the presidents sculpted into Mt Rushmore were chosen to represent specific eras in American history. George Washington for our founding; Thomas Jefferson, for our constitutional foundings; Theodore Roosevelt for our expansion; and Abraham Lincoln for consolidating after civil strife. The sculptor, Gutzon Borglum, worked for 14 years on the project and died just before its completion and dedication in 1941. Doane Robinson, the official historian for South Dakota in the 1920's, started the idea of a sculpted monument to attract visitors to the area. He lobbied congress and collected private donations to complete the project.
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| the Hall of Flags fly's the flags of every state and offers a dramatic frame for the mountain. |
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| Washington's head is 60' tall |
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| Driving to the monument, this scene greets visitors |
The nearby Crazy Horse Monument is not a government sponsored development. Henry Standing Bear, a chief of the Oglala Lakota Indian tribe, attempted to have Crazy Horse included in the faces carved into Mount Rushmore. His efforts were unsuccessful and he and his brother began their campaign to have a monument so that "... the white man to know that the red man has great heroes, too"
The sculptor on Mount Rushmore, Gutzon Borglum, was originally contacted to begin the work but he never responded tot he invite and so one of his co-sculptors, Korczak Ziolkowski, was offered the commission. Standing Bear traded some fertile farm land to the U.S. government for the granite rock hill and the Forest Service granted a permit for the land use. In 1948 Ziolkowski began work on the mountain. He died in 1982 having worked all 40 years on the sculpture. His family continues his work along with the Indian tribes of the area.
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| Sculpture showing the eventual details of the monument. |
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| As it is today |
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| A model of the long term plan for an Indian cultural and educational center. |
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| The Nature Gate depicts the variety of wildlife from the area. |
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