Mount Rushmore

In 1923, historian Doane Robinson thought of an idea to attract more people to the Black Hills of South Dakota – a huge sculpture honoring heroes of the west. In 1924, Gutzom Borglum was hired as the sculptor, and work began on Mount Rushmore. Borglum chose Mount Rushmore because it was the largest mountain in the vicinity and it faced southeast – where it would receive direct sunlight. Next, the subjects of the sculpture were chosen, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt (the subjects were different from Robinson’s idea of western heroes). Each face of the sculpture was individually dedicated upon completion. It was finally finished in 1942.

United States Landmarks