Samuel Chiltern answered
Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, USA, has the faces of four US presidents carved into its south-east surface.
The Mount Rushmore National Memorial was created to symbolise the key roles played by four men in American politics:
The mountain was originally known to the native Lakota Sioux as 'Six Grandfathers', before being renamed by a prospecting expedition led by Charles Rushmore in 1885.
The creation of the sculpture began in 1927, and construction ended in 1941 - before the original design, which included full head-to-waist depictions of each president could be completed.
The sculptor who led the project, Gutzon Borglum, died in 1941, just seven months before the project was finally declared complete. The completion work was carried out by his son, Lincoln.
Although the project took 14 years to finish, most of this time was spent waiting for bad weather to pass, or struggling with funding problems. The total cost of the project was $900,000.
The Lakota Sioux were dismayed by the construction of the memorial, because they were adamant that the land was theirs, as set out in the Treaty of Fort Laramie. However, the land was subsequently seized by the US government.
The American Indian Movement occupied the land in 1971, renaming it 'Mount Crazy Horse', after the renowned Lakota leader, who fought the US government in the 19th century over its incursions into Lakota land. The Crazy Horse Memorial is now being created to recognise his work.
The Mount Rushmore National Memorial was created to symbolise the key roles played by four men in American politics:
- George Washington, representing America's struggle for independence
- Thomas Jefferson, commemorated for his role in promoting the idea of government by the people
- Abraham Lincoln, in recognition of his ideas about equality and the union of the states
- Theodore Rooselvelt, representing his leading role in US and world affairs at the start of the 20th century
The mountain was originally known to the native Lakota Sioux as 'Six Grandfathers', before being renamed by a prospecting expedition led by Charles Rushmore in 1885.
The creation of the sculpture began in 1927, and construction ended in 1941 - before the original design, which included full head-to-waist depictions of each president could be completed.
The sculptor who led the project, Gutzon Borglum, died in 1941, just seven months before the project was finally declared complete. The completion work was carried out by his son, Lincoln.
Although the project took 14 years to finish, most of this time was spent waiting for bad weather to pass, or struggling with funding problems. The total cost of the project was $900,000.
The Lakota Sioux were dismayed by the construction of the memorial, because they were adamant that the land was theirs, as set out in the Treaty of Fort Laramie. However, the land was subsequently seized by the US government.
The American Indian Movement occupied the land in 1971, renaming it 'Mount Crazy Horse', after the renowned Lakota leader, who fought the US government in the 19th century over its incursions into Lakota land. The Crazy Horse Memorial is now being created to recognise his work.
