In the Northwest of the USA is the state of South Dakota with its capital Pierre. The largest city is Sioux Falls in southeastern South Dakota. The 199,731 km ² large state is home to the most Indian reservations and Native Americans in America. The Lakota and Dakota Indians of the Sioux Indians, who gave the state its name, are particularly well known here. The prairie state of South Dakota is nicknamed ” The Mount Rushmore State “.
South Dakota is bordered by North Dakota to the north, Minnesota and Iowa to the east, Nebraska to the south, and Wyoming and Montana to the west. South Dakota is divided into West and East by the Missouri River. To the west are the famous Black Hills mountain range and to the east is the landscape of the Badlands.
On November 2, 1889, South Dakota was designated as the 40th state.
South Dakota’s top attractions are Mount Rushmore National Memorial with the heads of the American Presidents, Wind Cave National Park and Badlands National Park.
National Parks in South Dakota
Badlands National Park
Wind Cave National Park
Cities and places of interest in South Dakota
Pierre
Aberdeen
Brookings
Custer
Deadwood
Mitchell
Rapid City
Sioux Falls
Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota
Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a landmark set in the Black Hills mountain range of western South Dakota, United States. Approximately 25 miles southwest of the city of Rapid City.
The Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a memorial to the most important US Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. Each head of the four US Presidents is immortalized in stone as a portrait in the mountain range and is 18 meters high.
Mount Rushmore was named in 1885 after a New York attorney named Charles E. Rushmore.
From left to right, the Presidents at Mount Rushmore who made significant contributions to democracy in the United States are George Washington (1st US President), Thomas Jefferson (3rd US President), Theodore Roosevelt (26th US President ) and Abraham Lincoln (16th) US President depicted in stone.
The tall portraits were created by the American sculptor John Gutzon de la Mothe Borglum. The idea for the Mount Rushmore National Memorial came from the historian Doane Robinson, he wanted to carve great figures of the American West in the Black Hills of South Dakota to make South Dakota more attractive to tourists. But the sculptor John Borglum persuaded him to immortalize the then most important presidents of the USA.
Work on Mount Rushmore began on August 10, 1927 with an address by then-President Calvin Coolidge.
It was blasted, hewn and chiselled. Work on Mount Rushmore National Memorial lasted until 1941. 400 workers and helpers were involved in the major project. Shortly before the artwork was completed, Borglum died. His son Lincoln Borglum completed the work. The total cost of the Mount Rushmore attraction was $989,993.32.
In 1930 the portrait of George Washingtons and in 1936 the portrait of Thomas Jeffersons was begun. In 1937 they started with the head of Abraham Lincoln and in 1939 they tackled the portrait of Theodore Roosevelt. On March 3, 1925, before construction began, Mount Rushmore was declared a National Memorial.
In front of the attraction there are plaques with excerpts from the speeches of the presidents.
The monument is located near Keystone, South Dakota. From the parking lots below the Mount Rushmore Monument, you can access the Grandview Terrace lookout via the Avenue of the Flags. The flags of all 50 states and 6 territories of the USA fly on the Avenue of the Flags
Today, Mount Rushmore is visited by millions of visitors each year and stands as a symbol of America and this great nation.
Mount Rushmore Monument and its associated museum are administered by the National Park Service.
To preserve the sculptures, the faces of the presidents are inspected once a year, just before winter, and cracks are sealed against moisture. It will use a silicone sealant to prevent the ingress of ice and snow which would damage the sculptures.
Mount Rushmore National Monument is also known as the Shrine of Democracy. The Lakota Indians, on the other hand, see the monument more as a desecration of their sacred mountain.
We recommend the Walk of the Presidential Trail, a path that takes visitors closer to the monument. You can also get a better look at the basic geological formation of granite and mica schist of the Black Hills.
The Mount Rushmore Monument is the setting for various feature films.
Lincoln Borglum Tourist Center at Mount Rushmore National Memorial
The Visitor Center houses an impressive collection of Mount Rushmore facts and artifacts. A lot of important information about the history of the four presidents is presented. Simulations and a feature film show the visitor how the portraits of the presidents were created in the stone.
The park is open every day and all year round except Christmas.
Seasonal Hours
Mid-May – Mid-August 8am – 10pm
Mid-August – Late-Sept 8am – 9pm
Early October – Mid-May 8am – 5pm
There are no entry fees, just a parking fee for cars, motorcycles, and RVs.
Address of attraction Mount Rushmore National Memorial
Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota
13000 Highway 244,
Building 31, Suite 1
Keystone, SD 57751
www.nps.gov/moru/
