All About Mount Rushmore

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Located in the Black Hills of South Dakota, Mount Rushmore is among the oldest — and most recognizable — U.S. monuments.

 

How It Was Made

Fast Facts

  •  The memorial depicts four American presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. They represent the first 150 years of American history.
  • Construction began Oct. 4, 1927.
  • It took more than 14 years to create the monument.
  • More than 400 master carvers worked on Mount Rushmore.
  • It cost about $1 million to construct.
  • Each face is roughly 60 feet tall. That’s the size of a six-story building.
  • Originally, each president was to be depicted from head to waist. A lack of funding during the Great Depression forced sculptors to reimagine the massive sculpture.

The four Rushmore presidents weren’t chosen at random.

  • George Washington represents our nation’s birth.
  • Thomas Jefferson represents U.S. growth.
  • Abraham Lincoln represents America’s preservation.
  • Theodore Roosevelt represents our country’s development.

Hall of Records

A cave called the Hall of Records is hidden behind Mount Rushmore. It contains a vault of porcelain panels inscribed with text from the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

See Mount Rushmore in full detail here.

5 Comments

  1. I did not know that each president represented something about our nation. Washington is my favorite.

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