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Mount Rushmore

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           Mount Rushmore National Memorial
   IUCN Category V (Protected Landscape/Seascape)
   Mount Rushmore National Memorial
   Location:       South Dakota, USA
   Nearest city:   Keystone, SD
   Coordinates:    43°52′82″N, 103°27′50″W
   Area:           1,278.45 acres (5.17 km²)
   Established:    March 3, 1925
   Visitation:     2,031,517 (in 2004)
   Governing body: National Park Service

   Mount Rushmore National Memorial, near Keystone, South Dakota, is a
   United States Presidential Memorial that represents the first 150 years
   of the history of the United States of America with the 60-foot (18 m)
   sculptures of former U.S. Presidents George Washington, Thomas
   Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. The entire memorial
   covers 1,278 acres (5.17 km²), and is 5,725 feet (1,745 m) above sea
   level. It is managed by the National Park Service, a bureau of the
   United States Department of the Interior. The memorial attracts around
   2 million people annually.

   The mountain known to the Lakota Sioux as Six Grandfathers was renamed
   after Charles E. Rushmore, a prominent New York lawyer, in 1885. The
   project of carving Mount Rushmore originally started with the purpose
   of increasing tourism in the Black Hills region of South Dakota. After
   long negotiations involving a Congressional delegation and President
   Calvin Coolidge, the project received Congressional approval. The
   carving started in 1927 and ended in 1941, and although there were a
   few injuries, no deaths occurred.

History

   (left to right) Sculptures of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson,
   Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln to represent the first 150
   years of American history.
   Enlarge
   (left to right) Sculptures of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson,
   Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln to represent the first 150
   years of American history.
   The carving of Mount Rushmore involved the use of dynamite, followed by
   the process of "honeycombing".
   Enlarge
   The carving of Mount Rushmore involved the use of dynamite, followed by
   the process of "honeycombing".

   The geological formation of Mount Rushmore was known to the Lakota as
   Six Grandfathers and was part of the route that Lakota leader Black Elk
   took in a well-known spiritual journey that culminated at Harney Peak.
   Following a series of military campaigns in 1876-77, the United States
   asserted territorial control over the area, a claim that is still
   disputed on the basis of the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie (see
   Controversy below). Among white American settlers, the peak was known
   variously as Cougar Mountain, Sugarloaf Mountain, Slaughterhouse
   Mountain, and Keystone Cliffs. It was named Mount Rushmore during a
   prospecting expedition by Rushmore, David Swanzey and Bill Challis.

   Doane Robinson, a historian, conceived the idea for Mount Rushmore in
   1923 in order to attract greater tourism to South Dakota. In 1924,
   Robinson persuaded sculptor Gutzon Borglum to go to the Black Hills
   region to ensure that the carving could be accomplished. Borglum, a
   member of the Ku Klux Klan, was then involved in sculpting a massive
   bas-relief memorial to Confederate leaders on Stone Mountain in
   Georgia. The original plan was to do the carvings in the Needles,
   several granite pillars. However, Borglum realized that that plan could
   not be carried out because the Needles, worn down by erosion, were too
   thin to support sculpting. He chose Mount Rushmore, a grander spot,
   partly because it faced southeast and enjoyed maximum exposure to the
   sun. Borglum said upon seeing Mount Rushmore, "America will march along
   that skyline." Congress authorized the Mount Rushmore National Memorial
   Commission on March 3, 1925. President Coolidge insisted that along
   with Washington, two Republicans and one Democrat be portrayed.

   Between October 4, 1927 and October 31, 1941, Gutzon Borglum and 400
   workers sculpted the 60 foot (18 m) colossal carvings of Presidents
   George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham
   Lincoln to represent the first 150 years of American history. These
   presidents were selected by Borglum because of their role in preserving
   the Republic and expanding its territory.

