Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a U.S. national monument featuring a massive sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore (Lakota: Tȟuŋkášila Šákpe, or Six Grandfathers) in the Black Hills near Keystone, South Dakota. The sculpture, known as the Shrine of Democracy, was designed by sculptor Gutzon Borglum, who managed the project from 1927 until his death in 1941, after which his son Lincoln Borglum continued the work. The monument showcases 60-foot-tall (18 m) heads of four U.S. presidents—George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln—selected to symbolize the nation’s founding, expansion, development, and preservation. The memorial draws over two million visitors annually and spans 1,278 acres (2.00 sq mi; 5.17 km²), with the mountain standing at 5,725 feet (1,745 m) above sea level.
Mount Rushmore was chosen for its southeast-facing position, ensuring maximum sunlight exposure. The concept was initiated by South Dakota historian Doane Robinson, who initially wanted to depict heroes of the American West, such as Lewis and Clark, Sacagawea, and Crazy Horse. However, Borglum opted to carve the faces of the four presidents instead. U.S. Senator Peter Norbeck supported the project and secured federal funding. Construction began in 1927, with the presidents’ faces completed between 1934 and 1939. Although the original plan was to carve each president from head to waist, financial constraints halted the project on October 31, 1941, resulting in only the heads being completed.
The land on which Mount Rushmore was carved was taken from the Sioux Nation in the 1870s. The Sioux continue to demand the return of the land, rejecting a $102 million settlement awarded by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1980. This ongoing conflict has led some critics to dub the monument a “Shrine of Hypocrisy.”
Historically, the area known as Six Grandfathers was sacred to the Plains Indians, including the Arapaho, Cheyenne, and Lakota Sioux, who used it for spiritual and practical purposes. The mountain, symbolizing six ancestral deities, became part of the U.S. through treaties and subsequent conflicts, including the Sioux Wars. New York attorney Charles E. Rushmore, after whom the mountain was named, played a role in its renaming during the late 19th century.
By the 1920s, with South Dakota attracting road trippers, Doane Robinson promoted the idea of a large-scale monument to boost tourism, inspired by the Confederate generals’ carvings at Stone Mountain, Georgia. After initial designs to carve in the Needles (Hiŋháŋ Káǧa) proved unfeasible, Borglum chose Mount Rushmore for its grandeur and favorable sunlight exposure.
Borglum’s decision to feature four presidents rather than Old West figures like Red Cloud and Crazy Horse faced opposition from local Indigenous communities, who viewed the monument as a desecration of their sacred lands. Despite resistance, Borglum’s vision prevailed, with the monument representing the achievements of American civilization. The project, backed by Senator Norbeck and supported by federal legislation, faced funding delays but eventually received government backing, with construction proceeding without fatalities.
The carving of the presidents’ faces required dynamite and meticulous drilling, with adjustments made to Jefferson’s position due to unsuitable rock. Luigi Del Bianco, an Italian artisan, served as the chief carver, adding expressive details to the sculptures. After Gutzon Borglum’s death in 1941, his son Lincoln continued the project, though funding limitations halted the work before completion of the planned figures from head to waist.
Over the years, Mount Rushmore has become a symbol of American history, drawing millions of visitors and undergoing conservation efforts to preserve the monument. The surrounding Black Hills, rich in wildlife and geological formations, continue to be a significant cultural and ecological area, though controversies surrounding the land’s ownership persist.
