Where Is Mount Rushmore?
Mount Rushmore is located near Keystone, South Dakota in the United States. The mountain is famous because of the Mount Rushmore National Memorial, which houses the sculptures of the heads of four former presidents of the United States: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.
The mountain belonged to the Native Americans but the United States seized the land from the natives in 1876-77, betraying the treaty of Fort Laramie which had assured the land to the natives. Turkey vulture, hawk, bald eagle, woodpeckers, nuthatches and meadowlark are common birds of the area. The mouse, chipmunk, raccoon, beaver, and coyote are some of the animals inhabiting the region. The area receives only 460 mm of rainfall every year but still five percent of the plant species found in the region are indigenous to the region.
The four carved faces were sculptured by Gutzon Borglum with the help of four hundred workers between 4 October, 1927 and 31 October, 1941. The monument, the official interpretation says, represents the first 150 years of American history. The main artist himself chose the presidents. The initial plan was to carve figures from head to waist but it couldn’t be realized because of funding problems. The project cost the public around $100,000 and on 15 October, 1966 the monument was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in the United States. About two million people come to see the monument every year.
Category: Geography