Mount Rushmore National Memorial
History etched into a rock peak for all time
In the Black Hills of southwestern South Dakota, the Mount Rushmore National Memorial stands tall as a tribute to people who worked hard and important times in U.S. history. There are many plants, animals, and nature walks through forests in the park, but the four faces carved into hard granite on the side of Mount Rushmore are what draw almost 3 million people there every year.
The carving was started by artist Gutzon Borglum in 1927. About 400 people, including his son Lincoln, worked on the faces of the four U.S. presidents he chose because they led the country through important times in its past. It took 14 years to finish.
The first president, George Washington, led the Revolutionary War to get independence from Great Britain. The third president, Thomas Jefferson, wrote the Declaration of Independence. The 26th president, Theodore Roosevelt, boosted economic growth as the country entered the 20th century. And finally, Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president, worked to keep the union together during the Civil War and led the country to victory.
People who are in the park should stop by the Sculptor’s Studio to see Borglum’s model of the mountain in 1/12th scale. The Lincoln Borglum Visitor Center is named after Borglum’s son, who took over the project after his father died and later became the park’s first manager. There is a movie about the work and museum displays about it inside the center.
During the summer, you can stay late to hear a ranger talk about the site’s importance and join about 2,500 other people at a lighting event in the park’s amphitheater.