August 15 – Mount Rushmore

We always include a stop at Mount Rushmore when we are in Rapid City, SD to see George and his rock band.  We were part of the 3 million people that visit each year.  I love the entrance to the park where flags of each state are flown according the date of entrance into the Union.  They provide a colorful frame for your first view of the Monument.

  On the Presidential walk we enjoyed the ever-changing perspective of each president, Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln.  Did you know Lincoln is missing an ear? 

 At the Sculptor Studio, a ranger explained the process of mountain carving and the tools that were used by Gutzon Borglum.  We saw the working models from which measurements were taken and transferred to the mountain sculpture.

Some fun facts:

Each head is 60 feet tall.

Each eye is 11 feet wide.

It was carved from 1927 – 1941.

There were 400 workers.

The monument cost $989.922.32

Why these Presidents?

Washington represents the birth of the nation.

Jefferson represents expansion with the Louisiana Purchase.

Teddy Roosevelt represents development of the nation, national parks, trust busting and the Panama Canal.

Lincoln represents preservation of the Union with the Civil War.