Mount Rushmore: From a mountain to a memorial

The Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore near Keystone, South Dakota, in the United States.

Known as the “Shrine of Democracy,” Mount Rushmore welcomes upwards of 2 million visitors every year, and is one of America’s most popular tourist attractions.

Sculpted by Danish-American Gutzon Borglum and his son, Lincoln Borglum, Mount Rushmore features 60-foot (18 m) sculptures of the heads of four United States presidents: George Washington (1732–1799), Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919), and Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865).

Why Each of the Four Presidents Was Chosen

George Washington - He was the first president and represented the foundation of American democracy.
   
Thomas Jefferson - With the Louisiana Purchase, he greatly expanded the nation. He was also the author of the hugely influential Declaration of Independence.
   
Theodore Roosevelt - He not only represented the industrial development of the nation, but was also widely known for conservation efforts.
   
Abraham Lincoln - As the president during the US Civil War, he represents the preservation of the nation above all costs.

 Model of Mount Rushmore in the first sculptor's studio

President Calvin Coolidge speaks during the ceremonial drilling at Mt. Rushmore on Aug. 10, 1927.

Originally known to the Lakota Sioux as "The Six Grandfathers,"  the mountain was part of the route that Lakota leader Black Elk took in a spiritual journey that culminated at Black Elk Peak. Following a series of military campaigns from 1876 to 1878, the United States asserted control over the area, a claim that is still disputed on the basis of the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie.

Work on the project began in 1927 and was finally completed in 1941. Over that time period, some 400 workers erected the sculpture under dangerous conditions, removing a total of 450,000 tons of rock in order to create the enormous carved heads, each of which reached a height of 60 feet (18 meters). In sculptor Gutzon Borglum’s original design, the four presidents were meant to be represented from the waist up, but insufficient funding brought the carving to a halt after completion of their faces. Gutzon Borglum died in March 1941, and his son Lincoln Borglum took over construction.

 
Gutzon Borglum and his son, Lincoln, use the tramway

Related: How the mountain got its name