The Evolution of Mt. Rushmore
Mt. Rushmore is one of America’s most beloved landmarks. Every year, millions of people flock to South Dakota to see the faces of presidents Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Roosevelt carved into the side of a mountain. But did you know that Mt. Rushmore wasn’t always how we know it today? In fact, the monument has undergone quite a few changes since its inception. Let’s take a look at the evolution of Mt. Rushmore.
The original plan for Mt. Rushmore called for three presidents to be carved into the mountain: Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln. However, after the completion of Washington’s head in 1934, it was decided that another president should be added to the monument. Roosevelt was chosen as the fourth president to be featured on Mt. Rushmore, and his face was completed in 1939.
Gutzon Borglum was originally intended for Mt. Rushmore and to be colorized. He had workers apply a type of paint made from linseed oil and iron oxide onto the faces of the presidents in an attempt to give them a more lifelike appearance. However, this paint began to fade and flake off soon after it was applied, leading Borglum to abandon his plans for colorization.
They also wanted to depict the presidents from head to waist. However, after sculptor Gutzon Borglum began working on the monument, he realized that the scale was too small to accurately capture all of the detail he wanted to include. As a result, he modified his plans and decided to depict each President from head to shoulders instead. This change increased the height of the monument by nearly 50%.
When Borglum died in 1941, work on Mt. Rushmore came to a halt. It remained unfinished until 1958 when his son took over and completed the project according to his father’s original plans.
In addition to changing the number of presidents featured on the mountain, several other changes have been made to Mt. Rushmore over the years. For example, the original intention was to carve the presidents’ faces from head to waist. However, due to budget constraints, only the heads were completed. In addition, the original plans called for each President to be shown in a different pose; however, this, too, was changed due to budget limitations. As a result, all four presidents are shown in profile view.
Despite these changes, Mt. Rushmore remains one of America’s most iconic landmarks. And while some may argue that our founding fathers would not be proud of the changes that have been made to their monument over the years, I like to think that they would be happy knowing that their likenesses continue to bring joy and inspiration to millions of people around the world.
Mt.Rushmore is one of America’s most historic landmarks with a complex past. It has changed drastically since its origin. Our current presidents do not hold a candle to these great Americans on the mountain. Hopefully, one day we will get a president that is Mt Rushmore worthly.