TheMount Rushmore National Memorial is anational memorial centered on acolossal sculpture carved into thegranite face ofMount Rushmore (Lakota:Tȟuŋkášila Šákpe, orSix Grandfathers) in theBlack Hills nearKeystone, South Dakota, United States. The sculptor,Gutzon Borglum, named it theShrine of Democracy,[2] and oversaw the execution from 1927 to 1941 with the help of his son,Lincoln Borglum.[3][4] The sculpture features 60-foot-tall (18 m) depictions of the heads of four United States presidents:George Washington,Thomas Jefferson,Theodore Roosevelt, andAbraham Lincoln,[5] respectively chosen to represent the nation's foundation, expansion, development, and preservation.[6] Mount Rushmore attracts more than two million visitors annually[1] to the memorial park which covers 1,278 acres (2.00 sq mi; 517 hectares).[7] The mountain's elevation is 5,725 feet (1,745 m) above sea level.[8]
Borglum chose Mount Rushmore in part because it faces southeast for maximum sun exposure. The carving was the idea ofDoane Robinson, South Dakota's state historian. Robinson originally wanted the sculpture to featureAmerican West heroes, such asLewis and Clark, their expedition guideSacagawea,Oglala Lakota chiefRed Cloud,[9]Buffalo Bill Cody,[10] and Oglala Lakota chiefCrazy Horse.[11] Borglum chose the four presidents instead.
Peter Norbeck,U.S. senator from South Dakota, sponsored the project and secured federal funding.[12] Construction began in 1927 and the presidents' faces were completed between 1934 and 1939. After Gutzon Borglum died in March 1941, his son Lincoln took over as leader of the construction project. Each president was originally to be depicted from head to waist, but lack of funding forced construction to end on October 31, 1941,[13] and only Washington's sculpture includes any detail below chin level.
The sculpture at Mount Rushmore was built on land that was taken from theSioux Nation in the 1870s.[14] The Siouxcontinue to demand return of the land, and in 1980 the US Supreme Court ruled inUnited States v. Sioux Nation of Indians that the taking of the Black Hills required just compensation, and awarded the tribe $102 million. The Sioux have refused the money, and demand the return of the land. This conflict continues, leading some critics of the monument to refer to it as a "Shrine of Hypocrisy".[15]
Mount Rushmore and the surroundingBlack Hills (Pahá Sápa) are considered sacred byPlains Indians such as theArapaho,Cheyenne, andLakota Sioux, who used the area for centuries as a place to pray and gather food, building materials, and medicine.[16]The Lakota called the mountain "Six Grandfathers" (Tȟuŋkášila Šákpe),[17] symbolizing ancestral deities personified as thesix directions: north, south, east, west, above (sky), and below (earth).[18]In the latter half of the 19th century, expansion by the United States into the Black Hills led to theSioux Wars. In the1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie, the U.S. government granted exclusive use of all of the Black Hills, including Six Grandfathers, to the Sioux in perpetuity.[16][18]
Six Grandfathers was a significant part of the spiritual journey taken in the early 1870s by Lakota leaderBlack Elk (Heȟáka Sápa, also known as "The Sixth Grandfather")[19] that culminated at the nearbyBlack Elk Peak[17] (Hiŋháŋ Káǧa, "Making of Owls").[20][21] U.S. generalGeorge Armstrong Custer summited Black Elk Peak a few years later in 1874 during theBlack Hills Expedition, which triggered theBlack Hills Gold Rush andGreat Sioux War of 1876.[22]In 1877, the U.S. broke the Treaty of Fort Laramie and asserted control over the area, leading to an influx of settlers and prospectors.[16][18]
Among those prospectors was New York mining promoter James Wilson, who organized the Harney Peak Tin Company, and hired New York attorneyCharles E. Rushmore to visit the Black Hills and confirm the company's land claims. Rushmore visited the area on three or four trips over the span of 1884 and 1885. During one of these visits, Rushmore was traveling near the base of the peak and, impressed with it, asked his guide, Bill Challis, the mountain's name; Challis replied that the mountain did not have a name, but that it would henceforth be named after Rushmore.[23][24][25] The name "Mount Rushmore" continued to be used locally, and was officially recognized by the United States Board of Geographic Names in June 1930.[18][24]
