The Shrine of Democracy
Mt. Rushmore National Memorial, SD . . . on our route to the Pacific Northwest in 2008
Updated: 11/30/08
The Shrine of Democracy
We visited Mt. Rushmore three times in two days. Our departure from Custer was delayed a day because we waited for a package from Camping World to be delivered to the campground. The delay was good because it had rained during our first evening visit and we could go another evening.
The ride on the road to Mt Rushmore was beautiful.
Our day visit was very enjoyable. The weather was pleasant.
The
walk through the Avenue of Flags and the arch to Grand View Terrace was impressive.
The walk around the Presidential Trail gave us many different views of the faces. It also provided a look back at the entrance and seating for the evening program.
As we walked around, may people were discussing why these 4 presidents were selected by Borglum. The answer is: Washington represents the founding principals of the new union; Jefferson, the Declaration of Independence and the Louisiana Purchase; Lincoln, the preservation of the country during the Civil War; and Roosevelt, the expansion of the country through the implementation of the Panama Canal and the conservation of the United State's natural resources.
The exhibits of how Mt Rushmore was designed and sculptured
were very interesting and well done.
They are housed in the Sculptor's Studio and Bookstore, on a trail to the right
of the Grand View Terrace.
The blasting and the 2" holes drilled for the finer sculpturing.
Can't imaging working all day from this "bosun chair" hanging on the face of a mountain!
Also
on display at the Sculptor's Studio, are Gutzon Borglum's original model and many of the
tools used to carve the mountain.
How did the common laborer know where to blast, drill and chisel? The display
in the Sculptor's Studio of the scale
model was 1/12 scale (one foot = 12 feet). Measuring from the plumb bob line, the workers knew the dimensions. Displayed
on the mountain during construction were plaster copies of the models to guide
the workmen.
Four-hundred
men and women helped create the sculpture on Mount Rushmore. Jobs varied from
drillers and blacksmiths to housekeepers. A plaque listed all people who worked on Mt. Rushmore.
The men working on the mountain had to climb up 700 steps to start their work each day.
For the summer of 2008, Mt. Rushmore has set out to celebrate the cultures of
America. With several furnished tipis and interactive educational programs this
area, just off the Presidential Trail, will teach visitors about American Indian
languages, traditional living, arts and storytelling as presented by members of
the South Dakota Tribes.
Mary
Lou asked at the desk about the walking difficulty of the Presidential Trail. The ranger recommended we walk the trail in reverse order.
It appeared to be a
lot easier. We did not buy the walking narration so it didn't make a difference.
We were going down these. Only a few steps up.
The
faces on Mt Rushmore require frequent maintenance. Some of the tools look just
like in Fred's workshop. Borglum recognized the necessity of filling cracks to
prevent damage, he devised a process using linseed oil, sand and other
"stuff". Several years ago they cleaned out the Borglum mixture and
switched to silicone caulk.
Leaving
we could see a large number of motorcycles in the top parking lot. We parked in
the parking structure - the sound of a Harley reverberates in a parking
structure.
Related story . . . We asked a park ranger if we could bring our own chairs to the evening program. He said, "I don't know. Lets ask someone who works here". Come to find out, he was from Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park in Michigan. Due to the increased attendance during 'Bike Week' the National Park Service brings in reinforcements for the local rangers.
The evening presentation was impressive. The program focuses on the presidents, patriotism and the nation's history. Beginning with a ranger's talk, the program continues with the film Freedom: America's Lasting Legacy and culminates in the lighting of the memorial.
It
was touch and go that the first evening's performance would take place. A ranger came
around and told people where to go for cover if the predicted 'baseball' size
hail arrived.
Until ten minutes prior to the program, it was unknown if it would go on. But, they announced that the storm passed by us and the show would go on.
Each evening, one of the National Park rangers
is the emcee for
the program. They each do their own monolog about our country and Mt. Rushmore.
We attended two programs so could compare two styles - both were
well done.
A video followed the monolog.
The lights were turned on gradually during the singing of our national anthem, after the video presentation so the faces just appeared from the darkness.
We had not thought about the rain affecting the appearance of
the sculpture. As this photograph shows, it did.
The first
night a Boy Scout troop from Ohio
handled flag duties. At the
second, several veterans lowered the flag.
This
night, when the veterans were honored, the flag was passed down the row
so each veteran could briefly hold it.
At
the second night, the veterans filed by to touch the flag on their way back to
their seats.
The
second night were were at the lighting ceremony, the ranger sang the
song God Bless The U.S.A. at the end of her presentation. We
have a tradition in Good Sam and other groups that when this song is sung and
the singer says the words - "stand up" , we stand up. It
is interesting to observe others stand immediately upon hearing the
words and some people realizing what is happening and then standing up.
No more than five minutes after the first night's program ended, the fog came in. It covered the faces for a few minutes and then drifted away. It added to the strange 'weather' evening we experienced.
The second evening's weather was perfect and the faces 'looked' as we wanted.
The
second night we left camp early to give us time to travel through the tunnels
leading to Mt. Rushmore from the other direction. First we drove under and on
two wood bridges.
We only drove through one tunnel. You could see the road at 'the end of the tunnel'.
From the other end of the tunnel . . . you could see Mt. Rushmore
A quarter of a mile from the entrance, a profile of Washington could be seen.
It was a popular stop on the way home.
T-shirts sometimes give significant messages . . .
Washington - Franklin - Roosevelt - Lincoln
Chief Joseph - Sitting Bull - Geronimo - Red Cloud
We had a great time at Mt Rushmore. Be sure and wear comfortable footwear if you do the Presidential Trail.
There is a $10 parking fee that is good for the calendar year. Entrance to the memorial is free.
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