Mount Rushmore, South Dakota

 ...not to brag or show off, but this is our 4th time visiting Mount Rushmore. Like so many places we visit, one or two times seeing them is not enough. They just get richer each time we take it in plus; there's always more depth and history that is learned each visit. Mount Rushmore is like that. You have to just sit on a bench and marvel at it.

Oh, and it's free to see it. Just a nominal parking fee.

That is a monitoring device to track rock movement.

Very creative way to depict the pupils.

Great photos showing the scale of the wall

This was the original intent, but it proved to be too large of an undertaking

Looking back at the history is very fascinating...to see how it progressed.

work in progress

This was the next intent, to have them with jackets but funding ran out. Good thing they started at the top and not the bottom !!

Aerial view of construction.

Work in progress. Jefferson was supposed to be to the far left as you can see, but the rock was unstable, so they "flattened" it out and moved him to Washington's left.

here's the rock face before carving. what a difference!

Also, there's a mildly strenuous walk that goes to the base where all the chips fell after sculpting and blasting and then you can visit the Borglum studio to see how they manage the scale from model to real-life.

inside the studio with original work

LOTS of steps

Great upward view from the trail shows a whole new perspective

The entrance to show perspective

Here's a couple of links should you want to read and see more.

https://www.nps.gov/moru/learn/photosmultimedia/photogallery.htm

https://www.nps.gov/moru/learn/index.htm

and one about the main sculptor and his son, who took over the project when the dad died.

https://www.nps.gov/moru/learn/historyculture/gutzon-borglum.htm

and one from youtube.

https://youtu.be/kH0Yw0R84i0?si=mj13BcmeuVPGPPlk

If you ever have an opportunity to visit, go early in the morning to get a good parking spot and less people taking selfies and getting in your photos. It gets crowded. 

thanks for viewing.

steve/kim/katie

Here we are on our first visit! 

Gotta include Katie...not at Mount Rushmore!

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