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| {{For|the 1960s rock band|Mount Rushmore (band)}} | |||
| {{Infobox_protected_area | name = Mount Rushmore National Memorial | |||
| | iucn_category = V | |||
| | image = Mountrushmore.jpg | |||
| | caption = (left to right) Sculptures of ], ], ], and ] represent the first 150 years of the history of the United States. | |||
| | location = ], ] | |||
| | nearest_city = ] | |||
| | lat_degrees = 43 | |||
| | lat_minutes = 52 | |||
| | lat_seconds = 44.21 | |||
| | lat_direction = N | |||
| | long_degrees = 103 | |||
| | long_minutes = 27 | |||
| | long_seconds =35.37 | |||
| | long_direction = W | |||
| | area = 1,278.45 acres (5.17 km²) | |||
| | established = ], ] | |||
| | visitation_num = 2,757,971 | |||
| | visitation_year = 2006 | |||
| | governing_body = ] | |||
| }} | |||
| '''Mount Rushmore National Memorial''', near ], ], is a monumental ] sculpture located within the ] that represents the first 150 years of the ] of the ] with 60-foot (18 m) ]s of the heads of former ]s: ] (1732-1799), ] (1743-1826), ] (1858-1919), and ] (1809-1865).<ref>. ] ].60 SD Web Traveler, Inc. URL accessed on ] ].</ref> The entire memorial covers 1,278 acres (5.17 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 feet (1,745 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 approximately 2 million people annually.<ref name=NPSfacts>, National Park Service.</ref> | |||
| ==History== | |||
| ], followed by the process of "honeycombing".]] | |||
| Originally 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 South Dakota. After long negotiations involving a ] 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/> | |||
| As ''Six Grandfathers'', the mountain was part of the route that Lakota leader ] took in a spiritual journey that culminated at ]. Following a series of ] from 1876 to 1877, the United States asserted territorial control over the area, a claim that is still disputed on the basis of the 1868 ] (see ''Controversy'' below). Among white American settlers, the peak was known variously as Cougar Mountain, Sugarloaf Mountain, Slaughterhouse Mountain, and Keystone Cliffs. It was named Mount Rushmore during a prospecting expedition by Rushmore, David Swanzey (whose wife ] was the sister of author ]), and Bill Challis.<ref name=KAHS>Keystone Area Historical Society (accessed ] ]).</ref> | |||
| Historian ] conceived the idea for Mount Rushmore in 1923 to promote ] in South Dakota. In 1924, Robinson persuaded sculptor ] to travel to the Black Hills region to ensure that the carving could be accomplished. Borglum had been involved in sculpting a massive ] memorial to ] leaders on ] in ] but was in disagreement with the officials there.<ref name=KAHS>Keystone Area Historical Society , '''', PBS (accessed ] ]).</ref> The original plan was to perform the carvings in ] pillars known as the ]. However, Borglum realized that that plan was impossible because the eroded Needles were too thin to support sculpting. He chose Mount Rushmore, a grander spot, partly because it faced southeast and enjoyed maximum exposure to the sun. Borglum said upon seeing Mount Rushmore, ''"America will march along that skyline."''<ref name=NPS> (] ]). National Park Service.</ref> ] authorized the Mount Rushmore National Memorial Commission on ] ].<ref name=NPS> (] ]). ].</ref> President Coolidge insisted that along with Washington, two Republicans and one Democrat be portrayed.<ref name=Fite>Fite, Gilbert C. ''Mount Rushmore'' (May 2003). ISBN 0-9646798-5-X, the standard scholarly study.</ref> | |||
| Between ], ] and ], ], Gutzon Borglum and 400 workers sculpted the colossal 60-foot (18 m) carvings of ] ], ], ], and ] to represent the first 150 years of American history. These presidents were selected by Borglum because of their role in preserving the Republic and expanding its territory.<ref name=NPS> (] ]). National Park Service.</ref><ref name=Boime>Albert Boime, "Patriarchy Fixed in Stone: Gutzon Borglum's 'Mount Rushmore'," ''American Art'', Vol. 5, No. 1/2. (Winter - Spring, 1991), pp. 142–67.</ref> The image of Thomas Jefferson was originally intended to appear in the area at Washington's right, but after the work there was begun, the rock was found unsuitable, so this figure was moved to Washington's left. | |||
