Mount Rushmore
The Black Hills of Keystone, South Dakota soar at an elevation of 5,725 feet. Carved into the granite mountain are the faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. The four presidents represent the birth, growth, development and preservation of the United States.
Historian Doane Robinson conceived of the idea for the monument in 1923 as a way to promote tourism. South Dakota Senator, Peter Norbeck, secured Federal funding for the monument. Sculptor Gutzon Borglum, developed the project’s design and oversaw its execution from 1927-1941. After Borglum died in 1941, his son, Lincoln, completed the project later that year.
Mount Rushmore is a beloved national memorial that also has a controversial history because the land for the monument was taken from the Lakota Sioux Indians. General Custer’s discovery of gold in the area in 1874, led to the breach of the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868, and a brutal land conquest. America’s belief in Manifest Destiny casts a dark shadow upon our country’s history. In recent decades the United States government has made some recompense to the Indian Nations that survive today, although the need to do more remains strong.
In Popular Culture
The enormity of the faces and the uniqueness of the monument have made it not only a beloved national park, but also a symbolic reference in popular culture – when we say that something is “on our Rushmore List,” we mean that it is one of our top four favorite items in a specific category.
George Washington
Eyes – 11 feet wide
Nose – 21 feet tall
Mouth – 18 feet wide
Rushmore Lists
The “Everyone-Favorites/Selections” shows the Top-4 favorite items in a specific category as voted on by site users. These lists provide an interesting snapshot into popular culture.
You can also create and save your own lists using “My Favorites” which is a good way to organize and save your personal favorites. If there are additional categories you would like to see included on the site, write us with suggestions using our Contact form.
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