History of Mount Rushmore
The idea of Mount Rushmore first came from Doane Robinson, “the father of Mount Rushmore” in 1923. Construction began on Mount Rushmore on October 4th, 1927 by sculptor Gutzon Borglum and a crew of 400 workers. Officially established as a national memorial on July 1st, 1939, and completed on October 31st, 1941, Mount Rushmore hosts over 2.5 million visitors from across the globe every year!
Gutzon Borglum’s sculpture depicts four historical Presidents of The United States of America, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln, representing 150 years of the great experiment in Democracy.
The Mount Rushmore National Memorial stands 5500 feet above sea level and is built at a scale of 77:1 meaning the sculpted presidents would stand 465 feet tall!
Top 10 Things To Do at Mount Rushmore
- Sculpture’s Studio Tour
- Presidential Trail Hike
- Sculpture Photo on Terrace
- Nightly Lighting Ceremony
- Gift Shop
- Become a Junior Ranger
- Self-Guided Tour
- Ranger Walk or Talk
- Thomas Jefferson Ice Cream
- Lakota, Nakota, Dakota Village