Why
Mt. Rushmore
is special

It’s a mind-blowing sight. The heads of four renowned American presidents are hewn out of the upper cliff of a granite mountain in the remote Black Hills of South Dakota. The faces are as high as a six story building. The composite Mt. Rushmore entity is the largest completed carved artwork in area in the world.

Mt. Rushmore

tips & insights

Who's who

The four leaders are (left to right in the photo) George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.

Guston Borglum

Creator
Belgium sculpture Guston Borglum conceived the project. Sometimes his temperamental ego hindered the undertaking, but he also provided the driving creative force that made the difficult mission possible.

Ziolkowski
He fired an assistant named Ziolkowski, who went on to begin chiseling a gigantic monument of the  Sioux warrior Crazy Horse out of a nearby mountain (it is still in the works).

Project history in brief

The task spanned 14 years.

1927 – Work begins

1934 – First bust finished.

1939 – Last one dedicated.

1941 – Borglum passes away.

1941 – Son finishes project

Waist-up sculptures
Originally, Borglum wanted the statues to be from the waist up. Unpredictable funding forced him to scale back his dream.

Jefferson’s likeness

It was started on the left of Washington’s. However, before it was completed, the engineers discovered that the rock was too weak. So, the workers destroyed the Jefferson visage and began it anew on the right side, where it is today.

Washington's likeness

If you would erect a statue of Washington proportional to his carved head, he would be about 140 meters (460 feet) tall.

Slowly eroding

Nature is eroding the stone art, but at a rate of just one inch deep per 10,000 years.

Sun light

The location was chosen in part because it faces southeast, which is ideal for catching the sun light.

Views

Besides observing the figures from a distance at the popular Grandview Terrace, you can hike up the Presidents' Trail for a closer view.

Other activities

Visit the interesting studio, which has exhibits depicting how the wonder was constructed. On summer nights, take in the light show.

Visitor count

About 3 million tourists visit Mt. Rushmore annually. During busy summer days, over 20,000 visitors drop by.

American cuisine