John Gutzon Borglum was born on March 25, 1871. Here are some interesting facts about his most famous achievement.
- The idea came from South Dakota historian Doane Robinson. He thought a carving of historical figures would be good for tourism. He wanted Lewis and Clark, Sacagawea, Crazy Horse, Buffalo Bill Cody, and Red Cloud.
- Work began on Gutzon Borglum’s “Shrine of Democracy” on Oct. 4, 1927. He chose a 6,000 foot mountain in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The mountain was named after a New York lawyer named Charles Rushmore. He had made a trip to the area in 1885. When he saw the mountain he asked his guide what it was called, the guide responded that it had no name so why not call it Rushmore Peak. Done. Nobody apparently cared that the Sioux called it “The Six Grandfathers”. Later, Charles made a $5,000 donation to start construction, making him one of the earliest private donors.
- The project involved 6 ½ years of sculpting (using pneumatic drills and dynamite) and 7 ½ years of getting funding to finish the project. It cost $990,000, with $800,000 coming from the federal government. Borglum was paid $170,000. Borglum was chosen after starting the carving of South Mountain in 1925. He was fired from that project before completion.
- Gorglum chose Washington because he was the first President, Jefferson because of the Declaration of Independence and Louisiana Purchase, and Lincoln for the Civil War. The fourth was up in the air until he chose Teddy Roosevelt over Woodrow Wilson. Gorglum admired Roosevelt’s support for conservation and construction of the Panama Canal. In 1937, there was grass roots campaign to add Susan B. Anthony, but Congress decided not enough funding was available. Each face is 60 feet from chin to top of head.
- 450,000 tons of granite had to be removed. Most of this was done with dynamite. Holes would be drilled and “powder monkeys” would insert dynamite which was blown up in the evening after most had left the site. The carving was done with jack hammers and power drills from chairs suspended by metal wires. In spite of the dangers, not one life was lost.
- Funding problems forced Borglum to downside the project in several ways. He wanted to depict the men from the waist up. He wanted to carve an 80×120’ outline of the Louisiana Purchase which would have a brief summary of the history of America carved on it. It was determined that it would be unreadable from afar and there was a lack of funds. He intended to add a “Hall of Records” carved into the hillside behind Lincoln’s head. It was to have a tunnel leading to an 80×100’ room containing mosaics and busts of famous Americans. Important documents would be contained in bronze and glass cabinets. A rough 68 foot long tunnel was excavated before funding ran out. Later, 16 porcelain enamel panels were placed inside the entrance to tell the story of the construction of Mount Rushmore to future generations.
- Jefferson was to be located to the left of Washington, but beneath the granite was a lot of quartz. The face had to be moved to the right of Washington.
- Borglum did not live to see completion. He died at age 73, six months before his son Lincoln finished the work on Oct. 31, 1941.
https://www.thoughtco.com/interesting-facts-about-mount-rushmore-1779326
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Rushmore
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/626450/mount-rushmore-facts
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