Four presidents. 60 feet tall each. Carved by dynamite and hand tools over 14 years. Mount Rushmore is America's most ambitious self-portrait.
Why These Four Presidents?
The choice of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt was made by sculptor Gutzon Borglum in consultation with South Dakota historian Doane Robinson, who conceived the project. The selection represents what Borglum saw as the four phases of American nationhood: Washington the founding, Jefferson the expansion (he negotiated the Louisiana Purchase), Lincoln the preservation, and Roosevelt the development (he championed conservation, the Panama Canal, and the modern regulatory state).
The Site and Why It Was Chosen
The Black Hills of South Dakota were chosen for practical and political reasons. The granite of the Harney Peak area was sufficiently hard and structurally sound for large-scale carving. The faces would catch southeastern light, illuminated for most of the day. And South Dakota's congressional delegation lobbied aggressively for the project as an economic development measure for a state that had few other tourist attractions.
The Construction
Work began in 1927 under Borglum's direction. The construction was financed by a combination of federal appropriations and private donations — roughly $990,000 total, equivalent to about $18 million today. The method was industrial: 90% of the stone was removed by dynamite, with workers using handheld drills and honeycombing techniques to bring the blast surfaces to within inches of the finished faces. Borglum's son Lincoln supervised much of the day-to-day work. Of the approximately 400 workers employed over the project's life, not one died in the carving itself.
Gutzon Borglum
Borglum was 60 years old when Mount Rushmore work began. He had spent decades on large-scale sculpture, including an earlier commission at Stone Mountain, Georgia (a Confederate memorial he was fired from in a dispute). He was imperious, brilliant, and difficult to work with. He died in March 1941 at 73, seven months before the project was formally declared complete — although in truth it was never fully finished. The Hall of Records Borglum had envisioned behind Lincoln's face was never built.
The Lakota Perspective
The Black Hills are sacred land to the Lakota Sioux, taken by the United States government in violation of the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty after gold was discovered in 1874. The Lakota have never accepted the loss, and the Supreme Court in 1980 ruled that the seizure was illegal, awarding $105 million in compensation. The Lakota have refused the money — they want the land. The monument stands on contested ground, and honest engagement with Mount Rushmore requires acknowledging that history alongside its artistic achievement.
The Monument Today
Mount Rushmore receives approximately 3 million visitors annually, making it one of the most visited sites in the American West. The faces have not required major restoration since completion. The granite is slowly eroding at a rate estimated at one inch per 10,000 years. By the monument's scale, the faces will be recognizable for approximately 7 million years. Browse our American Greatness collection for canvas prints of America's landmark monuments and presidents.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why were those four presidents chosen for Mount Rushmore?
Washington (the founding), Jefferson (the expansion through the Louisiana Purchase), Lincoln (the preservation of the Union), and Theodore Roosevelt (the development of the modern American state and conservation movement) were chosen by sculptor Gutzon Borglum to represent four phases of American national history.
How long did it take to carve Mount Rushmore?
Construction ran from 1927 to 1941 — 14 years — though work was frequently interrupted by funding shortages. About 90% of the stone was removed by controlled dynamite blasting; the rest by hand drill and chisel.
Was anyone killed building Mount Rushmore?
No workers died in the carving of Mount Rushmore itself, though several suffered injuries. This is remarkable given the scale of the construction and the era — 1927 to 1941 — when safety standards were far below modern requirements.
