Carved into the Black Hills of South Dakota are the iconic faces of four former presidents of the United States--George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. These men were chosen to represent the first 150 years of American history and America’s cultural heritage.
The idea came from Doane Robinson to promote tourism in South Dakota and his idea was wildly successful--the park attracts almost 3 million park visitors every year. Gutzon Borglum designed the sculpture. Though he passed away before its completion, over 400 workers helped bring his vision to life.
Not everyone was pleased with the decision to carve four American presidents on a mountain that held spiritual significance for the Lakota tribe. In response, a memorial to Crazy Horse is being carved in the Black Hills 17 miles away from Mount Rushmore. Once completed the Crazy Horse Memorial will be the largest outdoor sculpture in the world.
Below was our first glimpse of George Washington before we actually entered the National Park.
After a photo stop, we made the short drive to officially enter Mt. Rushmore National Monument.
The Faces of Rushmore:
George Washington, the “father of our country” and the nation’s first president, earned his place as the foremost figure in the presidential portrait.
Theodore Roosevelt, the nation’s 26th president and the only presidential selection to draw any measure of criticism. Some academics argued that history had not yet judged the Roosevelt presidency (he had only been dead 8 years). But Borglum believed Roosevelt’s vision of America’s role in the world community qualified him for the fourth place on the mountain. Roosevelt had realized the dream of Christopher Columbus by completing the Panama Canal and connecting the waters of the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans. More significantly, Borglum identified with Roosevelt’s energy and charisma, and saw him as the epitome of the American Spirit. Borglum sculpted him from memory, as he and “Teddy” were close friends and confidants, before, during and after Roosevelt’s presidency.
Thomas Jefferson, born in 1743 to Virginia planters, he drafted the Declaration of Independence at age 33, giving the nation a plan for sovereignty and freedom. He also served as governor of his native state, as minister to France and as secretary of state for four years under President Washington. From 1801 to 1809 he served two successful terms as the nation’s third president. Jefferson was ultimately included by Borglum because of his vision of an America that spanned from coast to coast. His unprecedented purchase of the vast Louisiana Territory, which more than doubled the size of the young nation, brought his dream closer to reality. As depicted on Mount Rushmore, Jefferson is looking to the heavens, emphasizing his reputation as a visionary and philosopher.
Abraham Lincoln, “The Great Emancipator”, was born to impoverished parents in Kentucky’s backwoods in 1809. Lincoln taught himself law, served in the Illinois Legislature, then gained a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. In 1858, he challenged Senator Stephen Douglas and---through wit, wisdom, and a series of historic debates….won the admiration of the American people, though he lost the election.
Elected president in 1860, Lincoln oversaw one off the most pivotal periods in American history, the Civil War. Through steadfast devotion to the nation, he successfully preserved the Union. Lincoln was Borglum’s favorite leader. In fact, the sculptor named is only son for the 16th president. Borglum chose to portray him with the beard and the determined look he wore during his tenure in office.
Our next stop was the Crazy Horse Memorial. Started over 50 years ago, and still under construction, the memorial is the world’s largest sculpture in progress. Chief Standing Bear told the sculptor, Korczak Ziolkowksi “My fellow chiefs and I would like the white man to know the red man has great heroes, too.” The monument is a tribute to the Sioux Lakota Indian leader known as Crazy Horse.
The Crazy Horse Memorial is a mountain monument under construction on privately held land in the Black Hills, in Custer County, South Dakota. It depicts Crazy Horse, an Oglala Lakota warrior, riding a horse and pointing into the distance. The memorial was commissioned by Henry Standing Bear, a Lakota elder, to be sculpted by Korczak Ziolkowski. It is operated by the Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation, a private non-profit organization.
The memorial consists of the mountain carving (monument), the Indian Museum of North America, and the Native American Cultural Center. The monument is being carved out of Thunderhead Mountain on land considered sacred by some Oglala Lakota, between Custer and Hill City, roughly 17 miles (27 km) from Mount Rushmore. The sculpture's final dimensions are planned to be 641 feet (195 m) wide and 563 feet (172 m) high. The head of Crazy Horse will be 87 feet (27 m) high; by comparison, the heads of the four U.S. Presidents at Mount Rushmore are each 60 feet (18 m) high.
The monument has been in progress since 1948 and is far from completion. If completed, it may become the world's largest sculpture.
The sculptor, Korczak Ziolkowski was born in Boston of Polish descent. Orphaned at age one, he grew up in foster homes. He was completely self-taught and never took a formal lesson in art, sculpture, architecture or engineering. Chief Standing Bear learned of the sculptor when he won first prize by popular vote at the 1939 New York World’s Fair for his work “Paderewski” Study of an Immortal. Korczak arrived in the Black Hills in 1947 to accept the invitation. When he started work on the mountain in 1948, he was almost 40 and had only $174 left to his name. Over the years he battled financial hardship, racial prejudice, injuries and advancing age. A strong believer in the free enterprise system, he felt Crazy Horse should b built by the interested public and not the taxpayer. Twice he turned down offers of federal funding. Since his death in 1982, his wife Ruth, with seven of their children, working in concert with the Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation Board of Directors, has directed the work. Ruth worked tirelessly to continue the work on the mountain and complex overseeing the progress until her passing in May of 2014 at age 87. She lived in the log home Korczak and she raised their 10 children in and worked seven days a week keeping the Memorial going until her death. Her children continue overseeing the dream.
We were fortunate to be there on one of the rare days that there would be a blast.
Above is a model of what Crazy Horse will look like at completion.
Next we had a surprise stop at Devil’s Tower. Devils Tower was proclaimed the first national monument in 1906 by President Theodore Roosevelt. The formation escalates 1,267 feet above the Belle Fourche River, just across the South Dakota border in Wyoming. Native American Indian legend holds that the rock sprang up just in time to save two girls from a bear. The fluted nature of the rocks formed from the bear pawing at the rock. Devils Tower, formed by the intrusion of igneous material, is a sacred site for many Native Americans and is enjoyed by hikers and climbers for the activities offered at the monument.
We arrived back in Rapid City with enough free time to walk around downtown, check out some of the shops and have dinner. Check out the price of this hand carved dining room table.
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