Frommer's National Parks of the American West - Don Laine [53]
For information about the entire area, contact South Dakota Tourism, Capitol Lake Plaza, 711 E. Wells Ave., Pierre, SD 57501-3369 (☎ 800/ SDAKOTA or 605/773-3301; fax 605/ 773-3256; www.travelsd.com), or the Black Hills, Badlands & Lakes Association, 1851 Discovery Circle, Rapid City, SD 57701 (☎ 605/355-3600; www.black hillsbadlands.com).
SEASONS & CLIMATE
Summer days in the Black Hills are often sunny with temperatures in the 80s, so a broad-brimmed hat and sunscreen are advised. Temperatures often drop rapidly after sunset, particularly in the mountains. In the fall, sunny skies and crisp temperatures can make for pleasant traveling conditions, though snowstorms may occur as early as September at higher elevations. Winter daytime temperatures average 20°F to 40°F (–6°C to 4°C), and icy roads are common. Even in spring, weather can often be cold and wet.
Visiting Mount Rushmore National Memorial
Widely regarded as one of the man-made wonders of the world, Mount Rushmore is as much a work of art as it is an engineering marvel. Its creator, sculptor Gutzon Borglum, wanted to symbolize in stone the very spirit of a nation and, through four of its most revered leaders—George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt—the country's birth, growth, preservation, and development. More than a half century after its completion, Mount Rushmore remains one of America's most enduring icons.
In 1924, Borglum visited the Black Hills, looking for a place to carve a lasting legacy for himself and the nation. The artist hoped to locate a mountain with a suitable mass of stone, as well as a southeasterly exposure that would take advantage of the sun's rays for the greatest portion of the day. He decided on a rock outcropping named Mount Rushmore.
Inclement weather and lack of funds frequently stalled progress on the memorial. All told, the monument was completed at a cost of about $1 million during 6½ years of work over a 14-year period.
Plaster Portraits. Having studied under the master sculptor Auguste Rodin in Paris, Borglum understood art. When he arrived at Rushmore in 1925, Borglum was 58 years old and had already created a full roster of memorials to famous Americans, including Gen. Philip Sheridan, Gen. Robert E. Lee, and Pres. Abraham Lincoln. Relying on his independent study of the four presidents, as well as life masks, paintings, photographs, and descriptions, Borglum created plaster sketches of the men. The sketches became the models for the memorial, and copies of each president's likeness were always on display on the mountain as a guide for the workmen.
Using a method of measurement called "pointing," Borglum taught his crews to measure the models, multiply by 12, and transfer the calibrations to the mountain carving. Using a simple ratio of 1:12, 1 inch on the model would equal 1 foot on the mountain.
Borglum and his dedicated crew used dynamite to carve more than 90% of the memorial. Powdermen became so skilled in the use of dynamite that they could grade the contours of the cheeks, chin, nose, and eyebrows to within inches of the finished surface. Skilled drillers used bumper bits and pneumatic drills to complete each portrait, leaving the surfaces of the presidents' faces as smooth as a concrete sidewalk. Up close, the pupils of each of the presidents' eyes are actually shallow recessions with projecting shafts of granite. From a distance, this unlikely shape makes the eyes sparkle. Several men were injured while working at Mount Rushmore, but miraculously, no one was killed during its construction.
As work neared completion in March 1941, Borglum died in a Chicago hospital