|
In
the Black Hills of South Dakota stands the national memorial, Mount
Rushmore, created by Gutzon Borglum. It was designed as a testament
to the growth of America and its great leaders. This
magnificent rock carving contains the 60 foot high faces of four great
United States Presidents.
| George
Washington: |
First
U.S. President, father of our country, and fighter for our independence
and liberty |
| Thomas
Jefferson: |
3rd
President, author of the Declaration of Independence, and advocate
of westward expansion through the Louisiana Purchase |
| Theodore
Roosevelt: |
26th
President who promoted construction of the Panama Canal linking
the oceans, and believer in conservation and business reform
|
| Abraham
Lincoln: |
16th
President whose leadership restored the Union ending slavery on
U.S. soil, and champion of freedom and equality for all |
Gutzon Borglum and 400
workers sculpted the 60-foot busts of of the four Presidents on Mount
Rushmore "to commemorate the founding, growth, preservation and
development of the United States."
The total cost of the
Mount Rushmore memorial was almost a million dollars.
Borglum
died in March 1941; the final dedication was not held until 50 years
later. The head of Washington was completed first, followed by Jefferson
and Lincoln. Roosevelt's head was unfinished when Borglum died. His
son, Lincoln Borglum, supervised the completion of the heads, stopping
in October 1941, right before our country entered World War II.
Interesting
Factoids:
- A
New York lawyer named Charles E. Rushmore visited the Black Hills
in 1885. He asked a local prospector the name of the 6,000 foot peak
before them. Since the peak had no name, the prospector replied humorously,
"Mount Rushmore." The name has never been changed since!
- Gutzon
began drilling into the mountain in 1927 at age 60.
- President
Coolidge dedicated the memorial, which took 14 years to build, although
only 6 1/2 years were spent on actual carving.
- The
faces are 5,500 feet above sea level.
- Each
head on Mt. Rushmore is as tall as a six-story building.
- More
than 800 million pounds of stone were removed from Mt. Rushmore while
carving the Presidents.
- The
Presidents' noses are 20 feet long, each mouth is 18 feet wide and
the eyes are 11 feet across.
- Borglum's
original design was a sculpture of the four presidents to their waists,
but time and money only provided for their heads.
Click
here to find your tasks!
Try
to solve this Mount Rushmore Slide Puzzle! |