| In 1933, the National Park Service took Mount Rushmore under its jurisdiction. Engineer ] helped with the project by improving its infrastructure. For example, he had the tram upgraded so that it could reach the top of Mount Rushmore for the ease of workers. By ] ], Washington's face had been completed and was dedicated. The face of Thomas Jefferson was dedicated in 1936, and the face of Abraham Lincoln was dedicated on ], ]. In 1937, a bill was introduced in Congress to add the head of civil-rights leader ], but a ] was passed on an appropriations bill requiring that federal funds be used to finish only those heads that had already been started at that time.<ref name=timeline> "Timeline: Mount Rushmore" (2002). URL accessed on ], ].</ref> In 1939, the face of Theodore Roosevelt was dedicated. | |||
| ] | |||
| The Sculptor's Studio—a display of unique plaster models and tools related to the sculpting—was built in 1939 under the direction of Borglum. Borglum died from an ] in March 1941. His son, ], continued the project. Originally, it was planned that the figures would be carved from head to waist,<ref>. </ref> but insufficient funding forced the carving to end.<ref name=NPS> (] ]). National Park Service.</ref> Borglum had also planned a massive panel in the shape of the ] commemorating in eight-foot-tall gilded letters the ], ], Louisiana Purchase, and seven other territorial acquisitions from ] to ] to the ].<ref name=Boime>Albert Boime, "Patriarchy Fixed in Stone: Gutzon Borglum's 'Mount Rushmore'," ''American Art'', Vol. 5, No. 1/2. (Winter - Spring, 1991), pp. 142–67.</ref> | |||
| The entire project cost USD]989,992.32.<ref name=SDTourism>. Tourism in South Dakota. Laura R. Ahmann. URL accessed on ] ].</ref> Notably for a project of such size, no workers died during the carving.<ref>. Outdoorplaces.com. URL accessed on ] ].</ref><!--this information belongs in the lead; creates too stubby a para in the body--> | |||
| On ] ], Mount Rushmore was listed on the ]. An essay from ] student William Andrew Burkett, selected as the winner for the college-age group in 1934, was placed on the Entablature on a bronze plate in 1973.<ref name=timeline>See above</ref> In 1991, President ] officially dedicated Mount Rushmore. | |||
| In a canyon behind the carved faces is a chamber, cut only {{convert|70|ft|m|0}} into the rock, containing a vault with sixteen porcelain enamel panels. The panels include the text of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, biographies of the four presidents and Borglum, and the history of the U.S. The chamber was created as the entrance way to a planned "Hall of Records"; the vault was installed in 1998. <ref>{{cite web | |||
| | title =Hall of Records | |||
| | work =Mount Rushmore National Memorial web site | |||
| | publisher =National Park Service | |||
| | date =2004-06-14 | |||
| | url =http://www.nps.gov/archive/moru/park_history/carving_hist/hall_of_records.htm | |||
| | accessdate =2007-07-04 }}</ref> | |||
| Ten years of redevelopment work culminated with the completion of extensive visitor facilities and sidewalks in 1998, such as a Visitor Center, Museum, and the Presidential Trail. Maintenance of the memorial annually requires mountain climbers to monitor and seal cracks. The memorial is not cleaned to remove ]. It has been cleaned only once. On ] ], ] GmbH, a German manufacturer of cleaning machines, conducted a free cleanup operation; the washing used pressurized water at over 200 ] (95 ]).<ref> (] ]). CNN via Google cache. URL accessed on ] ].</ref> | |||
| == Controversy == | |||
| ===Ownership=== | |||
| ] 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. The ] from 1868 had previously granted the Black Hills to the Lakota in perpetuity. The Lakota consider the hills to be sacred, although historians believe the Lakota also gained control of the hills by force, displacing the ] in 1776. Members of the ] led an ] of the monument in 1971, naming it "Mount Crazy Horse." Among the participants were young activists, grandparents, children and Lakota holy man John Fire ], who planted a prayer staff atop the mountain. Lame Deer said the staff formed a symbolic shroud over the presidents' faces "which shall remain dirty until the treaties concerning the Black Hills are fulfilled."<ref name=Glass>Matthew Glass, "Producing Patriotic Inspiration at Mount Rushmore," ''Journal of the American Academy of Religion'', Vol. 62, No. 2. (Summer, 1994), pp. 265–283.</ref> | |||
| The Monument remains controversial among Native Americans, even after the appointment of Gerard Baker, the first Native American superintendent of the park, in 2004.<ref name=Native>, Indian Country Today. Accessed on ] ] </ref> The ] is being constructed elsewhere in the Black Hills to commemorate a famous Native American leader and as a response to Mount 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. However, this memorial is likewise the subject of controversy, especially within the Native American community. | |||
