Mount Rushmore National Memorial

Photo Opp ~ The sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore is located in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The sculpture of the heads of Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln was designed and overseen by sculptor Gutzon Borglum. The heads of the four presidents are 60-feet tall and were chosen to represent the nation’s birth, growth, development, and preservation. South Dakota historian Doane Robinson is credited with conceiving the idea of carving the likenesses of noted figures into the mountains of the Black Hills of South Dakota in order to promote tourism in the region. 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.

The granite face of Mount Rushmore with the 60-foot heads of Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln.
 
The four presidents were chosen, respectively, to represent the birth, the growth, the development, and the preservation of the United States.
Visitors gather on the observation deck overlooking the sculpture and the viewing amphitheater situated below the front of the deck to view Evening Lighting Ceremonies.

Mount Rushmore National Memorial
Keystone, South Dakota

N 43º 52′ 44″ W 103º 27′ 35″

Explore More Related Adventures...