Wed Sep 18 13:58:00 UTC 2024: ## Mount Rushmore: A Monumental Masterpiece
Cookeville writer Jennie Ivey shares her experience visiting Mount Rushmore, highlighting the impressive scale and history of the iconic monument. Ivey describes being awestruck by the 60-foot-tall granite faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt, understanding why millions of visitors travel to South Dakota each year to witness this breathtaking feat of engineering.
The article delves into the monument’s origins, tracing its creation back to 1927 when sculptor Gutzon Borglum, inspired by South Dakota state historian Doane Robinson, began carving the presidents into the granite face of Mount Rushmore. The project, completed in 1941 by Borglum’s son Lincoln, required an arduous 14 years and a team of 400 men who used jackhammers, dynamite, and even hand-cranked winches to accomplish the task. Despite the dangerous conditions, no workers were killed during the project.
The article also sheds light on the meticulous maintenance efforts undertaken to preserve the iconic sculpture. While erosion is an inevitable factor, the hard granite composition of the monument ensures that the four faces will endure for millions of years.
Ivey concludes by promising a future article dedicated to the nearby Crazy Horse Memorial, hinting at the fascinating history and artistic significance of this equally impressive sculpture.
First Piper 