Robinson's plan had some support in South Dakota, but it also faced opposition, with opposition being particularly vehement in the Black Hills area.[23][31] Many people there opposed the project onconservationist grounds, wishing to leave the appearance of the area unaltered.[23][32] Many others opposed it because they did not want an influx of tourism to the area.[32]Cora Babbitt Johnson, editor of theHot Springs, South Dakota newspaper, theHot Springs Star, was particularly outspoken in her opposition to the planned sculptures.[23][29][30] Others opposed to the plan included the Black HillsFederation of Women's Clubs and theYankton Daily Press & Dakotan.[29][32][33] Through 1924, predominant opinion in South Dakota was either opposed or indifferent to the memorial project, and it was only through considerable lobbying on the part of Robinson and Borglum that the project began to gain support in early 1925.[23][30][31] South Dakota GovernorCarl Gunderson also leaned toward opposition to the project, but informed Senator Norbeck that he would not actively oppose it.[23][30]
Although many Lakota and other Native Americans would come to oppose the Mount Rushmore statues as a desecration of their sacred land during the modern era ofNative American civil rights movement, Native groups did not openly protest the monument during the time of its planning and construction. Indeed,Black Elk would visit the site in 1936 while it was still under construction.[34]
On August 20, 1924, Robinson wrote to Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor of "Shrine to the Confederacy", asking him to travel to the Black Hills region to determine whether the carving could be accomplished.[31][35]Borglum, who had involved himself with theKu Klux Klan,[relevant? –discuss] one of the Stone Mountain memorial's funders, had been having disagreements with the Stone Mountain Memorial Association, and on September 24, 1924, travelled to South Dakota to meet Robinson.[36][37] The press reported a later, March 7, 1925, conference between Norbeck and Borglum, with specific mention of the Washington-Lincoln design and the use ofBlack Elk Peak (Mount Harney).[38] Borglum was formally offered the project, but said he would withhold his decision until conflicts with theStone Mountain Confederate Memorial Carving were settled.[39]
Borglum's original plan was to make the carvings in 490-foot-high (150 m)granite pillars known as "The Needles" (Hiŋháŋ Káǧa). The Needles were an established area landmark, being a centerpiece ofCuster State Park and the scenicNeedles Highway. The proposal to turn the Needles into sculptures had aroused some of the strongest opposition to the project, and the idea was abandoned in order to assuage opposition.[23][29][31] (It was later noted that the Needles would have been too small and unstable to support carving on the scale that Borglum wished to carry out.)[18] On August 14, 1925, Borglum summitted Black Elk Peak while scouting alternative locations,[24] and reportedly said upon seeing Mount Rushmore, "America will march along that skyline."[35] He chose Mount Rushmore, a grander location, partly because it faced southeast and enjoyed maximum exposure to sunlight.[18]
Borglum rejected Robinson's original plan of depicting characters from theOld West, such asLewis and Clark,Red Cloud,Sacagawea,John C. Fremont, andCrazy Horse, and instead decided to depict four American presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt.[16][18][26]The four presidential faces were said to be carved into the granite with the intention of symbolizing "an accomplishment born, planned, and created in the minds and by the hands of Americans for Americans".[40]
Senator Norbeck and CongressmanWilliam Williamson of South Dakota introduced bills in early 1925 for permission to use federal land,[41] which passed easily. South Dakota legislation had less support, only passing narrowly on its third attempt, which Governor Gunderson signed into law on March 5, 1925. The approval came without any allocated funds, however, leaving the project to be financed by private sources.[23][30] Private funding came slowly and Borglum invited PresidentCalvin Coolidge to the dedication ceremony, at which he promised federal funding. The dedication ceremony was held on August 10, 1927, and carving of the sculpture got underway in October 4. TheMount Rushmore National Memorial Act, which authorized up to $250,000 in matching funds, was introduced to Congress in 1928 and signed into law by Coolidge on February 25, 1929, just before leaving office. The 1929 presidential transition toHerbert Hoover delayed funding until an initial federal match of $54,670.56 was acquired.[42]
Mount Rushmore (Six Grandfathers) before construction,c. 1905
Early model of the design
Construction underway, with Jefferson leftmost, before unstable rock necessitated a design change
Original mockup of the Mount Rushmore sculpture "before funding ran out"[43]
