Location Details
Mount Rushmore is located near Keystone, in the Southern Black Hills. The order in which the carvings were created is Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and then Lincoln. Each head of the four presidents is sixty feet high, which were all dedicated and finished at a distinct time. Mount Rushmore is one of the most popular tourist attractions with about 2 million visitors each year.
History
Originally, Doane Robinson had planned for the area where Mount Rushmore is to be the location for a part of a carving called the "Needles." Doane Robinson hired Gutzon Borglum to be the sculptor for Mount Rushmore. To start, 400 workers removed a total of 450,000 ton of rock from the mountain to start the carving of the four heads. In the process of carving Mount Rushmore, a lack of funding created a problem. Their solution was to begin fundraising to raise more money. The actual work time for Mount Rushmore was 6 years, but it resulted being 14 year for it to be done due to lack of funding. The total cost to carve the four heads was $989,992.32. Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor, died in 1941 before Mount Rushmore was completed. Therefore, his son, Lincoln Borglum, finished the carving for him.
Recent News
The Mount Rushmore Memorial had achieved being a Climate Friendly Park on April 16, 2016. On August 20-26, 2016, there was a 100th Anniversary Celebration for Mount Rushmore. The evening light show has now been changed to 8:00 p.m. to start the show earlier. On September 12-16, 2016 the Mount Rushmore National Preservation team was on the mountain.
Things to do
Near Mount Rushmore, there are many things that you can do that are near Mount Rushmore. The top left picture shows the Mount Rushmore Cave. Inside the cave, there is a Gem mining area where you can sift through dirt and sand to find any type of arrowheads, gemstones, and fossils. Along with the Rushmore Cave, is the Soaring Eagle Zip-line (top right) is one of the most famous tourist attractions that is closest to Mount Rushmore. In the bottom left corner is the President's Alpine Slide and Rushmore Tramway. First, you would ride the Rushmore Tramway up the Hill and then when you reach the top, jump off and then you receive your toboggan to control your speed as you go down the slide. The last tourist attraction I have is the Corn Palace, which is located in Mitchell, South Dakota and has many activities for everybody to do.
Badlands
The Badlands consist of a 244,000 acres of eroded rock. Although it took a long time for the smooth rock of the badlands to become eroded and rough. Indians have always seen the Badlands as a hunting are for at least 11,000 years. The Badlands is home to bison, bighorn sheep, ferrets, and prairie dogs. There is also a massive network of prairie tunnels. It also has beautiful night skies along with many different types of fossils.
Custer state Park
Another tourist attraction that you can visit is Custer State Park. When you take your drive through Custer State Park, you will more than likely see buffalo come up near your car as you are driving. Along the path, you may also see donkeys roaming about. After a while, you can also bike, walk, or go horseback riding along the trails of Custer State Park. When going along the trails, you might see some amazing views at the campgrounds.
Credits:
Created with images by skeeze - "mount rushmore monument landmark"