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{{For|the 1960s rock band|Mount Rushmore (band)}}
], ], ], and ] to represent the first 150 years of American history.]]
{{Infobox_protected_area | name = Mount Rushmore National Memorial

| iucn_category = V
| image = US_Locator_Blank.svg
| caption =
| locator_x = 111
| locator_y = 50
| location = ], ]
| nearest_city = ]
| lat_degrees = 43
| lat_minutes = 52
| lat_seconds = 82
| lat_direction = N
| long_degrees = 103
| long_minutes = 27
| long_seconds =50
| long_direction = W
| area = 1,278.45 acres (5.17 km²)
| established = ], ]
| visitation_num = 2,031,517
| visitation_year = 2004
| governing_body = ]
}}
], followed by the process of "honeycombing".]]

'''Mount Rushmore National Memorial''', near ], ], is a ] that represents the first 150 years of the history of the ] with 60-foot (18&nbsp;m) sculptures of the heads of former ]s ], ], ], and ].<ref>. ] ].60 SD Web Traveler, Inc. URL accessed on ] ].</ref> The entire memorial covers 1,278&nbsp;acres (5.17&nbsp;km²),<ref>McGeveran, William A. Jr. ''et al'' (2004). ''The Word Almanac and Book of Facts 2004''. New York: World Almanac Education Group, Inc. ISBN 0-88687-910-8.</ref> and is 5,725&nbsp;feet (1,745&nbsp;m) above sea level.<ref name=peakbagger> (] ]). Peakbagger.com. URL accessed on ] ].</ref> It is managed by the ], a bureau of the ]. The memorial attracts around 2 million people annually.<ref name=NPSfacts>, National Park Service.</ref>

Known to the ] ] as '''Six Grandfathers''', the mountain was renamed after ], a prominent ] lawyer, during an expedition in 1885.<ref>Belanger, Ian A. ''et al''. . URL accessed on ] ].</ref> At first, the project of carving Rushmore was undertaken to increase tourism in the ] region of ]. After long negotiations involving a Congressional delegation and President ], the project received Congressional approval. The carving started in 1927 and ended in 1941 with a few injuries and no deaths.<ref name=NPSfacts/>



==Controversy==
] flying over Mt. Rushmore]]
Mount Rushmore is controversial among ]s because the United States seized the area from the ] tribe after the ] in 1876–77. Rushmore. It is intended to be larger than Mount Rushmore and has the support of Lakota chiefs; the Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation has rejected offers of ] funds.

==Ecology==
The flora and fauna of Mount Rushmore are similar to those of the rest of the Black Hills region of South Dakota. Several birds like the ], ], ], and ] fly around Mount Rushmore, occasionally making ] in the ledges of the mountain. Smaller birds, including songbirds, ], and ]s, inhabit the surrounding pine forests. Terrestrial mammals include the ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ]. In addition, several species of frogs and snakes inhabit the region. The two brooks in the memorial, the Grizzly Bear and Starling Basin brooks, support fish like the ] and the ].<ref name=animal> National Park Service. URL accessed on ] ].</ref> Some endemic animals are not indigenous to the area; the ] are descended from goats which were a gift from ] to ] in 1924 but later escaped.<ref name=FloraFauna>. American Park Network. URL accessed on ] ].</ref>

At lower elevations, ] trees, mainly the ], surround most of the monument, providing shade from the sun. Other trees include the ], the ], and the ]. Nine species of shrubs live near Mount Rushmore. There is also a wide variety of wildflowers, including especially the ], ], and ]. Towards higher elevations, plant life becomes sparser.<ref name=FloraFauna>. ]. URL accessed on ] ].</ref> However, only approximately 5% of the plant species found in the Black Hills are indigenous to the region.<ref>. National Park Service. URL accessed on ] ].</ref>

Though the area receives about 18&nbsp;inches (460 mm) of precipitation on average per year, alone it is not enough to support the abundant animal and plant life. Trees and other plants help to control ]. Dikes, seeps, and springs help to dam up water that is flowing downhill, providing watering spots for animals. In addition, stones like ] and ] help to hold ], creating ]s.<ref>. National Park Service. URL accessed on ] ].</ref>

]s occur in the Ponderosa forests surrounding Mount Rushmore around every 27 years. This was determined from fire scars in tree core samples. These help to clean forest debris located on the ground. Large conflagrations are rare, but have occurred in the past.<ref>. National Park Service. URL accessed on ] ].</ref>

==Geology==
]
Mount Rushmore is largely composed of ]. The memorial is carved on the northwest margin of the ] granite ] in the Black Hills of South Dakota, so the geologic formations of the heart of the Black Hills region are also evident at Mount Rushmore. The batholith ] intruded into the pre-existing ] ] rocks during the ] period about 1.6 billion years ago.<ref name=NPSgeology>. National Park Service.</ref> However, the uneven cooling of the molten rock caused the formation of both fine and coarse-grained minerals, including ], ], ], and ]. Fractures in the granite were sealed by ] ]. The light-colored streaks in the presidents' foreheads are due to these dikes.

