The monument commemorates four past presidents; three that are considered founders of the nation and one believed to be responsible for the western expansion of the country.
George Washington,
Thomas Jefferson,
Abraham Lincoln, and
Theodore Roosevelt
The artist, Gutzon Borglum, chose the site because of the broad granite face of the mountain and its south easterly facing direction.
He knew that the site would receive sunlight for most of the day.
The day that we visited, there were thunder clouds passing through, as seen in this picture, but they soon moved on to the east.
In the early 1920's Mr. Borglum started planning the monument.
Congress approved the $836,000 funding in 1927. The total cost is estimated to have been around a million dollars and was completed during "The Great Depression."
Washington's head was dedicated in 1930. Jefferson's head was dedicated in 1936, Lincoln's head followed in 1937, and Roosevelt's head was dedicated in 1939.
Originally, Mr. Borglum wanted to include a national archive & library which he called the "Hall of Records" below and to the right of the monument.
It is estimated that at more than a million visitors flock to the memorial every summer.
It is awe inspiring and breath taking. One cannot appreciate the enormity of the project unless actually looking up at these huge statues.
No comments:
Post a Comment