2023-07-07 -- Mount Rushmore National Memorial & Crazy Horse Memorial

The state of South Dakota in the United States boasts one of the most unique man-made attractions. Carved into a mountainside, honoring four prominent U.S. presidents for their contributions, are their faces.

From left to right, the faces are:

George Washington (1), for founding the nation
Thomas Jefferson (2), for expansion
Theodore Roosevelt (3), for preservation
Abraham Lincoln (4), for unification of the United States of America

Each face is approximately 18 meters (60 feet) tall and carved into Henry Peak granite, a slightly softer granite with shiny pegmatite crystals.

While you don't need a full day to visit Mount Rushmore National Memorial (5), there are plenty of activities to enjoy if you choose to stay longer.

As you park your car, you'll see the faces from a distance. Be careful, as they're so mesmerizing that you might forget to lock your car or may even leave your children inside the car! Your first stop will be a magnificent open structure, crafted from the same granite as the mountainside.

It's an open exhibition. Expect wildlife around you, but remember not to approach, touch, or feed them. Simply enjoy observing them from a distance. Direct interaction with wildlife should always be avoided.

Upon entering the facilities, the first thing you'll see is a bust of Gutzon Borglum (6). His son, Lincoln Borglum (7), sculpted it. (Gutzon named his son after his favorite president.)

The father and son team were the architects, artists, and engineers behind the creation of this memorial.

You will also see the names of all the people who worked in this project.

As well as list of contributors.

Look around and appreciate the art and architecture. The mountainside is the focal point, but don't miss the other masterpieces that surround it.

If you've ever looked into the eyes of a newborn, you know how unsettling it can be. It's as if they're peering into your soul (even if you don't believe in souls).

The architects faced a unique challenge. If they had carved the entire eye, it would have been too intense. So, they came up with a clever solution: they left the middle portion of the pupil untouched and carved around it. From a distance, it looks like the eyes are focused on something, but not on you. Perhaps they're contemplating the future of the country, as none of them seem particularly happy.

They also elegantly solved the "glasses" problem, opting for a mere silhouette.

Don't bring your rock climbing gear. You can't go near the faces. And please, don't bring markers or knives to vandalize the site.

If you're in the mood for rock climbing, there are plenty of other formations nearby. Even if you were allowed to approach the monument from different angles, it would still ruin the view for others. (I can't stand selfie sticks either. This is about art and history, not about you.)

One of the faces can be seen from a 90-degree angle, showcasing the elegance and detail of the carvings.

It's fascinating to learn about the meticulous process of creating such a massive and precise work of art. Unlike softer sandstones, granite requires a significant amount of explosive power, which must be applied with extreme precision in both location and intensity. A miscalculation could have destroyed the formation, at least locally, and the project could have been irrecoverable.

Gutzon Borglum's initial approach of projecting a model onto the mountainside proved challenging, as it was difficult to discern the shapes within the random rock formations. To overcome this obstacle, he devised a clever solution. He created a reference point on his model, a rod at the top of the heads, and marked numerous points on the rest of the model. By calculating the angles and distances of these points from the reference rod with high precision, he was able to transfer the design onto the mountain.

To execute the carving, he created reference points for each head and marked the rock surface with instructions for the workers. These workers, suspended in leather swings invented by Borglum himself, meticulously carved the granite. Safety was a priority, as he ensured that no two swings were directly below each other. Of course, during blasting operations, everyone had to evacuate the area.

As the carving progressed, the initial markings were gradually erased. Borglum would return to the site to add more instructions, bringing the sculptures closer to their final form. Once the major shaping was complete, the blasting ceased, and the remaining work was carried out with greater precision.

Budget constraints and the inherent irregularities and cracks in the rock formation inevitably influenced the final shape of the carvings. However, when comparing the original design to the final product, one might argue that the deviations have enhanced the overall aesthetic.

To truly appreciate the scale and craftsmanship of the monument, it's essential to approach the base of the carvings. Only then can you fully grasp the immense effort that went into creating this enduring masterpiece.

Spend some time exploring the surrounding Black Hills National Forest if you can. You might discover interesting long-distance views of the four faces.

Who knows, you might even discover some beautiful pigtail bridges! One might offer a unique perspective of the memorial through an overhead tunnel.

It's true that not all art is universally appreciated. In the U.S., particularly when it comes to pre-independence and pre-emancipation history, there's often a complex and contentious relationship with the past.

During the last Ice Age, humans migrated across the Bering Land Bridge to North America. These Indigenous peoples lived on these lands for millennia, uninterested in foreign diseases, famine, or new religions. They simply desired to preserve their way of life and protect their ancestral lands and wildlife. Unfortunately, history has not been kind to them.

Not far from Mount Rushmore, Indigenous people are working on the Crazy Horse Memorial (8), a massive mountain carving in progress. This project aims to honor local tribes and preserve their cultural, traditional, and living heritage, which predates the United States by thousands of years.

Funding limitations have slowed progress, but the commitment remains strong. Let's hope they succeed in leaving a lasting legacy for future generations, even if humanity no longer exists.

To appreciate the sheer scale of the project, observe the construction machinery dwarfed by the tunnel that will eventually form the "under the left arm" of Crazy Horse.