| ===Racial undertones=== | |||
| The Monument also holds controversy in the alleged idea of an underlying theme of racial superiority legitimized by the idea of ]. The mountains have been carved with Borglum's choice of four presidents active during the time of the acquisition of Indian land. Gutzon Borglum himself holds much controversy as he was an active member of the ]. <ref name=Native>, PBS. Accessed on ] ] </ref> | |||
| ==Ecology== | |||
| ] opposite Mount Rushmore]] | |||
| The flora and fauna of Mount Rushmore are similar to those of the rest of the Black Hills region of South Dakota. Birds including the ], ], ], and ] fly around Mount Rushmore, occasionally making ] in the ledges of the mountain. Smaller birds, including songbirds, ]es, and ]s, inhabit the surrounding pine forests. Terrestrial mammals include the ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ]. In addition, several species of ]s and ]s inhabit the region. The two brooks in the memorial, the Grizzly Bear and Starling Basin brooks, support fish such as the ] and the ].<ref name=animal> National Park Service. URL accessed on ] ].</ref> Some endemic animals are not indigenous to the area; the ]s 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 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== | |||
| ] of debris from construction.]] | |||
| 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 feet (6 km) above sea level, but erosion wore the area down to only 4,000 feet (1.2 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 inch (2.5 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 feet (1,745 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 Site is also home to the final concerts of Rushmore Music Camp and attracts many visitors over the week of the ]. | |||
| 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. Also, DO NOT use a list format for this section. --> | |||
| Because it 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. Similarly, in '']'', the ]s in a ] carve their faces into Mount Rushmore, replacing the Presidents' heads. ]'s album '']'' has a cover inspired by Mount Rushmore depicting the five members' faces instead of the four presidents. The cover of ]' album, '']'', depicts Roosevelt replaced by ]. In the '']'' novel '']'', ] finds Mount Rushmore half-buried underneath garbage, which causes him to realize he is back on Earth. The mountain has had a fifth face carved into it, that of fictional president Elaine Salinger. In the ] comics, ] is shown as going to Mount Rushmore to seek solitude on at least one occasion. | |||
| Beginning in 1975, Mount Rushmore has been referenced, featured and spoofed by ] on ]. It is featured, amongst others, in '']'' as the Team America headquarters. | |||
| The memorial was famously used as the location of the climactic chase scene in ]'s ] '']'', which incorrectly depicted a forested plateau and the villain's house atop the monument. However, the scene 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. Close-ups were shot on a set. This moment was later parodied in ] of the animated series ], where once again Mt. Rushmore was depicted as harboring the villain's home atop its forested plateau. | |||
| The ] baseball club uses large foam rubber depictions of the "Rushmore Four" in both their marketing campaigns & in a series of in-stadium promotions, which include the . George, Abe, TJ and Teddy appear in the fourth inning of home games at RFK Stadium. That tradition will continue at the new Nationals Park. To date, the Teddy character has never won a Racing Presidents event, causing Nationals fans to chant his name in the hope that the race they view will be Teddy's first win.<!--- | |||
| 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.--> | |||
| ==Notes and references== | |||
| {{reflist|2}} | |||
| ==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. | |||
| *Larner, Jesse (]). ''Mount Rushmore: An Icon Reconsidered'' New York: Nation Books, 2002. | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| {{commonscat|Mount Rushmore National Memorial}} | |||
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| *Matthew Buckingham, | |||
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Revision as of 22:22, 16 December 2007
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