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0 / 31 Fotos
Mount Rushmore National Memorial
- The Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota is one of the most recognized landmarks in the United States. The colossal sculpture features the heads of four US presidents. But are you able to name them?
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1 / 31 Fotos
George Washington (1732–1799)
- George Washington, a statesman and Founding Father who served as the 1st president of the United States from 1789 to 1797, is one of those peering out from Mount Rushmore.
© Getty Images
2 / 31 Fotos
Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826)
- The memorial also features fellow Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809, Thomas Jefferson.
© Getty Images
3 / 31 Fotos
Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919)
- The third presidential head carved into the Mount Rushmore granite is that of Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt, who served as the 26th president of the United States from 1901 to 1909.
© Getty Images
4 / 31 Fotos
Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865)
- Abraham Lincoln, who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865, completes the lineup at Mount Rushmore. But who suggested these four presidents, and why?
© Getty Images
5 / 31 Fotos
Gutzon Borglum (1867–1941)
- While South Dakota state historian Doane Robinson (1856–1946) conceived the idea of the memorial, ostensibly to lure tourists to the region, it was American sculptor Gutzon Borglum who selected the four presidents, chosen because he felt that they represented the most important events in the first 150 years of American history.
© Getty Images
6 / 31 Fotos
The "Six Grandfathers"
- Borglum also selected the site, sacred to the Lakota Sioux and known as "The Six Grandfathers." It's pictured here in 1905 long before the construction of the memorial. Image: National Park Service.
© Public Domain
7 / 31 Fotos
Concept and design
- The project received congressional approval on March 3, 1925, after which Gutzon Borglum immediately set to work designing the memorial. He is seen here in his studio at Rushmore in the Black Hills of South Dakota working on the first model of the gigantic memorial.
© Getty Images
8 / 31 Fotos
Head to waist
- Borglum's original idea was to depict the four presidents from head to waist. His early scale models reflect this design. However, lack of funding eventually led to this concept being scrapped.
© Getty Images
9 / 31 Fotos
First president, first face
- Working from a completed scale model of the memorial (shown on the right), Borglum began to sculpt the head of Washington in plaster and clay. The actual dimensions of each head would eventually measure 18 m (60 ft) from chin to top.
© Getty Images
10 / 31 Fotos
Construction begins
- Construction on the memorial began on October 4, 1927. One of the first dynamite blasts of rock was photographed for posterity (pictured).
© Getty Images
11 / 31 Fotos
Smoothing the way
- Borglum is pictured standing on top of Mount Rushmore with a gang of his sculptors, finishing and smoothing the great granite cliff that would form part of the memorial. The sculptors are standing on the section that eventually became the forehead of George Washington.
© Getty Images
12 / 31 Fotos
Initial carvings
- Teams of stonecutters are recorded beginning initial carvings at the site. A network of ladders had to be constructed to facilitate access to the top of the mountain.
© Getty Images
13 / 31 Fotos
A familiar face
- The face of US president George Washington is clearly visible in this early visual document. The site where Lincoln would sit has already been blasted.
© Getty Images
14 / 31 Fotos
About-face
- This rare image shows construction underway, but with Jefferson to the left of Washington. Unstable rock necessitated a change in the design later on. Image: Unknown national park service employee.
© Public Domain
15 / 31 Fotos
The smile says it all
- Gutzon Borglum took a hands-on approach while supervising the carvings. He is seen suspended in a cage as stonemasons work on the mouth of Jefferson. Borglum, from a study of numerous paintings and drawings of Jefferson, had observed that the man was noted for his cynical smile, and wanted this character trait faithfully reproduced. The mouth is nearly 7.5 m (20 ft) wide.
© Getty Images
16 / 31 Fotos
Repositioned
- Stone carvers on scaffolding and hoists work on the near-complete face of the repositioned Thomas Jefferson.
© Getty Images
17 / 31 Fotos
Made in granite
- The heads of Washington, Jefferson, and the beginning of Lincoln, as seen from a cable basket. By the project's end, nearly 500,000 tons (500 million kg) of granite had been removed from the mountain top.
© Getty Images
18 / 31 Fotos
Powder monkey
- The construction workers responsible for blasting the rock face were known as 'powder monkeys.' Theirs was a skilled but hazardous job involving the delicate handling of explosives. Pictured is a 'powder monkey' holding dynamite and detonators. Amazingly, no one was killed during the memorial's construction.
© Getty Images
19 / 31 Fotos
Lincoln takes shape
- Borglum is pictured suspended on ropes below the eye of Lincoln as several of his crew work on carving the head of the 16th president of the United States. Lincoln's was the third head to be carved. While Borglum was in charge of the project overall, Luigi Del Bianco (1892–1969), an artisan and stonemason from New York, was the chief carver of the mountain.
© Getty Images
20 / 31 Fotos
Heading for the top
- The completed heads of Washington and Jefferson, as seen from the top of Lincoln's head.
