Discovering Fun Facts about Mount Rushmore
Mount Rushmore was named after Charles E. Rushmore, a New York lawyer who visited the region in the 1880s.
The faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln were chosen to be carved into the mountain because they represent the birth, growth, development, and preservation of the United States.
It took 14 years to carve Mount Rushmore, from 1927 to 19
4. Each president’s face is about 60 feet tall, equivalent to a six-story building.
The total cost of carving Mount Rushmore was approximately $1 million.
Sculptor Gutzon Borglum chose to depict the presidents from the waist up to save time and resources.
The monument was originally planned to include the presidents’ bodies as well, but lack of funding prevented that from happening.
Mount Rushmore attracts over 2 million visitors annually.
During the carving process, around 450,000 tons of rock were removed from the mountain.
The four faces on Mount Rushmore are located at different elevations: George Washington – 5,725 feet, Thomas Jefferson – 5,820 feet, Theodore Roosevelt – 5,750 feet, Abraham Lincoln – 5,725 feet.
Mount Rushmore was carved by dynamite, jackhammers, and hand chisels.
The monument’s original name was The Shrine of Democracy.
The faces on Mount Rushmore were designed to be able to withstand the forces of wind and water erosion for thousands of years.
Discovering Fun Facts about Mount Rushmore part 2
The noses of the presidents on Mount Rushmore are 20 feet long.
Mount Rushmore was chosen as the location for the monument because it provided a good quality of granite and was easily accessible.
The carving of Mount Rushmore was considered to be a major engineering feat at the time.
Despite the challenging conditions, no workers lost their lives during the carving of Mount Rushmore.
Mount Rushmore was nearly the site of another famous sculpture: the Crazy Horse Memorial, which is still being worked on today.
The famous faces on Mount Rushmore were featured in Alfred Hitchcock’s movie North by Northwest.
There is a hidden time capsule behind the monument’s Hall of Records, which contains information about the United States’ history and culture.
Lightning strikes the faces of Mount Rushmore an average of 20 times per year.
Up until 2019, Mount Rushmore had never experienced a recordable injury or fatality.
The carving of Mount Rushmore was originally seen as a way to increase tourism in South Dakota during the Great Depression.
The faces of the presidents on Mount Rushmore were chosen by Borglum because he believed they represented the most significant developments in American history.
Mount Rushmore was created on land that was once sacred to Native American tribes, including the Lakota Sioux.
The nickname for the mountain among Native American tribes is the Six Grandfathers.
The final carving of Mount Rushmore was completed by sculptor Lincoln Borglum, Gutzon Borglum’s son, after his father’s death.
Gutzon Borglum, the original sculptor, is also known for his work on the Stone Mountain Confederate Memorial in Georgia.
The visitor center at Mount Rushmore was opened in 1998 and provides educational exhibits about the monument.
Mount Rushmore was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.
Mount Rushmore has been featured on several postage stamps throughout the years.
The creation of Mount Rushmore inspired the construction of other monumental sculptures around the world, such as the Crazy Horse Memorial and the Great Buddha of Kamakura in Japan.
To create precise measurements for carving Mount Rushmore, Gutzon Borglum used a model made out of plaster and wooden pegs.
The granite used for Mount Rushmore is known as Harney Peak granite, named after the highest peak in the Black Hills.
The first construction worker to begin working on Mount Rushmore was Korczak Ziolkowski, who later went on to work on the Crazy Horse Memorial.
Mount Rushmore is illuminated every year on the evening of July 3rd for an Independence Day celebration.
It is estimated that it would take about $900 million to recreate Mount Rushmore today.
Mount Rushmore’s four presidents are depicted looking southeast, symbolizing their dedication to the country’s expansion.
Over 400,000 visitors attended the dedication ceremony of Mount Rushmore in 19
The monument has occasionally experienced vandalism, with incidents such as the placement of a banner protesting uranium mining in the Black Hills.
Every year, a naturalization ceremony takes place at Mount Rushmore, where new citizens take the Oath of Allegiance to the United States.
The presidents on Mount Rushmore represent different eras in American history: George Washington – the founding of the nation, Thomas Jefferson – expansion, Abraham Lincoln – preservation, and Theodore Roosevelt – development.
The construction of Mount Rushmore faced many challenges, including harsh weather conditions, delays due to lack of funds, and the intricacy of carving almost 90 feet into a granite mountain.
Mount Rushmore is one of the most iconic symbols of the United States, representing the ideals of democracy and leadership.
The faces on Mount Rushmore were chosen after a national contest was held, with suggestions including famous explorers, Native American leaders, and western heroes.