Between October 4, 1927, and October 31, 1941, Gutzon Borglum and 400 workers[44] sculpted the colossal 60-foot-high (18 m) carvings ofUnited States Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln to represent the first 150 years of American history. These presidents were selected by Borglum because of their role in preserving the Republic and expanding its territory.[35][40] The carving of Mount Rushmore involved the use ofdynamite, followed by the process of "honeycombing", where workers drill holes close together, allowing small pieces to be removed by hand.[45] In total, about 450,000 short tons (410,000 t) of rock were blasted off the mountainside.[46] The project was completed without a single fatality.[47][48] The image of Thomas Jefferson was originally intended to appear in the area at Washington's right, but after the work there was begun, the rock was found to be unsuitable, so the work on Jefferson's figure was dynamited, and a new figure was sculpted to Washington's left.[35]
Plaque at Mount Rushmore National Monument with names of monument workers
The chief carver of the mountain wasLuigi Del Bianco, an artisan andstonemason who emigrated to the U.S. fromFriuli in Italy and was chosen to work on this project because of his understanding of sculptural language and ability to imbue emotion in the carved portraits.[3][4]
In 1933, theNational Park Service took Mount Rushmore under its jurisdiction. Julian Spotts helped with the project by improving its infrastructure. For example, he had the tram upgraded so it could reach the top of Mount Rushmore for the ease of workers. By July 4, 1934, Washington's face had been completed and was dedicated. The face of Thomas Jefferson was dedicated in 1936, and Abraham Lincoln's on September 17, 1937. In 1937, a bill was introduced in Congress to add the head of civil-rights leaderSusan B. Anthony, but arider was passed on an appropriations bill requiring federal funds be used to finish only those heads that had already been started at that time.[49] In 1939, the face of Theodore Roosevelt was dedicated.[50]
The Sculptor's Studio – a display of unique plaster models and tools related to the sculpting – was built in 1939 under the direction of Borglum. Borglum died from anembolism in March 1941. His son,Lincoln Borglum, continued the project. Originally, it was planned that the figures would be carved from head to waist,[51] but insufficient funding forced the carving to end. Borglum had also planned a massive panel in the shape of theLouisiana Purchase commemorating in eight-foot-tall (2.4 m) gilded letters theDeclaration of Independence,U.S. Constitution, Louisiana Purchase, and seven other territorial acquisitions from theAlaska Purchase to thePanama Canal Zone.[52] In total, the entire project cost US$989,992.32 (equivalent to $21.2 million in 2024).[53]
Nick Clifford, the last remaining carver, died in November 2019 at age 98.[54]
Harold Spitznagel andCecil Doty designed the original visitor center, finished in 1957, as part of theMission 66 effort to improve visitors' facilities at national parks and monuments across the country.[55][56] Ten years of redevelopment work culminated with the completion of extensive visitor facilities and sidewalks in 1998, such as a Visitor Center, theLincoln Borglum Museum, and the Presidential Trail.
On October 15, 1966, Mount Rushmore was listed on theNational Register of Historic Places. A 500-word essay giving the history of the United States byNebraska student William Andrew Burkett was selected as the college-age group winner in a 1934 competition, and that essay was placed on the Entablature on a bronze plate in 1973.[49][57]
Members of theAmerican Indian Movement led an occupation of the monument in 1971, naming it "Mount Crazy Horse", and Lakota holy manJohn Fire Lame Deer planted a prayer staff on top of the mountain. Lame Deer said that the staff formed a symbolic shroud over the presidents' faces "which shall remain dirty until the treaties concerning the Black Hills are fulfilled."[58]
In 1991, PresidentGeorge H. W. Bush officially dedicated Mount Rushmore National Memorial.[59] In 2004,Gerard Baker was appointed superintendent of the park, the first and so far only Native American in that role. Baker stated that he will open up more "avenues of interpretation", and that the four presidents are "only one avenue and only one focus."[60]
In 1937, when the sculpture was not yet complete, a bill in Congress supporting the addition of women's rights activistSusan B. Anthony failed. When the sculpture was completed in 1941, the sculptors said that the remaining rock was not suitable for additional carvings. This stance was shared by RESPEC, an engineering firm charged with monitoring the stability of the rock in 1989. Proposals of additional sculptures includeJohn F. Kennedy after his assassination in 1963, andRonald Reagan in 1985 and 1999 – the latter proposal receiving a debate in Congress at the time.[61]Barack Obama was asked about his own potential addition in 2008 and he joked that his ears were too large.[62]
Donald Trump has expressed interest in his own addition to the mountain. During a 2017 rally in Ohio, Trump said, "I'd ask whether or not you some day think I will be on Mount Rushmore... If I did it joking, totally joking, having fun, the fake news media will say, 'He believes he should be on Mount Rushmore.' So I won't say it."[63] South Dakota GovernorKristi Noem described the potential addition as Trump's "dream" in 2018.[64] On January 28, 2025,Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) introduced a bill, H.R. 792, in the House of Representatives to add Trump's likeness to the monument.[65]
