HISTORY
HOW MOUNT RUSHMORE WAS BUILT
This colossal carving of four presidential faces into a stone cliff took over a decade to achieve
WORDSAILSA HARVEY
I n the Black Hills region of South Dakota, four stonyfaced presidents gaze out from Mount Rushmore. This national monument depicts George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln, representing the US’ birth, growth, development and preservation respectively. Not only do these sculptures embody these themes of past events, they also encourage tourism, with nearly 3 million people visiting the mountain’s mighty features each year. The idea for Mount Rushmore came from South Dakota state historian Doane Robinson.
The project was no easy endeavour, as it required 400 workers to complete. Because construction began in 1927 and continued through the Great Depression, when unemployment levels were extremely high, many of the workers were desperate for any job available, including this high-risk and strenuous task. Some reported being scared of heights, but agreed to hang over the 153-metre drop to secure a job.