   In 1933, the National Park Service took Mount Rushmore under its
   jurisdiction. Engineer Julian Spotts helped with the project by
   improving its infrastructure. For example, he had the tram upgraded
   such that it could reach the top of Mount Rushmore for the ease of
   workers. By July 4, 1934, Washington's face had been completed and was
   dedicated. The face of Thomas Jefferson was dedicated in 1936, and the
   face of Abraham Lincoln was dedicated on September 17, 1937. In 1937, a
   bill was introduced in Congress to add the head of civil rights leader
   Susan B. Anthony, but a rider was passed on an appropriations bill
   requiring that federal funds be used to finish only those heads that
   had already been started at that time. In 1939, the face of Theodore
   Roosevelt was dedicated.
   A model at the site depicting Mount Rushmore's intended final design
   Enlarge
   A model at the site depicting Mount Rushmore's intended final design

   The Sculptor's Studio was built in 1939 under the direction of Gutzon
   Borglum. Unique plaster models and tools related to the sculpting
   process are displayed there. Borglum died from an embolism in March of
   1941. His son, Lincoln Borglum, continued the project, but insufficient
   funding forced the carving to end. Originally, it was planned that the
   sculpture would be carved from head to waist. Borglum also planned a
   massive panel in the shape of the Louisiana Purchase commemorating in
   eight-foot-high gilded letters the Declaration of Independence, U.S.
   Constitution, Louisiana Purchase, and seven other territorial
   acquisitions from Alaska to Texas to the Panama Canal Zone.

   The entire project had cost $989,992.32. Notably for a project of such
   size, no workers died during the carving.

   On October 15, 1966, Mount Rushmore was listed on the National Register
   of Historic Places. An essay from Nebraska student William Andrew
   Burkett was placed on the Entablature on a bronze plate in 1973. It had
   been selected as the winner for the college-age group in 1934. In 1991,
   President George Bush officially dedicated Mount Rushmore.

   Ten years of redevelopment work culminated with the completion of
   extensive visitor facilities and sidewalks in 1998. These include a
   Visitor Centre, Museum, and the Presidential Trail. Maintenance of the
   memorial presents a unique challenge for conservators, often requiring
   mountain climbing to remove lichens and generally clean the memorial.
   On July 8, 2005, Kärcher GmbH, a German manufacturer of cleaning
   machines, conducted a cleanup operation of the faces by pressure
   washing for free. The washing used pressurized water that was 200
   degrees Fahrenheit (93 degrees Celsius).

Controversy

   Air Force One flying over Mt. Rushmore
   Enlarge
   Air Force One flying over Mt. Rushmore

   Mount Rushmore is controversial among Native Americans because the
   United States seized the area from the Lakota tribe after the Black
   Hills War in 1876–77. The Treaty of Fort Laramie (1868) had previously
   granted the Black Hills to the Lakota in perpetuity. The Lakota
   consider the hills to be sacred, although historians believe the Lakota
   also gained control of the hills by force, displacing the Cheyenne in
   1776. Members of the American Indian Movement led an occupation of the
   monument in 1971, naming it "Mount Crazy Horse." Among the participants
   were young activists, grandparents, children and Lakota holy man John
   Fire Lame Deer, who planted a prayer staff atop the mountain. Lame Deer
   said the staff formed a symbolic shroud over the presidents faces
   "which shall remain dirty until the treaties concerning the Black Hills
   are fulfilled."

   The Monument continues to be a subject of controversy among Native
   Americans, even after the appointment of Gerard Baker, the first Native
   American superintendent of the park in 2004. The Crazy Horse Memorial
   is being built elsewhere in the Black Hills to commemorate a famous
   Native American leader and as a response to Mount Rushmore. It is
   intended to be larger than Mount Rushmore and has the support of Lakota
   chiefs, though the monument is not being financed with federal funds
   for the most part.