It is not possible to add another president to the memorial because the rock that surrounds the existing faces is not suitable for additional carving,[66] and because additional sculpting could create instabilities in the existing carvings.[62]
The Black Hills, in which Mount Rushmore is situated, is the subject of aland claim by theLakota people that both precedes the construction of the memorial and is ongoing. TheTreaty of Fort Laramie (1868) had granted the Black Hills to the Lakota in perpetuity, but the United States took the area from the tribe after theGreat Sioux War of 1876. The 1980United States Supreme Court decisionUnited States v. Sioux Nation of Indians[67] ruled that the Sioux had not received just compensation for their land in the Black Hills.[68] The court proposed $102 million as compensation for the loss of the Black Hills. However, the tribe has refused the settlement, arguing that this would amount to payment for land they never agreed to sell.[69]
Construction on theCrazy Horse Memorial began in 1940 elsewhere in the Black Hills. Ostensibly to commemorate the Native American leader and as a response to Mount Rushmore, if completed it would be larger than Mount Rushmore. The Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation has rejected offers of federal funds. Its construction has the support of some Lakota chiefs, but it is the subject of controversy, even among Native American tribes.[70]
Map of central memorial area, Mount Rushmore National Memorial.
The 1,278-acre (517-hectare) site of Mount Rushmore National Memorial extends northward from the sculptures to include the entirety of Mount Rushmore and half of Old Baldy Mountain, and southward to Grizzly Bear Creek, where it borders on theBlack Elk Wilderness and has a trail connection to theSouth Dakota Centennial Trail. The main road through the park isSouth Dakota Highway 244, which branches off ofU.S. Route 16A near the eastern entrance to the park, beyond which lies the town ofKeystone. The National Memorial is bounded byBlack Hills National Forest on all sides.
Mount Rushmore National Memorial is centered on the monumental sculptures, which are faced by a building and terrace complex that is designed to optimize viewing of the sculptures. A broad walkway known as Avenue of Flags is situated between the main parking lot, the park shops, and the Grand View Terrace. The walkway was added during the 1976United States Bicentennial and is lined with the flags of all 50 currentstates, as well as theDistrict of Columbia, threeterritories, and twocommonwealths, arranged in alphabetical order.[71]
At the end of the Avenue of Flags lies the Grand View Terrace (added in 1998, along with the amphitheater), which is designed to offer a primevantage point for the sculptures.[72] The terrace is built atop theLincoln Borglum Visitor Center, which serves as a museum housing exhibits on the history of Mount Rushmore and its construction and on the presidents depicted in the sculpture.[73] A large amphitheater extends below the museum and terrace and offers a place for seated viewing of the sculptures, as well as ranger talks, and is the central point for the memorial's evening program.[74]
The Presidential Trail is a 0.6-mile (1 km) loop trail that begins at and returns to the Visitor Center, and includes close views of the sculpture from the edge of Mount Rushmore'stalus slope, as well as access to the Sculptor's Studio.[75] The studio is connected to the Visitor Center by a series of long stairways (160 and 262 steps, respectively) with the Borglum Viewing Terrace between the two.[76] The Sculptor's Studio, built in 1939, was Gutzon Borglum's second on-site studio. It was kept intact after the 1941 opening of the memorial to showcase Borglum's models, tools, and working effects and to house exhibits on the techniques used in build the sculptures.[77]
An additional scenic viewpoint can be found farther away from the main memorial complex, to the west, along Highway 244. The spot is known as Profile View, and as the name suggests, offers aprofile view of the sculptures.[78] U.S. Route 16A, known locally as Iron Mountain Road, routes through the hills east of the park and offers more distant viewpoints at several key points along its route, such as the Doane Robinson Tunnel and Norbeck Overlook.[79][80]
Avenue of Flags
Exhibit, Borglum Visitor Center
Amphitheater and sculptures
Sculptor's Studio
Close up view of George Washington, Presidential Trail
The uncompleted Hall of Records, located near the mountain top, in a crag behind Lincoln's head. The 1998 time capsule can be seen at the entrance.
