Mount Rushmore National Memorial |
Mount Rushmore National Memorial, located in Keystone, South Dakota, memorializes the
birth, growth, preservation and development of the United States of
America. The Mount Rushmore National Memorial Park has 1,278 acres (5 kmē).
Between 1927 and October 31, 1941, Gutzon Borglum and 400 workers
sculpted the 18-meter (60-foot) busts of Presidents George
Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln to represent the first 150 years of American history. Visitors to the memorial come
primarily to view the granite sculpture itself, but also of interest is the
Sculptor's Studio built under the direction of the artist, Gutzon Borglum, in 1939. Unique
plaster models and tools related to the sculpting process are displayed there.
Recently, ten years of redevelopment work culminated with the completion of extensive new visitor facilities. These include a
new Visitor Center and Museum and the Presidential Trail, a walking trail and boardwalk providing spectacular close-up views of
the mountain sculpture.
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.
Mount Rushmore was designated as a national memorial on March 3, 1925.
The monument was famously used as the location of the final chase scene in Alfred Hitchcock's movie North by Northwest.
See also: National parks (United
States)
Reference
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