Mount Rushmore National Memorial

Crazy Horse The Mount Rushmore Memorial encouraged another accomplished artist to carve a second colossal sculpture in the Black Hills. In 1948, seven years after work stopped on nearby Mount Rushmore, grand-scal ... read more.

Did You Know : Black Hills The Black Hills' name originates from the Sioux term paha sapa, or "hills of black," because the dense pine forests covering the hills appear black at a distance. ... read more.

Did You Know : Gutzon Borglum Gutzon Borglum, a friend of the great French artist Auguste Rodin, was one of America's most successful artists before he even considered Mount Rushmore. His Mares of Diomedes was the first work by a ... read more.

Did You Know : Mount Rushmore The hard granite of Mount Rushmore is among the oldest rock in the world. Geologists claim it will erode at a rate of one inch every 10,000 years. ... read more.

Did You Know : Work of Art Mount Rushmore represents the largest work of art on Earth. Each face is 60 feet high, compared to the head on the Statue of Liberty, which is only 17 feet tall.  Amazingly, there were no deaths and ... read more.

History of Mount Rushmore South Dakota's first inhabitants lived more than 9,000 years ago. Most of these nomadic tribes migrated with the massive herds of bison (commonly called buffalo) that roamed the grasslands of the Gre ... read more.

In A Nutshell Mount Rushmore National Memorial is open year-round. The memorial can be viewed from the roadside 24-hours-a-day. The main developed area (including facilities) is closed from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. in th ... read more.

Jefferson Born in 1743 to Virginia planters, Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence at age 33, giving the nation a plan for sover-eignty and freedom. Jefferson also served as governor of his ... read more.

Lincoln "The Great Emancipator," Abraham Lincoln, was born to impoverished parents in Kentucky's backwoods in 1809. Lincoln taught himself law, served in the Illinois Legislature, then gained a seat in the U ... read more.

Lincoln Borglum Museum The museum has two 125-seat theaters where visitors can view a 13-minute orientation movie about how and why the memorial was carved. A bookstore operated by the Mount Rushmore History Association, r ... read more.

Making Mount Rushmore Mount Rushmore National Memorial is as much a product of dreams and determination as it is the work of a talented sculptor.  The Father of Rushmore In 1923, Doane Robinson, the aging superintendent ... read more.

Roosevelt The only presidential selection to draw any measure of criticism was that of Theodore Roosevelt, the nation's 26th president.  Some academics argued that history had not yet judged the Roosevelt pr ... read more.

Washington As "father of our country" and the nation's first president, George Washington earned his place as the foremost figure in the presidential portrait. Born in 1732 in Virginia, as a youth he surveyed ... read more.

What Can You Do? • Visit Mount Rushmore in the winter, spring or fall to relieve summer overcrowding. • Place all litter in the recycling bins and trash cans provided throughout the park. • Stay on ... read more.