Borglum originally envisioned a grand Hall of Records where America's greatest historical documents and artifacts, including theUnited States Constitution andDeclaration of Independence, could be protected and exhibited for visitors. The Hall of Records was to be located in a vault that was cut into the interior of the mountain, with an entrance near the top, behind the presidential heads. Borglum envisioned the construction of a long series of stairways that would lead up the side of Mount Rushmore to the vault's entrance.[81][82]
Borglum and his workers managed to start the project, beginning a vault high on Mount Rushmore, in a crag behind the Abraham Lincoln figure. However, they only managed to cut about 70 feet (21 m) into the rock, before work stopped in 1939 to focus on the heads. No further work on the Hall of Records was carried out after completion of the statues in 1941. No trail was ever built to the uncompleted vault and because of the general policy of keeping visitors away from the mountaintop, the vault has been off-limits to the public, except for a few individuals who have been allowed to document the site while accompanied by park rangers.[81][82][83]
In 1998, a stonetime capsule was constructed inside the mouth of the cave housing 16 enamel panels with biographical and historical information about Mount Rushmore, as well as the texts of the documents Borglum wanted to preserve there. The repository consists of ateakwood box inside of a titanium vault placed in the ground with an engraved granite capstone. The capstone is typically covered by a wooden lid to further protect it from the elements.[81][82][83]
The ongoing conservation of the site is overseen by the National Park Service.[84] Maintenance of the memorial requires mountain climbers to monitor and seal cracks annually.[85] Due to budget constraints, the memorial is not regularly cleaned to removelichens. However, in 2005Alfred Kärcher, a German manufacturer ofpressure washing and steam cleaning machines, conducted a free cleanup operation which lasted several weeks, using pressurized water at over 200 °F (93 °C).[86] Other efforts to conserve the monument have included replacement of the sealant applied originally to cracks in the stone by Gutzon Borglum, which had proved ineffective at providing water resistance. The components of Borglum's sealant included linseed oil, granite dust, and white lead, but a modern silicone replacement for the cracks is now used, disguised with granite dust.[87]
In 1998, electronic monitoring devices were installed to track movement in the topology of the sculpture to an accuracy of 0.12 inches (3 mm). The site was digitally recorded in 2009 using a terrestriallaser scanning method as part of the internationalScottish Ten project, providing a high-resolution record to aid the conservation of the site. This data was made publicly accessible online.[88]
Mount Rushmore is largely composed ofgranite. The memorial is carved on the northwest margin of theBlack Elk Peak granitebatholith in the Black Hills of South Dakota, so the geologic formations of the heart of the Black Hills region are also evident at Mount Rushmore. The batholithmagma intruded into the pre-existingmicaschist rocks during theProterozoic, 1.6 billion years ago.[89] Coarse grainedpegmatitedikes are associated with thegranite intrusion of Black Elk Peak and are visibly lighter in color, thus explaining the light-colored streaks on the foreheads of the presidents.[citation needed]
The Black Hills granites were exposed toerosion during theNeoproterozoic, but were later buried bysandstone and other sediments during theCambrian. Remaining buried throughout thePaleozoic, they were re-exposed again during theLaramide orogeny around 70 million years ago.[89] The Black Hills area was uplifted as an elongated geologic dome.[90] Subsequent erosion stripped the granite of the overlying sediments and the softer adjacent schist. Some schist does remain and can be seen as the darker material just below the sculpture of Washington.[citation needed]
The tallest mountain in the region is Black Elk Peak (7,242 ft or 2,207 m). Borglum selected Mount Rushmore as the site for several reasons. The rock of the mountain is composed of smooth, fine-grained granite. The durable granite erodes only 1 inch (25 mm) every 10,000 years, thus was more than sturdy enough to support the sculpture and its long-term exposure.[35] The mountain's height of 5,725 feet (1,745 m) above sea level[8] made it suitable, and because it faces the southeast, the workers also had the advantage of sunlight for most of the day.
