Symbolizing the ideals of freedom and democracy, it is a tribute to four presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln and their invaluable contributions to the United States. Mount Rushmore National Memorial represents not only the past, but also a promise for the future. It is a place surrounded by American history, where the names of Gutzon Borglum and Crazy Horse are still heard; where the buffalo once again run free in Custer State Park and the vision of the Keystone miners still cast a dim shadow on long deserted claims. Whether a lifelong destination or a stop on your vacation itinerary, your visit to Mount Rushmore will be one you will tuck in your memory book forever. We are a proud member of the Xanterra Travel Collection. Show About Xanterra Travel CollectionMount Rushmore National Memorial is part of the Xanterra Travel Collection, which delivers once-in-a-lifetime experiences to the most beautiful places on earth®. Whether you yearn for a luxury sea adventure, a biking or walking vacation in breathtaking destinations, a ride in a fully restored historic train, or unrivaled access to our majestic national parks, the Xanterra Travel Collection’s family of companies will bring your bucket list to life. 
Carved into the southeastern face of Mount Rushmore in South Dakota’s Black Hills National Forest are four gigantic sculptures depicting the faces of U.S. Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. The 60-foot high faces were shaped from the granite rock face between 1927 and 1941, and represent one of the world’s largest pieces of sculpture, as well as one of America’s most popular tourist attractions. To many Native Americans, however, Mount Rushmore represents a desecration of lands considered sacred by the Lakota Sioux, the original residents of the Black Hills region who were displaced by white settlers and gold miners in the late 19th century. The Loss of a Sacred LandIn the Treaty of Fort Laramie, signed in 1868 by Sioux tribes and General William T. Sherman, the U.S. government promised the Sioux “undisturbed use and occupation” of territory including the Black Hills, in what is now South Dakota. But the discovery of gold in the region soon led U.S. prospectors to flock there en masse, and the U.S. government began forcing the Sioux to relinquish their claims on the Black Hills. Warriors like Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse led a concerted Sioux resistance (including the latter’s famous defeat of Gen. George Armstrong Custer in the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876), which federal troops eventually crushed in a brutal massacre at Wounded Knee in 1890. Ever since then, Sioux activists have protested the U.S. confiscation of their ancestral lands and demanded their return. The Black Hills (or Paha Sapa in Lakota) are particularly important to them, as the region is central to many Sioux religious traditions. The Birth of Mount RushmoreMount Rushmore, located just north of what is now Custer State Park in theBlack Hills National Forest, was named for the New York lawyer Charles E. Rushmore, who traveled to the Black Hills in 1885 to inspect mining claims in the region. When Rushmore asked a local man the name of a nearby mountain, he reportedly replied that it never had a name before, but from now on would be known as Rushmore Peak (later Rushmore Mountain or Mount Rushmore). Did you know? A bill introduced in Congress in 1937 proposed that a carving of Susan B. Anthony's head be included among the luminaries at Mount Rushmore but fell through due to a rider on the existing appropriations bill mandating that federal funds be spent only on those carvings already begun. Seeking to attract tourism to the Black Hills in the early 1920s, South Dakota’s state historian Doane Robinson came up with the idea to sculpt “the Needles” (several giant natural granite pillars) into the shape of historic heroes of the West. He suggested Red Cloud, the Sioux chief who signed the Fort Laramie treaty, as a potential subject. In August 1924, after the original sculptor he contacted was unavailable, Robinson contacted Gutzon Borglum, an American sculptor of Danish descent who was then working on carving an image of the Confederate General Robert E. Lee into the face of Georgia’s Stone Mountain. Robinson had a history of disputes with those who commissioned the Lee project, and they fired Borglum, who left the sculpture unfinished. During his work at Stone Mountain, Borglum associated with members of the newly revived Ku Klux Klan, although it’s unclear whether he actually joined the white supremacist group. Borglum convinced Robinson that the sculpture in South Dakota should depict George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, as that would give it national, and not just local, significance. He would later add Thomas Jefferson and Theodore Roosevelt to the list, in recognition of their contributions to the birth of democracy and the growth of the United States. During a second visit to the Black Hills in August 1925, Borglum identified Mount Rushmore as the desired site of the sculpture. Local Native Americans and environmentalists voiced their opposition to the project, deeming it a desecration of Sioux heritage as well as the natural landscape. But Robinson worked tirelessly to raise funding for the