© Getty Images
21 / 31 Fotos
Mount Rushmore takes shape
- Theodore Roosevelt was the fourth and final president to have his likeness carved into the Mount Rushmore granite. He is seen with his face shrouded by scaffolding.
© Shutterstock
22 / 31 Fotos
Seeing eye to eye
- Stone workers carve the eyes of President Theodore Roosevelt with compressed air hammers.
© Shutterstock
23 / 31 Fotos
Looking through Roosevelt's eyes
- Gutzon Borglum chats with a group of sculptors while inspecting the nearly finished eye socket.
© Getty Images
24 / 31 Fotos
The project nears completion
- The sculptured faces of the former presidents as they appeared towards the end of the project. It was 1941, fourteen years after the first mountain rock had been dynamited.
© Getty Images
25 / 31 Fotos
Finishing touches
- This closer view records workers putting the finishing touches to the Mount Rushmore National Memorial. Washington's face had been dedicated on July 4, 1934—Independence Day. The face of Thomas Jefferson was dedicated in 1936, and the face of Abraham Lincoln in 1937. In 1939, the face of Theodore Roosevelt was dedicated.
© Getty Images
26 / 31 Fotos
Presidential approval
- In September 1936, White House incumbent President Franklin D. Roosevelt visited the site for the dedication of Thomas Jefferson's face. He is pictured with Gutzon Borglum and his sons Franklin Jr. (far left) and John (far right).
© Getty Images
27 / 31 Fotos
Completion
- On October 31, 1941, the Mount Rushmore National Memorial was declared complete. Sadly, its chief architect didn't live to celebrate the historic occasion. Gutzon Borglum died from an embolism in March 1941. His son, Lincoln Borglum, concluded construction.
© Getty Images
28 / 31 Fotos
Patriotic site
- Among the first group of admirers to visit the Mount Rushmore National Memorial was this patriotic group of United States servicemen.
© Getty Images
29 / 31 Fotos
Two million visitors annually
- Today, Mount Rushmore, sometimes referred to as the "Shrine of Democracy," is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the nation, regularly drawing more than two million visitors annually. Sources (National Park Service) (Britannica) (National Geographic) See also: Exploring the Dakotas, North and South.
© Shutterstock
30 / 31 Fotos
© Shutterstock
0 / 31 Fotos
Mount Rushmore National Memorial
- The Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota is one of the most recognized landmarks in the United States. The colossal sculpture features the heads of four US presidents. But are you able to name them?
© Shutterstock
1 / 31 Fotos
George Washington (1732–1799)
- George Washington, a statesman and Founding Father who served as the 1st president of the United States from 1789 to 1797, is one of those peering out from Mount Rushmore.
© Getty Images
2 / 31 Fotos
Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826)
- The memorial also features fellow Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809, Thomas Jefferson.
© Getty Images
3 / 31 Fotos
Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919)
- The third presidential head carved into the Mount Rushmore granite is that of Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt, who served as the 26th president of the United States from 1901 to 1909.
© Getty Images
4 / 31 Fotos
Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865)
- Abraham Lincoln, who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865, completes the lineup at Mount Rushmore. But who suggested these four presidents, and why?
© Getty Images
5 / 31 Fotos
Gutzon Borglum (1867–1941)
- While South Dakota state historian Doane Robinson (1856–1946) conceived the idea of the memorial, ostensibly to lure tourists to the region, it was American sculptor Gutzon Borglum who selected the four presidents, chosen because he felt that they represented the most important events in the first 150 years of American history.
© Getty Images
6 / 31 Fotos
The "Six Grandfathers"
- Borglum also selected the site, sacred to the Lakota Sioux and known as "The Six Grandfathers." It's pictured here in 1905 long before the construction of the memorial. Image: National Park Service.
© Public Domain
7 / 31 Fotos
Concept and design
- The project received congressional approval on March 3, 1925, after which Gutzon Borglum immediately set to work designing the memorial. He is seen here in his studio at Rushmore in the Black Hills of South Dakota working on the first model of the gigantic memorial.
© Getty Images
8 / 31 Fotos
Head to waist
- Borglum's original idea was to depict the four presidents from head to waist. His early scale models reflect this design. However, lack of funding eventually led to this concept being scrapped.
© Getty Images
9 / 31 Fotos
First president, first face
- Working from a completed scale model of the memorial (shown on the right), Borglum began to sculpt the head of Washington in plaster and clay. The actual dimensions of each head would eventually measure 18 m (60 ft) from chin to top.
© Getty Images
10 / 31 Fotos
Construction begins
- Construction on the memorial began on October 4, 1927. One of the first dynamite blasts of rock was photographed for posterity (pictured).
© Getty Images
11 / 31 Fotos
Smoothing the way
- Borglum is pictured standing on top of Mount Rushmore with a gang of his sculptors, finishing and smoothing the great granite cliff that would form part of the memorial. The sculptors are standing on the section that eventually became the forehead of George Washington.
