Mount Rushmore National Memorial

Mt. Rushmore stands as a shrine of democracy, a monument and memorial to this country's birth, growth and ideals. Mount Rushmore symbolizes the greatness of this nation through the greatness of its leaders. The epic sculpture of Mount Rushmore depicts the faces of four exalted American presidents that symbolize this nation's rich history, rugged determination and lasting achievements.

Between 1927 and 1941, Gutzon Borglum and 400 workers sculpted the 60-foot busts of Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln to represent the first 150 years of American history. Washington was selected for Mount Rushmore monument because he was the father of our country and represents our struggle for independence, our constitution and our liberty. Jefferson was to be honored on Mt. Rushmore as the author of the Declaration of Independence, representative government and for the expansion of our country through the Louisiana Purchase. Teddy Roosevelt, the third bust on Mt Rushmore was selected because he saw through the completion of the Panama Canal linking the oceans and opening the connecting waters of the East and the West. Lincoln was chosen for preserving the Union through one of America's darkest hours and for the ideals of freedom and equality for all.

In the words of Mount Rushmore's creator, John Gutzon Borglum, "Hence, let us place there, carved high, as close to heaven as we can, the works of our leaders, their faces, to show posterity what manner of men they were. Then breathe a prayer that these records will endure until the wind and the rain alone shall wear them away"

Mt Rushmore National Memorial is located in the Black Hills of South Dakota, 23 miles from Rapid City. The memorial serves as home to many animals and plants representative of the Black Hills of South Dakota. The geologic formations of the heart of the Black Hills region are also evident at Mount Rushmore, including large outcrops of granite and mica schist.