Rushmore History & Fun Facts

The construction of Mount Rushmore National Memorial took 14 years, from October 4, 1927, when President Coolidge ceremoniously handed Gutzon Borglum a set of drill bits to October 31, 1941, when drilling concluded under the direction of Lincoln Borglum, Gutzon's son.

The initial plan intended the figures to be carved from head to waist but Gutzon was directed to stick to the four faces. It's also important to note that Susan B. Anthony was suggested as a fifth face in 1935 but was never pursued, as budgets were a concern. In the end, the whole project cost the US $989,992.

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The head of Washington is sixty (60) feet tall with a nose that is almost 21 feet. While all are approximately the same height, Theodore Roosevelt's head is somewhat smaller, Abraham Lincoln's is slightly taller. Each mouth is eighteen (18) feet and each of the eyes is eleven (11) feet wide.

Although they were not artists, the nearly 400 laborers involved in making Mount Rushmore did know how to use dynamite and jackhammers. It was dangerous work with ninety percent of the sculpture being carved using explosives. Luckily, no one died during construction.

Related Links

Mount Rushmore Tours
Scenic Drive to Mount Rushmore
Mount Rushmore's Four Faces
Rushmore History & Fun Facts
Mount Rushmore Timeline
Rushmore & National Park Service
Mount Rushmore Hours