The Mount Rushmore area is underlain by well drainedalfisol soils of very gravelly loam (Mocmount) to silt loam (Buska) texture, brown to dark grayish brown.[91]
The area receives about 18 inches (460 mm) of precipitation on average per year, enough to support abundant animal and plant life. Trees and other plants help to controlsurface runoff. Dikes, seeps, and springs help to dam up water that is flowing downhill, providing watering spots for animals. In addition, stones likesandstone andlimestone help to holdgroundwater, creatingaquifers.[92]
A 2007 study found that almost two-thirds of the park's acreage (850 acres (344 hectares)) consisted of old-growth ponderosa pine forest, and of this 44% had no history of logging at all. This is unusual in the Black Hills, which has been heavily logged in the years since Euroamerican settlement, and represents one of the largest contiguous area of old-growth forest in the Black Hills, second only to Custer State Park.[98]Forest fires occur in the ponderosa forests surrounding Mount Rushmore with a mean interval of every 27 years, as indicated bydendrochronology studies of local trees. Large fires are not common. Most events have been ground fires that serve to clear forest debris.[110]
A 2010 article by a National Park Service fire ecologist notes that due tohistorical fire suppression policies in and around the park, much of the park's forested area had become overgrown with smallunderstory trees that could serve asfuel for a large forest fire. The article recommended a regime ofmechanical thinning andwoodchipping followed byprescribed burning to mitigate the fire hazard, as well as to make the forest more resilient against pine beetle infestation and to restore the naturalstand structure in these woodlands.[111]
A 2016 investigation by theU.S. Geological Survey found unusually high concentrations ofperchlorate in the surface water and groundwater of the area.[112][113] A sample collected from a stream had a maximum perchlorate concentration of 54 micrograms per liter, roughly 270 times higher than samples taken from locations outside the area.[114] The report concluded the probable cause of the contamination was the aerialfireworks displays that had taken place onIndependence Days from 1998 to 2009.[113][115] The National Park Service also reported that at least 27 forest fires around Mount Rushmore in that same period (1998 to 2009) have been caused by fireworks displays.[116] Nevertheless, anenvironmental impact assessment issued in 2020 left room for the possibility of returning fireworks to the memorial in the future.[117]
The centerpiece of the park is the monument and viewing the monument and associated activities is the main attraction of the National Memorial. However, the larger 1,278-acre (517-hectare) park includes natural areas beyond the memorial itself.
Rock climbing andbouldering are popular activities within the park and nearby areas,[118] though climbing anywhere close to the statues is prohibited and carries legal penalties.[119] However, areas to the north of the memorial are popular climbing areas, and include the face of Mount Rushmore opposite the statues and the neighboring peak Old Baldy Mountain, as well as numerous other needles, peaks, and boulders. Noted climbersJan and Herb Conn pioneered many climbing routes in this area in the 1940s and eventually came to make their home in the Black Hills in 1949.[118][120] The area has over 800 climbing routes today, most requiring a high degree of technical skill.[118][121]
The best-known walking trail in the park is the Presidential Trail, near to the main memorial complex. However, there are also two hiking trails that are found in more remote areas of the park. The Blackberry Trail extends from just across from the main parking lot through the southern part of the park and into theBlack Elk Wilderness, connecting to theCentennial Trail about 0.8 miles (1.3 km) from the trailhead.[122] There is also a trail to the top of Old Baldy Mountain at the northern edge of the park. The trail begins at the Wrinkled Rock trailhead, just outside of the west entrance to the park and most of its course is outside of the boundaries of the National Memorial. It leads to the summit of Old Baldy after 1.5 miles (2.4 km), where there is a panoramic view of the Black Hills from the summit. However, only the backside of Mount Rushmore is in the line of sight from the summit and the statues cannot be seen.[123][124]
Tourism is South Dakota's second-largest industry, and Mount Rushmore is the state's top tourist attraction.[128] A total of 2,440,449 people visited the park in 2022.[1]
The popularity of the location, as with many other national monuments, derives from its immediate recognizability; "there are no substitutes for iconic resources such as theStatue of Liberty, theLincoln Memorial, or Mount Rushmore. These locations are one of a kind places".[129]
Borglum titled his sculpture at Mount Rushmore as theShrine of Democracy, but the illegalseizure of the Black Hills where the memorial is located has led to some critics to refer to it as the "Shrine of Hypocrisy".[15][131][132][133]
On August 11, 1952, the U.S. Post Office issued the Mount Rushmore Memorial 3-centcommemorative stamp on the 25th anniversary of the dedication of the Mount Rushmore National Memorial.[134] On January 2, 1974, a 26-cent airmail stamp depicting the monument was also issued.[135] In 1991 the United States Mint released commemorative silver dollar, half-dollar, and five-dollar coins celebrating the 50th anniversary of the monument's dedication,[136][137][138] and the sculpture was the main subject of the 2006 South Dakotastate quarter.[139]
In music, American composerMichael Daugherty's 2010 piece for chorus and orchestra, "Mount Rushmore", depicts each of the four presidents in separate movements. The piece sets texts by George Washington,William Billings, Thomas Jefferson,Maria Cosway, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln.[140] By contrast, the song, "Little Snakes", byProtest The Hero, "addresses the violent colonial history involved in the sculpting of Mount Rushmore", critiquing the monument as a symbol ofcolonialism, referencing thegenocide of indigenous peoples and the ownership of slaves by George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.[141][142]
Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant) and Eve Kendall (Eva Marie Saint) dangle precipitously from the sculpture of George Washington in the 1959 filmNorth by Northwest.The film trailer forNorth by Northwest prominently features the site and sculpture.