© Getty Images
12 / 31 Fotos
Initial carvings
- Teams of stonecutters are recorded beginning initial carvings at the site. A network of ladders had to be constructed to facilitate access to the top of the mountain.
© Getty Images
13 / 31 Fotos
A familiar face
- The face of US president George Washington is clearly visible in this early visual document. The site where Lincoln would sit has already been blasted.
© Getty Images
14 / 31 Fotos
About-face
- This rare image shows construction underway, but with Jefferson to the left of Washington. Unstable rock necessitated a change in the design later on. Image: Unknown national park service employee.
© Public Domain
15 / 31 Fotos
The smile says it all
- Gutzon Borglum took a hands-on approach while supervising the carvings. He is seen suspended in a cage as stonemasons work on the mouth of Jefferson. Borglum, from a study of numerous paintings and drawings of Jefferson, had observed that the man was noted for his cynical smile, and wanted this character trait faithfully reproduced. The mouth is nearly 7.5 m (20 ft) wide.
© Getty Images
16 / 31 Fotos
Repositioned
- Stone carvers on scaffolding and hoists work on the near-complete face of the repositioned Thomas Jefferson.
© Getty Images
17 / 31 Fotos
Made in granite
- The heads of Washington, Jefferson, and the beginning of Lincoln, as seen from a cable basket. By the project's end, nearly 500,000 tons (500 million kg) of granite had been removed from the mountain top.
© Getty Images
18 / 31 Fotos
Powder monkey
- The construction workers responsible for blasting the rock face were known as 'powder monkeys.' Theirs was a skilled but hazardous job involving the delicate handling of explosives. Pictured is a 'powder monkey' holding dynamite and detonators. Amazingly, no one was killed during the memorial's construction.
© Getty Images
19 / 31 Fotos
Lincoln takes shape
- Borglum is pictured suspended on ropes below the eye of Lincoln as several of his crew work on carving the head of the 16th president of the United States. Lincoln's was the third head to be carved. While Borglum was in charge of the project overall, Luigi Del Bianco (1892–1969), an artisan and stonemason from New York, was the chief carver of the mountain.
© Getty Images
20 / 31 Fotos
Heading for the top
- The completed heads of Washington and Jefferson, as seen from the top of Lincoln's head.
© Getty Images
21 / 31 Fotos
Mount Rushmore takes shape
- Theodore Roosevelt was the fourth and final president to have his likeness carved into the Mount Rushmore granite. He is seen with his face shrouded by scaffolding.
© Shutterstock
22 / 31 Fotos
Seeing eye to eye
- Stone workers carve the eyes of President Theodore Roosevelt with compressed air hammers.
© Shutterstock
23 / 31 Fotos
Looking through Roosevelt's eyes
- Gutzon Borglum chats with a group of sculptors while inspecting the nearly finished eye socket.
© Getty Images
24 / 31 Fotos
The project nears completion
- The sculptured faces of the former presidents as they appeared towards the end of the project. It was 1941, fourteen years after the first mountain rock had been dynamited.
© Getty Images
25 / 31 Fotos
Finishing touches
- This closer view records workers putting the finishing touches to the Mount Rushmore National Memorial. Washington's face had been dedicated on July 4, 1934—Independence Day. The face of Thomas Jefferson was dedicated in 1936, and the face of Abraham Lincoln in 1937. In 1939, the face of Theodore Roosevelt was dedicated.
© Getty Images
26 / 31 Fotos
Presidential approval
- In September 1936, White House incumbent President Franklin D. Roosevelt visited the site for the dedication of Thomas Jefferson's face. He is pictured with Gutzon Borglum and his sons Franklin Jr. (far left) and John (far right).
© Getty Images
27 / 31 Fotos
Completion
- On October 31, 1941, the Mount Rushmore National Memorial was declared complete. Sadly, its chief architect didn't live to celebrate the historic occasion. Gutzon Borglum died from an embolism in March 1941. His son, Lincoln Borglum, concluded construction.
© Getty Images
28 / 31 Fotos
Patriotic site
- Among the first group of admirers to visit the Mount Rushmore National Memorial was this patriotic group of United States servicemen.
© Getty Images
29 / 31 Fotos
Two million visitors annually
- Today, Mount Rushmore, sometimes referred to as the "Shrine of Democracy," is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the nation, regularly drawing more than two million visitors annually. Sources (National Park Service) (Britannica) (National Geographic) See also: Exploring the Dakotas, North and South.
© Shutterstock
30 / 31 Fotos
Amazing curiosities about the construction of the Mount Rushmore National Memorial
Carving out history
© Shutterstock
Featuring the carved portraits of four US presidents, Mount Rushmore stands as a patriotic cultural symbol as well as an extraordinary example of civil engineering. So, how did they build this colossal and iconic granite monument?
Click through and find out how they carved out a bit of American history.
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