As we drove toward Mount Rushmore, I began to realize that I really had no idea of the background behind this monument. The only other large rock sculpture I knew about was on Stone Mountain in our home state of Georgia. Come to find out, the same man was responsible for both sculptures. I knew that Mount Rushmore was in the Black Hills of South Dakota, but I didn’t even know why this area was given that name. This post will answer my questions about the when, where, why, and how of Mount Rushmore, and I hope some of your questions will be answered too.
First, why the “Black Hills”?
As we were driving east toward this area from Wyoming, the hills really did look dark.
According to SI, “The Black Hills is a mountain range located primarily in South Dakota and extending into Wyoming. The name ‘Black Hills’ originates from the Lakota language . . . that translates to ‘hills that are black.’ This name reflects the dark appearance of the hills when viewed from a distance, due to the dense forests of pine and spruce trees that cover them.”
Wikipedia goes on to tell us, “The Black Hills are an outlying subrange of the greater Rocky Mountain system [and I thought we were done with the Rocky Mountains] rising from the Great Plains of North America in western South Dakota and eastern Wyoming.”
now to Mount Rushmore
Although not noticed by most people who visit the memorial, the composition of the granite is not always consistent. Veins that are in the feldspars, mica, and quartz vary as a result of uneven cooling of the magma, as well as areas of mica schist and a network of cracks.
why built it here?
While Mount Rushmore is one of the most iconic landmarks in the United States that attracts millions of visitors annually, its real reason for being built was to bring tourists to the Black Hills region of South Dakota during the Depression. In the early 20th century, South Dakota’s local historian, Doane Robinson, had the grand idea to carve famous American figures into the granite of the Black Hills. His vision was to create a tourist attraction to draw visitors to the state and stimulate its economy. (I saw this information at Mount Rushmore but didn’t take a picture of it for this post; instead I found this information in a website myXOAdventuers.
In August of 1924, he contacted Gutzon Borglum who was working at Stone Mountain, Georgia, on the face of Robert E. Lee. In his letter Robinson invited Borglum to visit South Dakota and talk over the possibility of carving a mountain.
info on Stone Mountain carving from the park’s website:
The largest high relief sculpture in the world, the Confederate Memorial Carving, depicts three Confederate figures of the Civil War: President Jefferson Davis and Generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson. The entire carved surface measures three-acres, larger than a football field and Mount Rushmore. The carving of the three men towers 400 feet above the ground, measures 90 by 190 feet, and is recessed 42 feet into the mountain. The deepest point of the carving is at Lee’s elbow, which is 12 feet to the mountain’s surface.
Gutzon Borglum was hired in 1915 as the carving consultant, and in 1916 he was appointed carving sculptor by the Stone Mountain Monumental Association. Borglum envisioned a carving with seven central figures accompanied by “an army of thousands.” He was not able to begin work on the carving until 1923 due to funding problems and World War I.
back to Mount Rushmore
Borglum took Robinson up on his offer and met with him during September of 1924 and again in August of 1925. During this second trip Borglum selected Mount Rushmore as the mountain he wanted to carve. From that point on, Robinson worked diligently to secure funding for the project. Doane Robinson’s idea was a success. (This information is from the National Park Service website.) Mr. Robinson was right, and visitors have been coming for years.
Gutzon Borglum was 58 years old when he began designing Mount Rushmore in 1925. While he is primarily known for this great artistic feat, he had been a successful sculptor for decades before this memorial as convinced. The son of Danish immigrants, Borglum was reared in the Western frontier of America at the end of the 19th century. It was a time of great national confidence and expansion, two characteristics that often found expression in his work.
In addition to his successful career as an artist, Borglum also fancied himself as a statesman, speaking out and writing about topics from aeronautics to flood control. He was actively involved in national politics and internalization political affairs. He also was concerned with local community issues. His friends included many prominent people in the arts, politics, science, and law.
Borglum’s dream
Gutzon Borglum had felt from the beginning of his work on Mount Rushmore that some way should be found to explain the memorial to future civilizations. His first plan included an inscription to be carved on the face of the mountain in approximately the location of Lincoln’s head. When Jefferson’s head had to be relocated to the right of Washington, Lincoln was also moved, leaving no room for the inscription.
He thought a great room of at least 90 x 110 feet should be cut to include information about the literal record of the conception of the republic, its successful creation, the record of its westward movement to the Pacific, its presidents, how the memorial was built, and why he prepared the design for this information.
