The Making of Mount Rushmore

[MULTIZ321]

The Making of Mount Rushmore- by Megan Gambino/History and Archeology/Smithsonian Magazine.com

The 70th anniversary of the completion of the South Dakota monument prompts a look back at what it took to create it

Ninety percent of the mountain was carved using dynamite. The workers were so skilled, knowing how much dynamite you needed to use to blast off rock, that they were able to get within about 3 to 5 inches of the final faces.

Given the complexity of the task, no one died in the making of the monument.

In 1941, the year the monument opened to the public, 400,000 people visited Borglum's "Shrine of Demorcracy". To put that success in perspective, according to National Park Service records, that same year around the same number visited the Grand Canyon and the Statue of Liberty.
Now, it gets over 2 million tourists a year.

If you don't plan on visiting Mount Rushmore and you're a movie buff, check out the Hitchcock classic 'North by Northwest' with Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason and Jessie Royce Landis.


Richard

 

[MRSFUSSY]

Mt. Rushmore

is a wonder all by itself. We visited there in '06 & still think about the talent and wonders that the complex has. We drove X-country and stopped at the beautiful sights that were available to us. We drove across 3X, from Long Island to southern California. My husband, sister and myself. The first time we drove out and flew home. The next time we drove both ways. We put a lot of miles on our car and the 3 of us never had a fight, and we did it all without GPS. Just used a map. GPS were not as popular as they are today. We had wonderful trips together.

 

[wackymother]

I had a wonderful physics teacher in high school. He was a young guy then, and he said that every July 4th he would be at Mount Rushmore, in case we ever wanted to find him! I think of him every time I see a picture of Mount Rushmore. Wonder if he really has been there every Fourth of July?

 

[Rumpled]

I just watched some show on cable that mentioned a number of people did die making Mt Rushmore.

 

[DonM]

I just watched some show on cable that mentioned a number of people did die making Mt Rushmore.

That was my recollection as well.

 

[DonM]

One of the funniest stories I heard about Mt Rushmore was told by Cher. When she was eulogizing her late ex Sony, she was explaining how Sony was the common sense partner of the tandem, and that she was quite naive.

To prove the point she said that she originally thought that Mt Rushmore was a natural formation!

 

[MULTIZ321]

I just watched some show on cable that mentioned a number of people did die making Mt Rushmore.

Hi Rumpled,

No workers died during the blasting and carving process of Mount Rushmore. However, later some workers did die of silicosis (a lung condition). This was caused by the dust they inhaled while carving the granite.

http://www.jeanpatrick.com/mount_rushmore_FAQS.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Rushmore

Richard

 

[AwayWeGo]

The Other Side Of Mt. Rushmore.

-- hotlinked --​

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA. ​

 

[MULTIZ321]

Alan,

Love your humor. Made my day.

Richard

 

[Patri]

Also watch the movie Richie Rich

 

[PrairieGirl]

Besides the splendor of the monument itself, one of the things I loved at Mt. Rushmore was reading the story of the political intrigue that surrounded it (the new interpretive center has lots of information about this aspect). I recall thinking "this would make a GREAT movie" and that of course it should star Kevin Costner! The whole trip that we took through that area was fabulous - there is much to see in addition to Mt. Rushmore and I hope to go back again.