Mount Rushmore National Memorial

Mount Rushmore National Memorial

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CONTENTS

Mount Rushmore National Memorial

The four figures carved in stone on Mount Rushmore represent the first 150 years of American history. The birth of our nation was guided by the vision and courage of George Washington. Thomas Jefferson always had dreams of something bigger, first in the words of the Declaration of Independence and later in the expansion of our nation through the Louisiana Purchase. Preservation of the union was paramount to Abraham Lincoln but a nation where all men were free and equal was destined to be. At the turn of the Twentieth Century Theodore Roosevelt saw that in our nation was the possibility for greatness. Our nation was changing from a rural republic to a world power. The ideals of these presidents laid a foundation for our nation as solid as the rock from which their figures are carved. Each man possessed great skills and leadership of the brand our nation needed for the times. Today millions of visitors come to see Mount Rushmore and gain inspiration from these four great men.

IN DEPTH

Roosevelt The only presidential selection to draw any measure of criticism was that of Theodore Roosevelt, the nation's 26th president.  Some academics argued that history had not yet judged the ...read more

Washington As "father of our country" and the nation's first president, George Washington earned his place as the foremost figure in the presidential portrait. Born in 1732 in Virginia, ...read more

What Can You Do? • Visit Mount Rushmore in the winter, spring or fall to relieve summer overcrowding. • Place all litter in the recycling bins and trash cans provided throughout the...read more

Lincoln "The Great Emancipator," Abraham Lincoln, 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...read more

Lincoln Borglum Museum The museum has two 125-seat theaters where visitors can view a 13-minute orientation movie about how and why the memorial was carved. A bookstore operated by the Mount Rushmore...read more

Making Mount Rushmore Mount Rushmore National Memorial is as much a product of dreams and determination as it is the work of a talented sculptor.  The Father of Rushmore In 1923, Doane Robinson, the...read more

Crazy Horse The Mount Rushmore Memorial encouraged another accomplished artist to carve a second colossal sculpture in the Black Hills. In 1948, seven years after work stopped on nearby Mount Rushmore,...read more

Did You Know : Black Hills The Black Hills' name originates from the Sioux term paha sapa, or "hills of black," because the dense pine forests covering the hills appear black at a...read more

Did You Know : Gutzon Borglum Gutzon Borglum, a friend of the great French artist Auguste Rodin, was one of America's most successful artists before he even considered Mount Rushmore. His Mares of Diomedes was...read more

Did You Know : Mount Rushmore The hard granite of Mount Rushmore is among the oldest rock in the world. Geologists claim it will erode at a rate of one inch every 10,000...read more

PARK PHOTOS

Mount Rushmore : Mount Rushmore, 2013
Mount Rushmore, 2013
National Park Service
Mount Rushmore : Mount Rushmore, 2014
Mount Rushmore, 2014
National Park Service
Mount Rushmore : Mount Rushmore, 3607
Mount Rushmore, 3607
National Park Service
 

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