In 1998, the National Park Service partially fulfilled Borglum’s dream of leaving for future generations a permanent record of the evolution and meaning of the memorial. Porcelain enamel panels were deposited in a vault in the existing Hall of Records tunnel.
SI explains that “Mount Rushmore’s Hall of Records is an unfinished vault high in the mountain behind Lincoln’s head that Borglum planned to store important U.S. documents and artifacts. In 1998, a time-capsule repository was completed there, using a teak-wood box inside a titanium vault with a granite capstone covering it.”
the four presidents
Borglum chose his four presidents for such a good reason. Let’s look at them in a little more detail that was important to this sculptor. Per Wikipedia, Washington was chosen to represent the nation’s foundation, Jefferson to represent the nation’s expansion, Lincoln to represent the nation’s development, and Roosevelt to represent the nation’s preservation.
George Washington – 1732 – 1799
President Calvin Coolidge wrote about Washington’s carving in 1927 when the monument was dedicated, “It is natural that such a design should begin with George Washington, for with him begins that which is truly characteristic of America. He represents our independence, our constitution, our liberty. The formed the hightest aspirations that were entertained by any people into the permanent institutions of our government. He stands as the foremost disciple of ordered liberty, a statesman with an inspired vision who is not outranked by any mortal greatness.”
Appointed commander of the Continental Army in 1775, he molded a fighting force that won independence from Great Britain. In 1787 as President of the Constitutional Convention, he helped guide the deliberations to form a government that has now lasted more than 200 years. Two years later he was unanimously elected first President of the United States. Washington defined the Presidency and helped develop the relationships among the three branches of government. He initiated precedents that successfully launched the new government on its course.
Robert E. Lee’s father described Washington as the “First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen.”
Borglum modeled his Washington figure after the life mask that was created by Jean Antoine Houdon, a French artist, during his visit to Mount Vernon in 1785, as well as from famous portraits.
the carving
Borglum wrote about how he carved Washington’s head, “I deliberately carve the head in an upright position without the slightest tilting forward or backward, or to either side, to fix upon the mind of the observer the upright character of the man. But I found the figure was too still. I merely pivoted the body by cutting the left shoulder farther back into the mountain. It had the same effect as if the head itself had been turned. It has put more life into the figure.”
Thomas Jefferson – 1743 – 1826
President Calvin Coolidge wrote about Jefferson’s carving in 1927 when the monument was dedicated, “Next to [Washington] will come Thomas Jefferson, whose wisdom insured that the government which Washington had formed should be entrusted to the administration of the people. He emphasized the element of self government which had been enshrined in American institutions in such a way to demonstrate that it was practical and would be permanent. In him, likewise, was embodied the spirit of expansion. Recognizing the destiny of his country, he added to its territory. By removing the possibility of any powerful opposition from another neighboring state, he gave new guarantees to the rule of the people.”
Jefferson was chosen for the Mount Rushmore memorial because he had authored the Declaration of Independence and later, as President, had the foresight to purchase the vast Louisiana Territory that more than doubled the landmass of the young republic and opened the way for the country’s western expansion.
With his strong beliefs in the rights of man, a government derived from the people, freedom of religion, separation of church and state, and education available for all, Jefferson struck a chord for human liberty that sill resounds today.
the carving
As the initial carving proceeded, it was discovered that there was insufficient rock for the figure to be completed in that location. The unfinished face was blasted away in 1934 and a new start made to the right of Washington.
Partway through the carving of Jefferson in the new location, a major crack was revealed running through the nose at the right-hand nostril. Borglum reset the head 5 degrees to the north, set it back 4 feet, and tilted the head about 18 inches. Finally the crack just escaped the nostril. It still can be seen cutting down across the right eye, past the nose and upper lip, and through the middle of the chin.
Abraham Lincoln – 1809 – 1865
President Coolidge wrote this about Lincoln being included in the memorial, “After our country had been established, enlarged from sea to sea and dedicated to popular government, the next great task was to demonstrate the permanency of our union and to extend the principle of freedom to all the inhabitants of our land. The master of this supreme accomplishment was Abraham Lincoln. Above all other national figures, he holds the love of his fellow countrymen. The work which Washington and Jefferson began, he extended to its logical conclusion.”
The South responded by firing on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor April 12, 1861. [In 2023, Barney and I went to Fort Sumter and learned all about what happened here in 1861 from the national park ranger. This link is for part 20; but parts 21 and 22 give even more information.]
Lincoln, in turn, issued the call for troops to put down the rebellion. The result was 4 years of bloody conflict. In January 1863, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation to free slaves within the states in rebellion, thus raising the war to a higher moral plane. In January 1865, he secured Congressional approval of the 13th Amendment that abolished slavery in the United States.
