Mount Rushmore

	October 4, 1927 - October 31, 1941 Mount Rushmore is a project of colossal proportion, colossal ambition and colossal achievement. It involved the efforts of nearly 400 men and women. The duties involved varied greatly from the call boy to drillers to the blacksmith to the housekeepers. Some of the workers at Mount Rushmore were interviewed, and were asked, "What is it you do here?" One of the workers responded and said, "I run a jackhammer." Another worker responded to the same question, "I earn $8.00 a day." However, a third worker said, "I am helping to create a Memorial." The third worker had an idea of what they were trying to accomplish. The workers had to endure conditions that varied from blazing hot to bitter cold and windy. Each day they climbed 700 stairs to the top of the mountain to punch-in on the time clock. Then 3/8 inch thick steel cables lowered them over the front of the 500 foot face of the mountain in a "bosun chair". Some of the workers admitted being uneasy with heights, but during the Depression, any job was a good job. The work was exciting, but dangerous, 90% of the mountain was carved using dynamite. The powdermen would cut and set charges of dynamite of specific sizes to remove precise amounts of rock. Before the dynamite charges could be set off, the workers would have to be cleared from the mountain. Workers in the winch house on top of the mountain would hand crank the winches to raise and lower the drillers. If they went too fast, the drillers in their bosun chairs would be dragged up on their faces. To keep this from happening, young men and boys were hired as call boys. Call boys sat at the edge of the mountain and shout messages back and forth assuring safety. During the 14 years of construction not one fatality occurred. Dynamite was used until only three to six inches of rock was left to remove to get to the final carving surface. At this point, the drillers and assistant carvers would drill holes into the granite very close together. This was called honeycombing. The closely drilled holes would weaken the granite so it could be removed often by hand.       Visitors would become very interested in the honeycomb granite and would ask, "How can I get a piece of rock like that?" The hoist operator would respond, "Oh, I can't give that away. I'm holding onto it for a buddy of mine that works up on the mountain." The visitor would respond, "I'll pay, I'll give you $2.00 for it." The hoist operator's reply was, "Nope, nope, I'd really catch if I gave away my buddies piece of granite." Well the visitors were very determined to get a piece of that granite. They would make another offer. "I'll give you $6.00 for that piece of honeycomb granite. Well, the hoist operator would pretend to pause and think about it... then he would say, "Alright for $6.00 I'm willing to take the heat." The hoist operator would give the visitors the piece of Honeycomb granite and take their $6.00. The visitor would leave very pleased with their rare and hard won souvenir. The hoist operator would wait until he was sure the visitors were gone, then he would get on the phone going to the top of the mountain and he would say, "Boys send down another one!" Another piece of honeycomb granite was sent down, ready for the next visitor looking for a special souvenir from Mount Rushmore. After the honeycombing, the workers smoothed the surface of the faces with a hand facer or bumper tool. In this final step, the bumper tool would even up the granite, creating a surface as smooth as a sidewalk.   From 1927 to 1941 the 400 workers at Mount Rushmore were doing more than operating a jackhammer, they were doing more than earning $8.00 a day, they were building a Memorial that people from across the nation and around the world would come to see for generations.   Mount Rushmore National Memorial is host to almost three million visitors a year from across the country and around the world. They come to marvel at the majestic beauty of the Black Hills of South Dakota and to learn about the birth, growth, development and the preservation of our country. Over the decades, Mount Rushmore has grown in fame as a symbol of America-a symbol of freedom and a hope for people from all cultures and backgrounds.
Did You Know? Blue Flax is one of the most common flowers found at Mount Rushmore in late spring and early summer? Native Americans added seeds from this plant to their food for added flavor.