Mount Rushmore has been depicted in multiple films, comic books, and television series.[145][146] Its functions vary fromsettings for action scenes to the site of hidden locations.[145] Its most famous appearance is as the location of the finalchase scene in the 1959 filmNorth by Northwest.[146][147][148][129] It is used as a secret base of operations by the protagonists in the 2004 filmTeam America: World Police,[149][150] and the secret underground city ofCíbola is located there in the 2007 filmNational Treasure: Book of Secrets.[145][146][147] In thePhineas and Ferb episodeCandace Loses Her Head, both Phineas and Ferb sculpt Candace's face on the monument for her 15th birthday.[151] In some films, the presidential faces are replaced with others;[145] examples include the 1980 filmSuperman II and the 1996 filmMars Attacks! where the villains add their faces to the monument, and the 2003 filmHead of State where the newly elected president's face is added.[147][152] In works showing attacks on landmarks to signify the scope of a threat, Mount Rushmore is a common target; examples include the aforementioned facial replacements inSuperman II andMars Attacks! as well as natural disasters in works like the 2006 miniseries10.5: Apocalypse and terrorist attacks as in the 1997 filmThe Peacekeeper.[152] An atypical representation of the monument appears in the 2013 filmNebraska, where instead of being treated with reverence it is criticized for being unfinished.[147][153]
^"Memorial History".National Park Service. May 23, 2022. RetrievedDecember 14, 2022.
^"Rare Photos From The Past". p. 5. Archived fromthe original on January 19, 2016. RetrievedSeptember 18, 2019.1941, the original mockup of Mt. Rushmore before funding ran out
^Matthew Glass, "Producing Patriotic Inspiration at Mount Rushmore",Journal of the American Academy of Religion, Vol. 62, No. 2. (Summer, 1994), pp. 265–283.
^"Significant Indian Cases".The United States Department of Justice. United States Government. May 12, 2015. Archived fromthe original on July 4, 2020. RetrievedJuly 4, 2020.
^abc"Hall of Records".Mount Rushmore National Memorial web site. National Park Service. June 14, 2004. Archived fromthe original on October 11, 2007. RetrievedJuly 4, 2007.
^abc"Hall of Records".Mount Rushmore National Memorial. U.S. National Park Service. RetrievedSeptember 22, 2024.
^"Weather History". National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. June 23, 2004. Archived fromthe original on July 6, 2008. RetrievedJanuary 27, 2013.
^Busse, Andrew; Burr, Andrew (2012).The Needles of Rushmore: Climbing in and Around South Dakota's Mt Rushmore National Memorial. Boulder, Colorado: Fixed Pin Publishing.ISBN978-0-9819016-8-8.
^abcKnight, Gladys L. (August 11, 2014)."Mount Rushmore".Pop Culture Places: An Encyclopedia of Places in American Popular Culture [3 volumes]. ABC-CLIO. p. 623.ISBN978-0-313-39883-4.
^"9 Famous Pop Culture Spots in the USA You Don't Want to Miss".Visit The USA. RetrievedMay 21, 2022.A variety of films and television shows suggest Mount Rushmore's use as a secret hideout for the government such as in "National Treasure: Book of Secrets" and "Team America: World Police."
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