Mount Rushmore

Carved into the southeast face of a mountain in South Dakota are the faces of four presidents, a memorial to American history.  The faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln look down from their stony heights and remind everyone that even the impossible is possible.

Work began on Mount Rushmore with the carving of George Washington.  His head was first carved in an egg shape, and his features added later.  Thomas Jefferson was begun on Washington's right.  After about two years of working on Jefferson, the granite was found to be badly cracked and Jefferson had to be blasted off the mountain.  Work on a new Jefferson face was started again on the left side of Washington.

With much fanfare Washington's face was dedicated on July 4, 1934.  Thomas Jefferson was dedicated in 1936 with President Franklin Roosevelt attending the dedication.  Abraham Lincoln was dedicated on September 17, 1937, the one hundred fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the Constitution.  In 1939, the same year modern plumbing and night lighting was installed at the memorial, Theodore Roosevelt’s figure was dedicated.  As the flag was removed on July 2nd from Roosevelt's face, the newly installed lights slowly illuminated it, followed by fireworks and rockets that lit up the night sky.

To see a larger picture click on the small one.