Travel Guide Mount Rushmore National Memorial

Not a natural park, but a human memorial, Mount Rushmore is world famous for its huge sculpture in memory of American presidents over 150 years. It is one of the most visited places in the United States, with more than two million visitors a year.It is necessary to get closer to the woods of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln, the four most prominent presidents of the founding era of American history. The bas-reliefs cut from the rock measure 18 m height. They cover 5.17 km 2 and rise at an altitude of 1,745 m. The Temple of Democracy, located inside the United States presidential memorial, thus overlooks forests over 500 hectares.Several observation terraces, around the memorial, allow to admire the masterpiece. The Avenue of Flags, with 56 flags from American states and territories, will guide you to the Grandview Terrace. To see the faces more closely, do not hesitate to take the picturesque Presidential Trail, which leads you to the foot of the mountain.GeologyIt is the granite that essentially composes this mount. This very hard volcanic rock (batholite) is included in shales dating back several tens of millions of years. The cooling of these fusion rocks also revealed mineral inclusions (quartz, feldspar, muscovite, biotite). Pegmatite Dykes notice the clearer colors of the chairs. During Cambrien, granite was covered with sandy rocks, which protected him from erosion until about 70 million years ago. During the movement of the North American tectonic plate, the zone was raised to 6‰ 000 m above sea level. The erosion did the rest and gave the region the appearance we know today. The site of the monument was selected according to certain criteria, including the height of the mountain (the highest of the area), but more particularly according to the resistance of granite which erodes only 3″ cm every 10″ 000 years. So time has little to do with the founding fathers of America!HistoryIt all starts with Doane Robinson, official historian of the State of South Dakota. Eager to promote local tourism, in 1923 it issued a sculpture project for Mount Rushmore. The idea is to carve Black Hills with three characters of legend in a rock needle. We didn't think of the four good fathers of the United States! Politically supported, Robinson is seeking a lead sculptor. The name John Gutzon Borglum, well known to the public for his famous works, often comes back. He seems to be the ideal artist. Robinson then asks the sculptor to come to see the mountain to ensure the possibility of realization. Mount Rushmore does not leave the artist indifferent, it appreciates not only its location but also its excellent exposure to the sun, as well as the fine and durable grain of the granite of this cliff, at Harney Peak's flank, culminating in the Blacks Hills. The case is closed. Borglum takes the project and decides to carve in the rock not western heroes but four presidents of the United States, chosen by his care for their respective roles in the preservation and expansion of the national territory.It was after lengthy negotiations that the then president Calvin Coolidge endorsed and authorized the launch of a national commission of the Rushmore Mountain Memorial on March 3, 1925. As the future monument is quickly considered a national cause, the federal state proposes to fund the project entirely. Borglum only accepts half, telling the inhabitants of the state that he will not use their taxes (and he will keep the word ↓). The rock cutting began in 1927 and ended in 1941. Gutzon Borglum and 400 workers carved the four high-profile faces of 18 ¾ m to commemorate the first 150 years of the history of the United States. An entire organization started and we worked tirelessly. The artist's plans were respected, except twice. A rock that was not adapted to Jefferson's face sculpture meant that it was placed on the left of Washington and not on the right as originally planned. Elsewhere, a rotten rock forced Roosevelt to push deeper.On July 4, 1934, we saw the face of the first president of the United States. In 1936, that of one of the drafters of the Constitution; in 1937 that of the guarantor of National Unity; and, in 1939, that of the first to assert the US on the international stage. That same year, Borglum went to the east looking for funds. He was his son, Lincoln, who then led the huge work. John Gutzon Borglum died from a embolism in March 1941. In October, Lincoln ended finishing work due to lack of funds.Despite the risks still present, security measures were such that in fourteen years of work there was no death or serious injury among the workers. The total cost of the work amounted to almost one million dollars. Since then, only exterior and host facilities have been changed. Every year, mountaineers check the status of the monument.ClimateJanuary and February are the coldest months, with beautiful snowfall. May and June are sweet, but the nights are still fresh. July and August are the hottest months of the year. November and December mark the beginning of winter, but still have sunny days.NatureOpen your eye and discover the riches hidden behind the colossal sculptures. The Black Hills are also known as "The Island in the Prairie ╩", a granitic hill island surrounded by a sea of meadows. In a single day, you can see several species of wild flowers (muftie, sunflower, violet), overflowed by many birds, red-headed Urubuses, white eagles, pigreens… Everyone's colors and singing.Mountain goat plays mountaineer on steep rocks. Do you know that it was introduced in South Dakota by accident? In 1924, six of them escaped from Custer State Park. They quickly adapted to their new environment and even colonized the entire memorial region. The yellow belly can be seen in summer along the Presidential Trail. We also salute tamia, mushroom, porcupine, raccoon, beaver, coyote, Canadian sheep and red lynx. In Grizzly Bear and Starling Basin, the two streams of the memorial, fish are watching the funds. At low altitudes, the region is covered with conifers while the flora becomes more scattered. Ponderosa pine commonly grows in the western United States. It dominates the landscape of the Black Hills with its red bark and its pleasant smell of caramel vanilla. Oak, spruce, poplars share its territory and some species of shrubs.