The surrender of General Robert E. Lee in April 1865 showed Lincoln’s resolve had preserved the Union.
the carving
South Dakota Senator Norbeck, who had always been greatly impressed with Borglum’s large, beardless head of Lincoln in the Capital Rotunda in Washington, D.C., had urged him to carve a clean shaven face.
After studying Clark Mill’s life mask of Lincoln, as well as many photographs, the sculptor elected to portray Lincoln with the beard he wore during his presidency.
One of Borglum’s most notable refinements in the carvings was his treatment of the eyes. Concave depressions were carved so that the dark shadow gave the impression of depth. The pupils were represented by a shaft of granite, about 20 inches long projecting from the socket with its front surface ground smooth to reflect the light. As each figure was completed, the sculptor worked with this technique to achieve the life-like expression that can be seen today.
Theodore Roosevelt – 1858 – 1919
Coolidge wrote about Roosevelt, “That the principles for which these men stood might be still more firmly established, destiny raised up Theodore Roosevelt. To political freedom, he strove to add economic freedom. By building the Panama Canal, he brought into closer relationship the east and west and realized the vision that inspired Columbus in his search for a new passage to the Orient.”
He changed the relationship between government and industry, established a strong policy of conservation, influenced the construction of the Panama Canal, which helped make the United States a world power, and engineered the peace treaty ending the Russo-Japanese war. (For this last action he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1906.) To the people he was the “trust buster” and the man who carried a “big stock.”
Borglum had known and admired Roosevelt and had done a bust of the President that was later used as a model for the carving at Mount Rushmore. Roosevelt once said, “if a monument is ever put up to me, I hope Gutzon Borglum makes it.”
Roosevelt’s belief in conservation grew from his boyhood enthusiasm for outdoor life, and from his years of ranching in the Badlands of Dakota Territory. Under Roosevelt, more than 234 million acres were reserved for conservation, the United States Forest Service was created, national parks and monuments, bird refuges, and game preserves were established. The nearly extinct bison herds were saved, and the Reclamation Act authorized irrigation or the arid west. He created the Inland Waterways Commission and signed the Antiquities Act.
the carving
Seventy-five feet of overlying rock was drilled and blasted away before suitable granite for carving was found. Theodore Roosevelt’s famous pince-nez offered a chance for ingenuity. The artist managed to suggest the eyeglasses by merely carving a curved ridge under a part of the eye. Some visitors claim they can see the lenses.
monument to be large and permanent
First, it must be large. He often said, “A monument’s dimensions should be determined by the importance to civilization of the events commemorated.” He compared Mount Rushmore’s figures, scaled to the height of a person 465 feet tall, to the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, and to the Sphinx of Giza. It was equally important to Borglum to represent the spirit and ideals of American political development and geographic expansion on a grand scale.
Permanence was also essential to Borglum’s conception. He often referred to ancient monuments such as the great heads at Easter Island and the Pyramids being left by earlier civilizations without an adequate explanation of their meaning or intent.
“Mount Rushmore is eternal. It will stand until the end of time. Ten thousand years from now our civilization will have passed without leaving a trace. A new race of people will inhabit the earth. They will come to Mount Rushmore and read the record we have made.”
“Hence, let us place there, carved high, as close to heaven as we can, the words of our leaders, their faces to show posterity what manner of men they were. Then breathe a prayer that these records will endure until the wind and the rain alone shall wear them away.”
Gutzon Borglum
Gutzon Borglum was an incredibly accomplished painter and sculptor. His artistic talent was widely recognized before arriving in the Black Hills to sculpt his largest and most memorable work, Mount Rushmore.
working on a grand scale
The most remarkable aspect of Borglum’s carving of Mount Rushmore was his ability to adjust to the many problems he encountered and to ultimately translate his vision into an artistic work on such a grand scale. He was always ready to rethink the overall composition, departing from his studio models and making many subtle changes as each figure neared completion.
other artists and where they did their work
Along with Borglum and his son, Lincoln, other artists were hired to work on the Presidential carvings.
the studio
The original studio was built in 1927 at the present day Borglum View Terrace overlooking the view of the Presidents; it no longer stands.
The color image depicting the outside of the studio is a postcard that was published by Rise Photography.
