Travel Tips & Adventures

By Guest Author Peggy Bradshaw

Upon first seeing Mt. Rushmore, the first thing that goes through your mind is the enormity of it. The second thing is “Wow! How did they do that!”Located in the Black Hills of South Dakota, Mt. Rushmore is carved from granite and is sixty feet tall. The American Presidents depicted on the side of the mountain are George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.

George Washington detail from Mount Rushmore - Photo by George Bradshaw

Gutzon Borglum guided 400 workers in the construction of the carving for fourteen years – from 1927 to 1941. The entire memorial covers 1,278.45 acres and cost almost $1 million. A tourist magnet for South Dakota, two million people visit the memorial annually.

What to see once you’re there

Mt. Rushmore is reached by following a picturesque highway through wooded mountains where there are many pull-outs for photo opportunities. The carvings can be seen from several different sites and angles throughout the area. When we reached the memorial, there was ample parking and even an area for RVs and tour buses. Parking was just a short walk to the visitor’s center with its gift shop and restaurant.

The Avenue of the Flags, lined with all of the flags of the states of the union, is located beyond the buildings. We walked to the end of the pedestrian walkway on the Avenue and found an amphitheater used for special presentations and ceremonies. Also found at the end of the Avenue of the Flags is the start of the Presidential Trail, which takes you up the grand staircase built by Borglum and brings you closer to the carvings.

There is a cave built at the rear of the carvings that is called “The Hall of Records,”  which was to contain carved replicas of the Declaration of Independence and other patriotic documents.  But, work was halted in 1939. This cave played important roles in movies that were filmed at the memorial. Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint were chased throughout the memorial and carvings in Alfred Hitchcock’s “North by Northwest.”  Nicholas Cage searched for the cave and the documents in “National Treasure – The Book of Secrets.” The movie, “Team America,” was a satire of the World Police whose headquarters were located in caves and tunnels within Mt. Rushmore and the heads of the presidents.

The memorial is a very beautiful place and well worth the walk to view. Wear your walking shoes!

http://www.nps.gov/moru/

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Tags: Historic, Monuments, Scenery, Travel, US Domestic Travel

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 12th, 2009 at 6:00 am and is filed under Family Fun, Historic, National Park, Scenery, Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.