Mount Rushmore National Memorial

Russian

This monument is often called the Shrine of Democracy. Though the opinions about this memorial split: in the official guides to South Dakota you can find, that "even the coldest American hearts fill with pride for their country, looking at this magnificent creation…", but while talking to friends, we mostly hear: "Weird… What in the world can make someone carve a sculpture out of the mountain?"

The idea for creating the sculpture in the Black Hills came from South Dakota historian Doane Robinson in the early 1920s. American sculptor Gutzon Borglum specialized in the sculpture of American subjects designed the memorial and supervised its construction. Borglum envisioned a monument to the growth of the United States and its most important leaders and chose Mount Rushmore as the site. The Memorial cost nearly 1 million dollars, most of which came from public donations. Actual carving time was six and a half years over a 14-year period. Rock was removed using drills and dynamite, than the surface was polished.

Borglum's original design was a sculpture of the four presidents down to their waists, but cracks in granite changed the plan. Nine models were built before grouping was found - though when Jefferson's face became prominent, another deep fissure of the rock was discovered. Than Jefferson's face had to be blasted off and placed at Washington's left, instead of right, as planned originally.

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Last updated: Sunday, September 09, 2001