The Black Hills granites were exposed to ] during the late Precambrian, but were buried by ]s and other sediments during the ] Period. The area remained buried throughout the ] Era, but was exposed again to erosion during the ] uplift about 70 million years ago.<ref name=NPSgeology>. National Park Service.</ref> The Black Hills area was uplifted as an elongated geologic dome which towered some 20,000&nbsp;feet (6&nbsp;km) above sea level, but erosion wore the area down to only 4,000&nbsp;feet (1.2&nbsp;km).<ref>Irvin, James R. (2001). URL accessed on ] ].</ref> The subsequent natural erosion of this mountain range allowed the carvings by stripping the granite of the overlying sediments and the softer adjacent schists. The contact between the granite and darker schist is viewable just below the sculpture of Washington.

Borglum selected Mount Rushmore as the site for several reasons. The rock of the mountain is composed of smooth, fine-grained granite. The durable granite erodes only 1&nbsp;inch (2.5&nbsp;cm) every 10,000 years, indicating that it was sturdy enough to support sculpting.<ref name=NPS> (] ]). National Park Service.</ref> In addition, it was the tallest mountain in the region, looming to a height of 5,725&nbsp;feet (1,745&nbsp;m) above sea level.<ref name=peakbagger> (] ]). Peakbagger.com. URL accessed on ] ].</ref> Because the mountain faces the southeast, the workers also had the advantage of sunlight for most of the day.

==Tourism==
]
Tourism is South Dakota's second-largest industry, with Mount Rushmore being its number one tourist attraction. In 2004, over 2 million visitors traveled to the memorial.<ref name=NPSfacts>, National Park Service.</ref>

The Lincoln Borglum Museum is located in the memorial. It features two 125-seat theaters that show a 13-minute movie about Mount Rushmore. One of the best viewpoints is located at Grandview Terrace, above the Museum. The Presidential Trail, a walking trail and boardwalk, starts at Grandview Terrace and winds through the ] forests to the Sculptor's Studio, providing close-up views of the memorial. The Sculptor's studio was built by ], and features discussion about the construction of the monument as well as the tools used. The amphitheater also has a 30-minute program at dusk that describes the construction of the memorial. Following that, the mountain is illuminated for two hours.<ref> American Park Network. URL accessed on ] ].</ref>

==Appearances in popular culture==
]]]
<!---BEFORE adding to this section, please read "Appearances section" on the article discussion page. Your contribution may be removed if it doesn't link to an article or photo that mentions Mount Rushmore, among other criteria.-->
Because Mount Rushmore has large carved faces, appearances of Mount Rushmore in the media often include a replacement of one or more of the four presidents' faces with other people or characters.

* In '']'', General Zod and his criminal partners use their superpowers to replace three of the carvings with their own faces and wipe out the fourth.
* ]'s album, '']'', has the cover inspired by Mount Rushmore: it depicts the five members' faces instead of the four presidents.
* The cover of the ] ] issue of ] (Issue #31) depicts Mount Rushmore, but adds a fifth face: that of ].<ref>, Doug Gilford's MAD Cover Site. URL accessed on ], ].</ref> The cover was later featured (in truncated form) as a MAD mini-poster in MAD Special #4 (]), with the caption: "Where Have All The Statesmen Gone?". A preview of this poster graces the cover of the MAD Special. <ref> , Dick Hanschette's MAD Site - Special Covers. URL accessed on ], ]</ref>
* In a deleted scene from ], the monument is shown with the head of a female African-American president added.

Because the mountain is an important historical ], it is often used as a base for various action-themed movies and books. Mount Rushmore is featured in '']'' as the Team America headquarters, where it was destroyed by ]'s suicide bomb.

The memorial was famously used as the location of the final chase scene in ]'s ] '']''. However, it was not actually filmed at the monument, since permission to shoot an attempted killing on the face of a national monument was refused by the Park Service. Closeups were shot on a set.

In the '']'' episode "]", Peter and Lois are chased down the monument by Mel Gibson after stealing a copy of his new movie, ''Passion of the Christ 2: Crucify This'' in a spoof of the chase scene from ''North by Northwest''. Peter refers to one of the faces as "President Rushmore".

Beginning in ], Mount Rushmore has been referenced, featured and spoofed by ] on ].
<!---BEFORE adding to this section, please read "Appearances section" on the article discussion page. Your contribution may be removed if it doesn't link to an article or photo that mentions Mount Rushmore, among other criteria.-->

==See also==
*], a nearby mountain carving of a Native American leader.

/**/***/****

==Notes and references==
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<references/>
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==Further reading==
*''The National Parks: Index 2001-2003''. Washington: ].
*Taliaferro, John. Great White Fathers : The Story of the Obsessive Quest to Create Mount Rushmore. New York : PublicAffairs, c2002. Puts the creation of the monument into a historical and cultural context.

==External links==
{{commonscat|Mount Rushmore National Memorial}}
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*Matthew Buckingham,

{{Registered Historic Places}}

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Revision as of 14:41, 6 December 2006