Mt. Rushmore National Memorial

9 25 09

Mt. Rushmore was very close to Hill City and it was our first goal. The road was narrow and curvy with many trees. Suddenly, we could see George Washington's head high up above our heads. A little later we entered the official monument. Normally, we do not have to pay at national parks, monuments, etc. as we have a Senior Pass - the best investment ($10 for the rest of our lives!). But here they got around it by charging $10 for parking. But there was no entrance fee for anybody.

You walk up out of the parking garage and you see the granite portraits of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln far away in the background carved from 1927 - 1941. They represent the birth, expansion, development and preservation of the country during the first 150 years.

The walkway towards the monument has granite pillars on both sides with four flags to a pillar from each state and territory. On each pillar you can read when that state was admitted to the union.

Further up there is the Lincoln Borglum Visitor Center below the Grand View Terrace. We learned about how Gutzon Borglum (Danish parents) carved the monument. He died before it was finished and his son Lincoln finished it. There was an exhibit with a brief history of the US. This all kept us busy and we also joined a ranger walk. By that time it was time for lunch in the the restaurant. The tables were huge and the ceiling was high so that you could see the monument while eating. Jalil discovered that a picture of each president was hanging on the walls. He studied these seriously and was amazed how many died in office and how many only lasted four years.


Each face is 60 feet high. They claimed that this is one of the largest piece of sculpture ever created but Crazy Horse will be larger, when finished.

When done , we drove to Keystone - a town near by - which was very touristy. How can they sell so many T-shirts?

We drove through the pigtails - a highway with many sharp curves, bridges built with whole logs, and tunnels through the mountain. At one point you could see Mt. Rushmore through the tunnel. You had to honk before entering, as there was only room for one car.

Later we returned to Mt. Rushmore for the evening ceremonies at the amphitheater. First there was a movie about the four presidents - why they were chosen. Then all veterans were asked to come up on the stage to lower the flag. They folded it and passed it from one veteran to the next. One man could not use his hands to pass the flag so he kissed it. Then the National Anthem was sung by everybody while the flood lights were directed towards the four presidents.
Very patriotic!