Mount Rushmore

mountain in South Dakota featuring a sculpture of four US presidents

Mount Rushmore is a famous mountain and memorial near Keystone, South Dakota in the United States. It has the heads of four of America's presidents carved on it: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln.[1] The Mount Rushmore Memorial is a part of the United States Presidential Memorial, which covers 1,278.45 acres (5.17 km2)[2] and is 5,725 feet (1,745 m) above sea level (altitude).[3]

The Mount Rushmore National Memorial with carvings of the heads of (from left) George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln.

History

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Before the memorial was carved, the native Lakota Indian Tribes called the mountain "Six Grandfathers". Later, the mountain was named after Charles E. Rushmore, a well-known later, after an expedition in 1885.[source?] The memorial was carved to help increase tourism in the Black Hills, where the mountain was. Doane Robinson first formed the idea in 1923.[4] Robinson convinced many influential people in the United States government to build the memorial. Congress soon allowed construction to begin.

After gaining Congress's approval, Gutzon Borglum, a famous American sculptor, was hired to begin the project.[5]

The work of carving the heads began on March 3, 1925. It was completed on October 31, 1941.

References

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  1. Mount Rushmore Info, JnM Design, 2009, archived from the original on 23 August 2017, retrieved 30 January 2010
  2. McGeveran, William A. Jr.; et al. (2004), The Word Almanac and Book of Facts 2004, World Almanac Education Group, Inc., ISBN 0-88687-910-8
  3. Mount Rushmore, South Dakota, Peakbagger.com., 2004, retrieved 13 March 2006
  4. Carving History, Mount Rushmore National Park - Park History, 2004, retrieved 30 January 2010
  5. Oak, Manali (2008), Mount Rushmore History, Buzzle.com, archived from the original on 2009-02-11, retrieved 30 January 2010