sculpture, aided by Rapid City Mayor John Boland and Senator Peter Norbeck, among others. After President Calvin Coolidge traveled to the Black Hills for his summer vacation, the sculptor convinced the president to deliver an official dedication speech at Mount Rushmore on August 10, 1927; carving began that October. In 1929, during the last days of his presidency, Coolidge signed legislation appropriating $250,000 in federal funds for the Rushmore project and creating the Mount Rushmore National Memorial Commission to oversee its completion. Boland was made the president of the commission’s executive committee, though Robinson (to his immense disappointment) was excluded. To carve the four presidential heads into the face of Mount Rushmore, Borglum utilized new methods involving dynamite and pneumatic hammers to blast through a large amount of rock quickly, in addition to the more traditional tools of drills and chisels. Some 400 workers removed around 450,000 tons of rock from Mount Rushmore, which still remains in a heap near the base of the mountain. Though it was arduous and dangerous work, no lives were lost during the completion of the carved heads. Mount Rushmore DepictionsOn July 4, 1930, a dedication ceremony was held for the head of Washington. After workers found the stone in the original site to be too weak, they moved Jefferson’s head from the right of Washington’s to the left; the head was dedicated in August 1936, in a ceremony attended by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. In September 1937, Lincoln’s head was dedicated, while the fourth and final head–that of FDR’s fifth cousin, Theodore Roosevelt–was dedicated in July 1939. Gutzon Borglum died in March 1941, and it was left to his son Lincoln to complete the final details of Mount Rushmore in time for its dedication ceremony on October 31 of that year. Mount Rushmore National Memorial, sometimes called the “Shrine of Democracy,” has become one of the most iconic images of America and an international tourist attraction. In 1959, it gained even more attention as the site of a climactic chase scene in Alfred Hitchcock’s film “North by Northwest.” (In fact, South Dakota did not allow filming on Mount Rushmore itself, and Hitchcock had a large-scale model of the mountain built in a Hollywood studio.) In 1991, Mount Rushmore celebrated its 50th anniversary after undergoing a $40 million restoration project. The National Park Service, which maintains Mount Rushmore, records upwards of 2 million visitors every year. Meanwhile, many Sioux activists have called for the monument to be taken down, even as they continue to protest what they view as illegal U.S. possession of their ancestral lands. Sources:Native Americans and Mount Rushmore, PBS. Matthew Shaer, “The Sordid History of Mount Rushmore.” Smithsonian Magazine, October 2016. Lisa Kaczke and Jonathan Ellis, “Oglala Sioux President says Mount Rushmore should be 'removed': What's behind the site's controversial history.” Sioux Falls Argus Leader, June 25, 2020 How Accessible is Mount Rushmore to Airports? Rapid City Regional Airport — located 30 miles from Mount Rushmore National Memorial — is the closest hub to South Dakota’s most famous park. Allegiant, American Airlines, Delta, United, and Boutique Air all fly into and out of the airport. What is the Driving Distance to Nearby U.S. Cities from Mount Rushmore? Mount Rushmore is in some very remote country, far from major cities like Minneapolis (596 miles away) and Denver (367 miles away). Larger cities in the region include Casper, Wyoming (232 miles away), Rapid City and Sioux Falls (23 and 369 miles away, respectively) and Bismarck, North Dakota (321 miles away). What is the Best Time of Year to Visit Mount Rushmore? June, July and August are the most popular times to visit Mount Rushmore National Memorial. September and October, when the weather tends to be a little cooler and drier, are great months for visiting. What are the Busiest Times of Week to Visit Mount Rushmore? One of the most popular attractions in the U.S., Mount Rushmore has visitors all year long – but it’s especially popular in summer, when many families visit. June, July and August are the busiest months, while May, September and October are also popular months to visit. Most days, the monument experiences its highest traffic volume around noon, and weekends are a popular time to visit. To avoid crowds, plan your visit before 9 a.m. or after 3:30 p.m. The monument is open from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. What is the Climate, Geographic Information and History of Mount Rushmore? Mount Rushmore’s summer temperatures can reach as high as 100 degrees, and winter high temps can sometimes only reach 20. Geographically, the granite that the famous sculpture is composed of is part of a rock formation that is among the oldest in the western United States. The setting of Mount Rushmore —the Black Hills — is high country, at 5,725 feet above sea level. As for Mount Rushmore’s background, it was an effort of fundraising and engineering that lasted for years, reaching completion in late 1941 just days before the U.S. entered World War II. THESE GUYS HAVEN'T EVEN BLINKED SINCE 1941, THE MEMORIAL WILL BE WAITING FOR WHEN WE'RE ALL READY |
Who is on mt rushmore
Postagens relacionadas
direito autoral © 2024 aprendervalor Inc.
