Mount Rushmore was more impressive than I imagined, although I’d seen photos of it all my life. We thoroughly enjoyed the entire National Memorial, from the wide entry passageway between the flags of every state to the extensive, interactive museum to the magnificent sculptures that look far more awe-inspiring in person than they do in photos.
Before we went to Mount Rushmore, we drove past the entrance just a few minutes, to reach the Scenic Profile view. It is the closest you can get to George Washington’s sculpture, and I recommend you don’t miss this unique perspective.
As we entered between the state flags, there was a talented Native American musician. I missed his name and thought I could find him later, perhaps on YouTube, but so far, no luck. That will teach me not to write something down. I asked him if I could take his photo, and he said yes.
I learned about the man behind the famous monument, the sculptor Gutzon Borglum, and his son Lincoln, who sculpted a bust of his father.
In the museum, there is information about every detail of the monument, including how the mountain has sensors today that keep track of its “health.” The sensors detect instabilities that could threaten the sculptures.
There are two theaters playing a few different movies throughout the day. We watched one that covered the making of Mount Rushmore. It explained how Borglum first made models in his studio and then created the 60-foot-high granite faces of U.S. presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln at a site that he chose because it had the right kind of stone.
Particularly interesting were these actual models from Borglum’s studio along with images showing how large even the models are.
Fascinating, too, was the history of all the many workers, 400 by some counts who were on the project from 1927 to 1941. They had some close calls, but no one died despite working in dangerous conditions and using an extraordinary amount of dynamite to carve the mountain. Boom! Then they polished the faces under Borglum’s direction while hanging by ropes in little wooden chairs.
For those who have never seen it, there is also an open-air auditorium that is set at the base of the sculptures. They do a nightly light-show there, but we didn’t stay for it.
We had only two disappointments. We went out of our way to see the Crazy Horse Monument, which was started in 1948. In the Black Hills of South Dakota, about 40 minutes from Mount Rushmore, everyone says its an awesome sight. However, it was entirely shrouded in rain clouds. I didn’t even get a photo. No one knows when it will be finished, but I hope we can go back on a clear day.
The other disappointment was when we found out the cafeteria at Mount Rushmore was out of Thomas Jefferson’s ice cream!! He is credited with writing down one of the first ice cream recipes, and we had been looking forward to trying it. Perhaps we’ll have to go back there, too.
Happy Travels!