Located in Keystone South Dakota, the Mt. Rushmore Monument is a granite sculpture carved into the mountain depicting the faces of 4 presidents, Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt (Theodore) and Lincoln.
Over the years, Rushmore has come up numerous times and there have been a few misconceptions. The sculptures did not form naturally, and they are not small. Gutzon Borglum and 400 men used explosives and jackhammers to carve the likenesses out of the side of the mountain and each face is about 18 meters tall. Construction began on 1927 and by 1939 most of the faces were completed, but Borglum died in 1941 before he could complete the originally envisioned sculpture which had the torsos of the Presidents as well. Funding also dried up and the project was deemed complete.
There is controversy over this monument, as it is located on land that was seized from Native Americans in the 1870’s after it had been deeded to the Lakota in perpetuity. Another sculpture in the area is currently being constructed depicting Native Leader Crazy Horse and this monument when completed will be much larger than the Rushmore Monument.
This sculpture is referenced frequently in American pop culture and appears in many movies. Any image that depicts faces carved out of a mountain is probably referencing this sculpture. The connotations that may be associated with Mount Rushmore would be huge, patriotic, man’s dominion over nature, and manifest destiny.
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