Ecology

   The flora and fauna of Mount Rushmore are similar to those of the rest
   of the Black Hills region of South Dakota. The memorial serves as home
   to many animals and plants representative of the Black Hills. Several
   birds like the turkey vulture, bald eagle, hawk, and meadowlark fly
   around Mount Rushmore, occasionally making nesting spots in the ledges
   of the mountain. Smaller birds, including songbirds, nuthatches, and
   woodpeckers, inhabit the surrounding pine forests. Terrestrial mammals
   include the mouse, chipmunk, squirrel, skunk, porcupine, raccoon,
   beaver, badger, coyote, bighorn sheep and bobcat. In addition, several
   species of frogs and snakes inhabit the region. The two brooks in the
   memorial, the Grizzly Bear and Starling Basin brooks, support fish like
   the longnose dace and the brook trout. Some endemic animals are not
   indigenous to the area; the mountain goats are descended from goats
   which were a gift from Canada to Custer State Park in 1924 but later
   escaped.

   At lower elevations, coniferous trees, mainly the Ponderosa pine,
   surround most of the monument, providing much shade from the sun. Other
   trees include the bur oak, the Black Hills spruce, and the cottonwood.
   Nine species of shrubs live near Mount Rushmore. There is also a wide
   variety of wildflowers, including especially the snapdragon, sunflower,
   and violet. Towards higher elevations, plant life becomes sparser.
   However, only approximately 5% of the plant species found in the Black
   Hills are indigenous to the region.

   Though the area receives about 18 inches (460 mm) of precipitation on
   average per year, alone it is not enough to support the abundant animal
   and plant life. Trees and other plants help to control surface runoff.
   Dikes, seeps, and springs help to dam up water that is flowing
   downhill, providing watering spots for animals. In addition, stones
   like sandstone and [limestone] help to hold groundwater, creating
   aquifers.

   Forest fires occur in the Ponderosa forests surrounding Mount Rushmore
   around every 27 years. This was determined from fire scars in tree core
   samples. These help to clean forest debris located on the ground. Large
   conflagrations are rare, but have occurred in the past.

Geology

   Mt Rushmore, showing full size of mountain and the scree of debris from
   construction.
   Enlarge
   Mt Rushmore, showing full size of mountain and the scree of debris from
   construction.

   Mount Rushmore is largely composed of granite. The memorial is carved
   on the northwest margin of the Harney Peak granite batholith in the
   Black Hills of South Dakota, so the geologic formations of the heart of
   the Black Hills region are also evident at Mount Rushmore. The
   batholith magma intruded into the pre-existing mica schist rocks during
   the Precambrian period about 1.6 billion years ago. However, the uneven
   cooling of the molten rock caused the formation of both fine and
   coarse-grained minerals, including quartz, feldspar, muscovite, and
   biotite. Fractures in the granite were sealed by pegmatite dikes. The
   light colored streaks in the presidents' foreheads are due to these
   dikes.

   The Black Hills granites were exposed to erosion during the late
   Precambrian, but were buried by sandstones and other sediments during
   the Cambrian Period. The area remained buried throughout the Paleozoic
   Era, but was exposed again to erosion during the tectonic uplift about
   70 million years ago. The Black Hills area was uplifted as an elongated
   geologic dome which towered some 20,000 feet (6 km) above sea level,
   but erosion wore the area down to only 4,000 ft (1.2 km). The
   subsequent natural erosion of this mountain range allowed the carvings
   by stripping the granite of the overlying sediments and the softer
   adjacent schists. The contact between the granite and darker schist is
   viewable just below the sculpture of Washington.

   Borglum selected Mount Rushmore as the site of carving for several
   reasons. The rock of the mountain was composed of smooth, fine-grained
   granite. The granite was very resistant, eroding only 1 inch (2.5 cm)
   every 10,000 years, indicating that it was sturdy enough to support
   sculpting. In addition, it was the tallest mountain in the surrounding
   terrain, looming to a height of 5,725 feet (1,745 m) above sea level.
   Because the mountain faces the southeast, the workers also had the
   advantage of having the sunlight for most of the day.

Tourism

   The entrance to the site
   Enlarge
   The entrance to the site

   Tourism is South Dakota's second-largest industry. Mount Rushmore is
   the number one tourist attraction of South Dakota. In 2004, over 2
   million visitors traveled to the memorial.

