In my lifetime I've seen dozens of caricatures of this monument. Other presidents have been added, but so have Alfred E. Neuman and Micky Mouse. It's truly an American icon. The fact that it was ever envisioned and then actually finished during the years of the Great Depression is a tribute to the American tenacity to get things done when push comes to shove. It was meant to be a "commemoration of the foundation, preservation and continental expansion of the United States." Standing, gawking, in front of this huge sculpted mountainside I couldn't help but be proud of our country, and I am usually pretty cynical about such stuff. It is truly awesome!
Mt. Rushmore, oddly, was named after a New York lawyer, Charles E. Rushmore. Gutzon Borglum was the sculptor and scouted the Black Hills of South Dakota for the perfect granite face. This five thousand foot mountain faces southeast exposing it to sunlight for most of the day. It was started in 1927 and took fourteen years to finish at a mere one million dollars. Could such a feat be accomplished today? The sad answer to that question is probably "no".
I'm glad I made the effort to see Mt. Rushmore. It's not an easy place to get to if you live on the coast, but definitely worth the trip, especially if you need a patriotic booster shot like I did.
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