North America
USA
Keystone
Monument
Mount Rushmore
Name:Mount Rushmore
Construction period:1927 – 1941
Concept by:Doane Robinson
Sculptor:Gutzon Borglum
Height of portraits:approx. 18 meters
Elevation:1,745 meters above sea level
Rock type:Granite
Number of visitors:approx. 2.4 million visitors per year
The Mount Rushmore National Memorial in the Black Hills, South Dakota, USA, is visible.

25 fascinating facts about Mount Rushmore

 

  1. Location: Mount Rushmore is located in the Black Hills of South Dakota, near the small town of Keystone. The monumental rock sculpture stands at an elevation of about 1,745 meters, surrounded by dense forests, deep valleys, and striking granite formations.
  2. Significance: The monument is one of the most iconic landmarks in the United States and draws more than two million visitors each year. It portrays four influential presidents from American history and, together with the Statue of Liberty and the Liberty Bell, is regarded as one of the nation’s most important symbols.
  3. The Presidents: Carved into the granite are the faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln, overlooking the Black Hills. Each represents a defining era in U.S. history. Washington stands for the nation’s founding, Jefferson for territorial expansion, Roosevelt for economic progress and America’s rise as a global power, and Lincoln for preserving the Union during the Civil War.
  4. Original Idea: In 1923, historian Doane Robinson proposed creating a monumental rock sculpture in the Black Hills to attract more visitors to South Dakota. His first idea was to depict famous figures of the Wild West, such as Lewis and Clark, Buffalo Bill Cody, and the Lakota chief Red Cloud. When sculptor Gutzon Borglum joined the project, he shifted the focus to U.S. presidents to give the monument a truly national meaning.
  5. Choice of Location: The original plan was to carve the monument into the granite spires of Custer State Park. However, the rock there proved too brittle, and environmentalists raised concerns. Borglum therefore selected the present site at Mount Rushmore, where the hard granite and sunlit southeastern face offered ideal conditions for such an ambitious project.
  6. Controversial Past of the Sculptor: Gutzon Borglum is regarded as the creative force behind Mount Rushmore, but his legacy remains deeply controversial. He had close connections to the Ku Klux Klan, embraced nationalist and racist beliefs, and had previously worked on the Stone Mountain Memorial in Georgia. That enormous rock relief honors the leaders of the Confederacy and is now seen as a symbol of racism and the ideology of the southern states. The Confederates were eleven southern states that seceded from the Union during the American Civil War to maintain their independence and uphold slavery. These associations continue to cast a moral shadow over Borglum’s role as the creator of a national monument.
  7. Construction History: Work on Mount Rushmore began in 1927 under Borglum’s direction and lasted for fourteen years. The rough outlines were created with dynamite, while the finer details were shaped using pneumatic drills and precisely placed boreholes. About 450,000 tons of rock were removed and still lie as debris at the base of the mountain. After Borglum’s death in March 1941, his son Lincoln briefly continued the work before it officially ended in October of the same year due to financial difficulties.
  8. Financing: The project was originally intended to be financed mainly through private donations, but the contributions fell far short of expectations. In the end, the federal government and the state of South Dakota covered most of the costs to bring the monument to completion.
  9. Changes During Construction: The original design planned for the presidents to be shown down to their waists, but only the heads were completed. Thomas Jefferson’s face was first carved to the right of George Washington, but the rock proved unsuitable. The unfinished figure was destroyed, and Jefferson’s image was re-carved on Washington’s left side. Borglum also envisioned a large chamber called the Hall of Records, where important documents on the history of the United States would be stored. That idea was never realized. Several decades later, a viewing terrace was added at the base of the monument for visitors.
  10. Facial Proportions: Each face is about 18 meters tall, roughly the height of a six-story building. The noses measure about six meters, the eyes 3.4 meters, and the mouths around 5.5 meters. Thanks to the careful shaping of features and shadows, the faces appear remarkably lifelike despite their monumental scale.
  11. Working Conditions: About 400 men worked on Mount Rushmore between 1927 and 1941. They hung from simple wooden seats at dizzying heights, using pneumatic drills and dynamite to carve the granite. Despite the extreme danger, not a single life was lost during construction. In the difficult years of the Great Depression, the project provided many people with an essential source of income, even though the pay was low and the work often uncertain.
  12. George Washington: On the far left of the mountain is George Washington, the first president of the United States, who served from 1789 to 1797. During the American Revolutionary War, from 1775 to 1783, he led the colonial forces to victory over Great Britain and secured independence for the thirteen colonies. In 1787, he presided over the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, laying the foundation for the new republic. Two years later, he was unanimously elected as the first president and is still honored as the father of the nation.
  13. Thomas Jefferson: To the right of George Washington is Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, who served from 1801 to 1809. He was the main author of the Declaration of Independence and helped define the political ideals of the new nation. During his presidency, he purchased a vast territory from France through the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, which nearly doubled the country’s size. The United States paid 15 million dollars, roughly seven dollars per square kilometer. Jefferson’s portrait symbolizes the growth and expansion of the young republic.