   The Lincoln Borglum Museum is located in the memorial. It features two
   125-seat theaters that show a 13-minute movie about Mount Rushmore. One
   of the best viewpoints is located at Grandview Terrace, above the
   Lincoln Borglum Museum. The Presidential Trail, a walking trail and
   boardwalk, starts at Grandview Terrace and winds through the Ponderosa
   pine forests to the Sculptor's Studio, providing close-up views of the
   memorial. The Sculptor's studio was built by Gutzon Borglum, and
   features discussion about the construction of the monument as well as
   the tools used. The amphitheater also has a 30-minute program at dusk
   that describes the construction of the memorial. Following that, the
   mountain is illuminated for two hours.

Appearances in popular culture

   Mount Rushmore as depicted on the South Dakota state quarter
   Enlarge
   Mount Rushmore as depicted on the South Dakota state quarter

   Because Mount Rushmore has large carved faces, appearances of Mount
   Rushmore in the media often include a replacement of one or more of the
   four presidents' faces with other people or characters. In Naruto,
   there is a mountain in Konoha with the faces of the Hokages on them. In
   Superman II, General Zod and his criminal partners use their
   superpowers to replace three of the carvings with their own faces and
   wipe out the fourth. Similarly, in Mars Attacks!, the Martians in a UFO
   carve their faces into Mount Rushmore, replacing the Presidents' heads.
   Deep Purple's album, In Rock, has the cover inspired by Mount Rushmore:
   it depicts the five members' faces instead of the four presidents. The
   Chipmunks' album, Chipmunk Rock, has the cover inspired by Mount
   Rushmore: it depicts the faces of James Young of Styx, Joey Ramone,
   Alvin Chipmunk and Frank Zappa instead of the four presidents. In the
   Red Dwarf novel Better Than Life, Dave Lister finds Mount Rushmore
   half-buried underneath garbage, which causes him to realize he is back
   on Earth. The mountain has had a fifth face carved into it, that of
   fictional president Elaine Salinger.

   Because the mountain is an important historical landmark, it is often
   used as a base for various action-themed movies and books. Mount
   Rushmore is featured in Team America: World Police as the Team America
   headquarters, where it was destroyed by Michael Moore's suicide bomb.
   In Wildstorm Comics, the alien superhero Mr. Majestic has his secret
   base inside Mount Rushmore. In DC Universe, the All Purpose Enforcement
   Squad has its secret base in Mount Rushmore.

   The memorial was famously used as the location of the final chase scene
   in Alfred Hitchcock's movie North by Northwest. However, it was not
   actually filmed at the monument, since permission to shoot an attempted
   killing on the face of a national monument was refused by the Park
   Service. Closeups were shot on a set. In the Family Guy episode " North
   by North Quahog", Peter and Lois are chased down the monument by Mel
   Gibson after stealing a copy of his new movie, "Passion Of The Christ
   2: Crucify This" in a spoof of the chase scene from North by Northwest.
   Peter refers to one of the faces as "President Rushmore".

   In The Simpsons episode #8F01 (" Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington"), during
   a shady meeting with a Congressman, a wealthy lobbyist states: "We want
   to drill for oil in Teddy Roosevelt's head." The Congressman is
   initially reluctant, but after the lobbyist opens a suitcase full of
   money the Congressman immediately replies: "Teddy who?"

   In the television movie 10.5: Apocalypse, Mount Rushmore is destroyed
   by an earthquake In Category 7: The End of the World, the head of
   George Washington is cut off from the mountain by weather problems.

   In the movie of Richie Rich The Rich family vault is held inside "Mount
   Richmore", a large mountain with the three family members' faces carved
   into the side.

   In the computer adventure game Sam & Max Hit the Road, the characters
   Sam & Max visit Mt. Rushmore after reading brochures given to them by
   Evelyn Morrison at Jungle Fever.

   Mt.Rushmore is one of the national wonders buildable in the
   run-the-state strategy computer game Civilization IV. This wonder is
   available after the discovery of Fascism and the main ingame effect is
   to reduce war weariness.

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Rushmore"
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   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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