Doane Robinson 1856-1946 Doane Robinson is known as the “Father of Mount Rushmore.” It was his idea for colossal carvings in the Black Hills. He wanted to create an attraction that would draw people from all over the country to his state. In August of 1924 he contacted Gutzon Borglum who was working at Stone Mountain, GA on the face of Robert E. Lee. In his letter Robinson invited Borglum to visit South Dakota and talk over the possibility of carving a mountain. Borglum took Robinson up on his offer and met with him during September of 1924 and again in August of 1925. During this second trip Borglum found Mount Rushmore. From that point on Robinson worked diligently to secure funding for the project. Doane Robinson’s idea was a success. John Boland 1884-1958 John Boland became interested in the Mount Rushmore project through Doane Robinson in 1925. He was very active in raising funds. It was Mr. Boland that kept the Rushmore project from running up bills it could not pay. Trustworthy and hard working he was the one that had to handle the unpaid creditors until the treasury was replenished. William Williamson 1875-1972 Congressman William Williamson was the driving force in getting money appropriated from Congress for the construction of the memorial. He was the one who convinced President Coolidge to come visit the Black Hills for a summer vacation in 1927. He also served as a member of the Mount Harney Memorial Society in 1925 until the Mount Rushmore National Memorial Society was created by legislation in 1929. He served as secretary, vice-president, and president of the Society. Peter Norbeck 1870-1936 Senator Peter Norbeck was a champion of Mount Rushmore and all of South Dakota. He was a political leader with a vision for the future of South Dakota. A tireless campaigner for Mount Rushmore, Norbeck orchestrated the political and legislative means to provide federal support in times when funding was difficult to obtain. Charles E. Rushmore, the mountain bears his name. Did You Know? There were approximately 400 workers that worked at Mount Rushmore during the carving process from October 1927 to October 1941. Also throughout this extremely dangerous work there were no lives lost.   more...Did You Know? A committee of Rapid City Women's Club headed by Mrs. C.C. Warren and Mrs. Gutzon Borglum created thе 39ft by 67ft flag for the dedication of the Washington figure on July 4, 1930. This flag was later used by Gutzon Borglum to dedicate each of the other presidents. Did You Know? Did you know that the figure of Thomas Jefferson was started on Washington's right? After 18 months of carving the figure of Jefferson had to be dynamited off the mountain and restarted on the left of Washington. more...  

WHY THESE FOUR PRESIDENTS? George Washington, (1st president) led the early colonists in the American Revolutionary War to win independence from Great Britain. He was the father of the new country and laid the foundation of American democracy. Because of his importance, Washington is the most prominent figure on the mountain. "Believing that a representative government, responsible at short periods of election, is that which produces the greatest sum of happiness to mankind, I feel it a duty to do no act which shall essentially impair that principle." George Washington Thomas Jefferson, (3rd president) he was the author of the Declaration of Independence, a document which inspires democracies around the world. He also purchased the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803 which doubled the size of the country, adding all or part of fifteen present-day states. "We act not for ourselves but for the whole human race. The event of our experiment is to show whether man can be trusted with self - government." Thomas Jefferson Theodore Roosevelt, (26th president) provided leadership when America experienced rapid economic growth as it entered the 20th Century. He was instrumental in negotiating the construction of the Panama Canal, linking the east and the west. He was known as the "trust buster" for his work to end large corporate monopolies and ensure the rights of the common working man.   "The first requisite of a good citizen in this Republic of ours is that he shall be able and willing to pull his weight - that he shall not be a mere passenger." Theodore Roosevelt Abraham Lincoln, (16th president) held the nation together during its greatest trial, the Civil War. Lincoln believed his most sacred duty was the preservation of the union. It was his firm conviction that slavery must be abolished. (1809-1865). "I leave you hoping that the lamp of liberty will burn in your bosoms until there shall no longer be a doubt that all men are created free and equal." Abraham Lincoln

Mount Rushmore National Memorial is in the process of a ground-breaking 3-D laser scanning project. Memorial staff will be using the latest laser scanning technology to create a highly accurate record of the sculpture and other historic resources at the park.

The value of the 3-D scanning provides realistic digital information of the site and has applications to provide innovative and interactive public interpretation, education, research and security programs. In the event of an incident resulting in the damage of the sculpture, the data would provide the information necessary to accurately replicate carved surfaces. The digital data will also give the NPS the ability to develop a very realistic interactive model for Mount Rushmore for education and interpretation including potential "virtual tours" of the memorial, as well as the entire site. Scanning Team and Partners The scanning team consists of members of the Memorial's technical ropes team, scanning specialists from the Kacyra Family Foundation and their project CyArk, Historic Scotland, and the Glasgow School of Art, as well as local technical consulting staff from Respec Engineers, Inc., Wyss and Associates, Inc., and the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. The scanning of Mount Rushmore is also a part of a scanning project called the Scottish 10 by Historic Scotland and the Glasgow School of Art. The goal of the Scottish 10 is to scan the 5 World Heritage Sites in Scotland and 5 international heritage sites, with Mount Rushmore as the first international site. All of these projects, including the scanning of Mount Rushmore, are among the CyArk 500 initiative which is a global effort to digitally preserve 500 of the world's heritage sites. Laser Scanning Process Laser scanning accurately records the 3-D surface of objects in a digital form. The team uses a mix of lasers mounted on tripods including three machines developed by Leica: The Leica Scanstation C10, Leica HDS6100, and the Leica Scanstation 2. The scanners project millions of points which are collected and put together to create a 3-D model of the object being scanned. These points are called 'cloud points' by scientists and give will the information needed to create an extremely accurate 3-D model. Laser scanning is capable of capturing sub-centimeter details.

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Дата добавления: 2015-07-19