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10 Mount Rushmore: Memorial to Our Greatest Presidents

Mount Rushmore, a gigantic sculpture of four American presidents carved into a mountain of granite in the Black Hills of South Dakota, is a prime example of such a monument. While there is no doubt that the monument itself is awe- inspiring, the story of how that grand dream was born, developed, worked, and

Make Connections How do you get a moun- tain named after you?

When the young lawyer, Charles E. Rushmore, was sent to South Dakota in 1885 to investigate mining opportunities for a client, he got to know some locals, who came to like him. While on a horseback ride through the hills, he asked about a mountain’s name. The locals generously named it after him.

realized is even more amazing. As is true with many grand projects, the way Mount Rushmore looks today was not the original proposal. The idea began with an aging man who loved history and his home state of South Dakota. As he reached his mid-60s, Doane Robinson probably reflected on his life and what he valued when he came up with an idea to help his home state. That was in 1923. The country was in a boom time, with lots of industry and inventions occurring. Skyscrapers were being built, automobiles were being mass-produced , and the ideas for TV, 16-mm movie cameras, “talkie” movies, and the videodisc were all emerging. Prosperity abounded and people had the time, money, and cars to travel around the country. As founder and superintendent of the South Dakota Historical Society, Robinson believed that more people