Mount Rushmore – A Sight to Behold
By Tammy Scarbrough
1 Have you ever been to Mount Rushmore? If you have, maybe you know how much work it took to sculpt this huge structure.
2 A long time ago, back in 1923, the superintendent of the State Historical Society, Doane Robinson, wanted to do something that would make people want to come visit his state of South Dakota. He thought that a mountain carved into local heroes would be just the thing to do. Many people thought it would be a good way for the state to make "tourist" money, while many others thought it was a bad idea. It seemed that Mr. Robinson was not going to get his wish, but then he thought of getting the help of one of the state's senators—Peter Norbeck.
3 Senator Norbeck encouraged Mr. Robinson to find a good sculptor that he thought could do the job well. Robinson thought of Gutzon Borglum. Borglum was already a pretty well-known artist and had a good reputation for his work. However, he did not want to carve just local heroes. He wanted to make something that would be meaningful for everyone in the country. This is when he decided to sculpt the heads of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt – our former presidents.
1 Have you ever been to Mount Rushmore? If you have, maybe you know how much work it took to sculpt this huge structure.