In the 1939 study, the photograph of the model with the mountain sculpture seen through the window was captured by a museum volunteer. Borglum’s cast of Lincoln is permanently displayed in the studio (which we were unable to see on our visit). Borglum sent it to the top during the Carving Era in order to sculpt his favorite President as close to this model as possible.
workers
The men who carved Mount Rushmore were mostly drawn from the local area. Many were miners, lumber men, or ranchers. Over the 14-year period of the carving, almost 400 workers—men and women—labored at the memorial. The work was hard, the hours long, the pay low, and periods of employment uncertain.
Far above the rocky chasm and strapped into swing seats, the men were lowered over the face of the mountain while managing the heavy drilling tools and blasting equipment. For some the work was just a job, but for others it became a special calling. Red Anderson, one of the carvers said, “More and more we sensed that we were creating a truly great thing, and after a while all of us old hands became truly dedicated to it.”
When Lincoln Borglum started taking on more responsibility for the workers, he created a baseball team that became important to the men and the community over the years.
SI provided the following information about the baseball team. This team played a significant role in fostering camaraderie among the laborers during the monument’s creation. The Borglums prioritized hiring workers who were skilled at baseball, blending athleticism with the labor needed for the monument. Workers typically engaged in eight-hour shifts, six days a week, with baseball practices and games held after work and on Sundays.
In 1939, the team reached the semifinals of the State Amateur Baseball Tournament and placed third. The Rushmore Drillers disbanded after the completion of the monument in 1941, but their legacy continues to be celebrated in the local community, including a dedicated ice cream parlor at the memorial named in their honor.
how the work was done
Following his selection of Mount Rushmore as the carving site. Borglum studied photographs, portraits, life masks, and descriptions of the presidents. He then proceeded to create model studies, both individual and in groupings. The models were only an approximate of the final carving, intentionally left rough.
In order to transfer the dimensions from the models in his studio to the mountaintop, Borglum devised a pointing apparatus that was a boom that pivoted on a calibrated protractor plate from which a plumb bob was lowered. Each point located in this way was given a dimension out from the center point, down from the boom, and in to the proper depth.
Gutzon’s daughter Mary stated, “Dad always said the most important job on the mountain was the Pointer.”
Lincoln was in this position for the longest period. Gutzon asked his son to forego college to do the pointing; the master carver/designer of the Presidential Sculpture told his son that the could not trust just anyone with this key position. In numerous telegraphs and letters, he wrote that in his absence all decisions would be decided by Lincoln.
The carvings of Mount Rushmore involved the removal of excess rock by means of a drilling and blasting process. A vast amount of material had to be removed. Washington’s chin is 30 feet behind its original mountain surface; parts of the Jefferson and Lincoln heads are 50 feet back, and Roosevelt’s head finally took shape 75 feet behind the original surface.
Carving on the mountain face was obviously dangerous, but over the 14-year period, no serious injuries or fatalities occurred.
Borglum did not initially intend to use blasting at Mount Rushmore. In his initial proposal he had said, “I shall use no explosives . . . this is unnecessary and unsafe at Mount Rushmore.”
Soon dynamiting was a daily occurrence at Rushmore, and the skill of the crew became more refined and very accurate. Ultimately 90% of the carving was done by blasting. This was a remarkable feat considering that once removed, no material could be added back.
After the first stage of blocking out the heads and shaping them to their approximate shape, scaffolding of heavy bridge timber was constructed in 8-foot stories and bolted to 6-inch projections that had been left on the granite surface for this purpose.
Canvas covers could be used to protect the men against the raw winter weather, and heat was provided with wood-burning heaters made from oil drums.
Each day workmen had to climb a tortuous stairway of over 700 stairs to reach the top. To lift materials, a heavy cable, 1300 feet long, was installed from which a steel mine bucket was suspended on a trolley to be used for supplies only. Its load limit of 500 pounds was considered too low for safely hauling men
A brake was then installed to make the tramway safe for passengers. Still many of the men continued to use the stairway rather than take the dizzying and possibly dangerous tram ride. They remembered the day when the A-frame collapsed and the tramway bucket plunged to the bottom of the canyon.
status of our RV
As we’ve been traveling the past 5 months and starting to think about a trip that we want to take next year, we began to realize that the RV we’ve had for 9 years is starting to have some problems that would be expensive to fix, if we could fix them at all. One day while around Mount Rushmore we drove to a Camping World in Rapid City, SD, to get a part we needed. While there, we asked a salesman to show us a new version of our 26-foot Rockwood trailer with a Murphy bed. It looked nice, but then he said the one next to it was the upgraded version with a bedroom. We walked in and were amazed at how much we liked it. This newer style started us thinking as we drove home.
Leave a Reply
Your email is safe with us.