  14. Theodore Roosevelt: Next to Thomas Jefferson is Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president of the United States, who served from 1901 to 1909. He represents progress and renewal. Roosevelt championed better working conditions, major economic reforms, and measures to curb the power of large corporations. He is also remembered as the founder of modern conservation, having established many national parks, reserves, and monuments to ensure that nature would be protected for future generations.
  15. Abraham Lincoln: On the far right is Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, who led the country through the Civil War from 1861 to 1865. He fought with resolve to preserve the Union and bring the seceded southern states back into it. He also initiated the abolition of slavery, creating the moral foundation of the modern United States. His image on the monument stands for unity and freedom, values that continue to define the nation’s identity today.
  16. Roosevelt’s Glasses: Theodore Roosevelt is shown on Mount Rushmore wearing his characteristic glasses. Because the frames could easily have broken off in the rock, Borglum carved only the bridge and the upper rims of the lenses into the granite. Seen from a distance, this creates the convincing illusion of a complete pair of glasses and makes Roosevelt’s face instantly recognizable.
  17. The Black Hills: The Black Hills are located in western South Dakota and stretch into northeastern Wyoming. They rise like a green island from the surrounding prairie. The landscape is shaped by dense pine forests, rugged cliffs, and deep caves, and is home to bison, elk, mountain lions, and eagles. Today, the region attracts visitors from all over the world who come to explore its national parks, hiking trails, and spectacular natural scenery.
  18. The Lakota People: The Lakota are one of the three major branches of the Sioux Nation, along with the Dakota and Nakota. They share a common language, culture, and traditions. For centuries, they have lived in what is now the United States, first in the northern forests and later across the wide plains of the central states. The Black Hills hold deep spiritual meaning for them and are described in their oral traditions as the place of creation.
  19. Treaty of Fort Laramie: In 1868, the United States signed the Second Treaty of Fort Laramie with the Lakota and other Sioux groups. It guaranteed the Lakota a permanent homeland that included large parts of what is now South Dakota. The Black Hills were granted to them “forever,” and settlers were forbidden to enter or occupy the land without their consent. After gold was discovered there, increasing numbers of settlers moved into the area. In 1877, the U.S. government declared the Black Hills to be federal property. This violation of the treaty is still regarded as one of the greatest injustices ever committed against the Indigenous peoples of North America.
  20. Indigenous Protests: In 1971, activists from the American Indian Movement occupied the area around Mount Rushmore and renamed it Mount Crazy Horse. The occupation lasted several months and drew attention to the broken Treaty of Fort Laramie as well as to the sacred nature of the Black Hills. Accompanied by spiritual ceremonies, the protest became a powerful symbol of Indigenous resistance and of the Lakota people’s ongoing struggle to reclaim their ancestral land.
  21. Compensation: In 1980, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the seizure of the Black Hills was unlawful. The Sioux were granted compensation of more than 100 million dollars. They refused the payment, declaring that their sacred land was not for sale. To this day, they continue to demand the return of the territory, which holds deep spiritual significance for them.
  22. Criticism of Mount Rushmore: Many Indigenous communities see Mount Rushmore as a symbol of land theft and oppression, since it was built on sacred ground in the Black Hills. The portrayal of Abraham Lincoln is particularly controversial. In 1862, Lincoln approved the execution of 38 Dakota men who had been sentenced to death after an uprising against the U.S. government. For the Lakota, the monument represents not freedom and unity but broken promises and the loss of their homeland.
  23. Crazy Horse Memorial: About 27 kilometers from Mount Rushmore, the Crazy Horse Memorial has been under construction since 1948. It depicts the legendary Lakota leader on horseback. When completed, it will measure 195 meters in length and 172 meters in height, making it the largest rock sculpture in the world. The project is financed entirely through private donations and remains unfinished. For many people, it stands as a proud symbol of Indigenous identity and as a cultural response to Mount Rushmore.
  24. Film Setting: Mount Rushmore gained international fame through Alfred Hitchcock’s 1959 classic North by Northwest. In the dramatic final scene, Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint fight for their lives on the faces of the presidents. The sequence, however, was not filmed at the real monument but recreated on detailed studio sets.
  25. Origin of the Name: Mount Rushmore was named after Charles Rushmore, a lawyer from New York. When he visited the Black Hills in 1885, he asked what the mountain was called. A local guide jokingly replied that it would now bear his name. The name gradually became established and was officially recognized in 1930.
  • Mount Rushmore National Memorial is carved into a granite cliff in the Black Hills of South Dakota, USA.
  • The carved rock faces of Mount Rushmore National Memorial in the Black Hills, South Dakota, USA, are visible.
  • The 18 m tall presidential faces at Mount Rushmore National Memorial in the Black Hills, South Dakota, USA.
  • The Mount Rushmore National Memorial in the Black Hills, South Dakota, USA, is visible.
  • The photo shows Mount Rushmore National Memorial in the Black Hills of South Dakota with 4 U.S. presidents carved into the rock.
  • Viewing stands at Mount Rushmore National Memorial in the Black Hills, South Dakota, USA.
  • Close-up of George Washington’s carved bust at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, USA.