), and Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865). The memorial park covers 1,278.45 acres and is 5,725 feet) above sea level.
South Dakota historian Doane Robinson conceived the idea of carving the likenesses of famous people into the Black Hills of South Dakota in order to promote tourism in the region. The sculptures face southwest, which gives them maximum sun exposure. Robinson originally wanted to feature American West heroes like Lewis and Clark, Red Cloud, and Buffalo Bill Cody, but Borglum thought the sculpture should have broader appeal and chose the four presidents. 
