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Controversy with the location

As you may have read somewhere in history books, the construction of this monument was not free of controversy. Even before they can start building it, the project faces a roadblock with regard to where it was. The design would change the entire landscape of the site and this would result in a permanent modification of the geology of the whole place. Some people have had a problem with that.

Native American

The black hills of South Dakota are considered sacred lands of several Amerindian tribes, including Lakotas, Cheyennes, Arapahos and others. The project has always passed because the US government has already claimed the region as a national park. Until today, the hills are always used for ritual purposes by Native Americans. Appropriate compensation for the government using this site is under discussion until the date.

The construction begins

From October in 1927, the construction of this site started. Gutzon Borglum employed about 400 workers to help him make his idea. For Borglum, the monument would not just be another sculpture of his or as one of his other previous works. This monument was going to be his masterpiece and his permanent gift to the American people. It would be there for even generations of the future to testify.

More inputs

However, there was still something that Borglum had his sleeves. He had even greater for the site than what was announced for the public to know. His initial plan for the whole Rushmore Mount was not only carved on the mountain side. There was something more. It planned to leave indices for future generations to know the United States. He wanted to keep information for people in the future to learn more about the history of the country.

Many restrictions

There were so many things that Gutzon Borglum had already planned to do with the monument. He had plans of very large projects for the design at the end. The first design included more than the four presidents who finished. He also planned to add the map of the purchase of Louisiana along the mountain. And inside the card, it also planned to sculpt some of the highest achievements of the nation and remarkable incidents.

Something alone

But unfortunately for him, the commission of these additions could not be made because of the limited financing they received. Even the presidents were supposed to have their sculpture at their size. As there was limited funding, even this has not been completed. But then, Borglum has been allowed to have an addition alone. It's something that holds a mystery even to date because he had many other non-public projects.

Long but effective but effective

There were several people working on the monument, but the Italian immigrant Luigi del Blanco was chosen to be CARVER chief for the monument. This man was known for his amazing ability to show emotions and personality in his sculptures. To be able to do this in these stones, it's really a masterful art that most people could not even dream of achieving. To sculpt these faces, it should have to use dynamites and follow a process commonly called Mielogbingbing.

The process

Well, if you have not heard of myelogbing, let's say what it is. The workers would perceive small holes so compacted that they could eliminate all tiny particles by hand. Then they would use a bumper tool or a vacuum cleaner. These tools are used to smooth the surface of the rock. The benchmark resulted in the elimination of a rise of 450,000 tons of rock of the mountain where it is located. There was a panic point because Jefferson did not match.

Complications during construction

By taking a task as vast as to complement the monument of Mount Rushmore, it would be stupid to think that everything took place. There were a lot of accidents and problems that construction is confronted while completing the monumental task. To say that the thing has passed without hitch would be a total lie. Originally, Thomas Jefferson was placed on the right side of George Washington and the initial construction was done this way.

Work

But then there was a problem with the granite. The workers had to dynamit their first attempt at Jefferson and thus had to sculpt the president on the left side. Many people feel like Jefferson has been crushed. Well, it's actually because it's crushed. There was a moment during the construction of the site that people working on the site had the impression of not being able to integrate at all.

National Parks Department

From the year 1933, the National Parks Department had officially taken Mont Rushmore under its wing. In the end, this has been extremely useful for improving the infrastructure and financing of the rest of the project. This has allowed the faces of Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln to have completed completely and site plans have been successful.

Each president

The entire face of President Washington was made and spent in 1934 leaving Jefferson to finish by 1936. Finally, the sculpture of President Lincoln was carried out in 1937. Theodore Roosevelt's face was continued and completed from here 1939. There was another thing it took place during the completion of all faces. Gutzon Borglum worked on a secret project and it was going to be added to the site after its end.

Secret addition of Gutzon Borglum

The problems encountered by a shortage of funds have put a stop on the original plans of monuments. But the US government has authorized the special addition of Gutzon Borglum. So, in the 1938 and 1939, a 70-foot tunnel behind Abraham Lincoln's head had been sculpted on the mountain. This, according to the great borglum sculptor, would serve as an entry from what would be called "The Hall of Records at Mount Rushmore".

Other facilities

The plan was for this place to hold the most important documents in the United State. The entrance was going to be 20 feet high and 14 feet wide with doors that can be opened at a room of 80 x 100 feet. An eagle with a 38 feet fin was supposed to be kept at the top of this entrance. There would be an inscription on the eagle that read "the America's Wrkward Mars" and "Hall of Records". The documents such as the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence were supposed to be kept in bronze and glass cabinets.

A short cut dream

The initial plan for the idea of ​​the disk room was served as a time capsule. The Gutzon Borglum plan was to let future generations cross the entrance and learn to learn more and experiment with the history of the United States and everything he has reached. But unfortunately, Borglum crossed the year 1941 before the whole monument can be finished. His son Lincoln started taking his role to supervise the remaining work that was to be done to complete the site.

Son takes over

Borglum is absent and the role of America in the Second World War ended the construction of the record room. However, the monument itself was still under construction and fully. For many years, the room has become a simple tunnel built on the side of the mountain and was rather without purpose. He was kept like this for a while until a few people gathered to honor Borglum for his works. They wanted to celebrate his inheritance and honor the things he made for the country.

Add Susan B. Anthony?

Also in 1937, a new bill was forwarded to the Congress which pleaded for Susan B. Anthony was an addition to monumental sculpture. But that was not going to bear fruit because of funding problems. In the end, Susan B. Anthony was not added to the Rushmore Mount as the government decided that it would be too expensive and because of the fear that funding would not be enough.

No new faces

A bill has been published and has stated that funds should be used to complete the heads already under construction. There should not be new faces on the site because it was not the plan. Although Anthony would also have been a very celebrated face that would be kept on Mount Rushmore because of its achievements in the movement of women's suffrage, there was no advocacy for it to be maintained on the site once 'She was completely done.

The cost

After many years of non-stop planning and construction, October 31, 1941, the National Memorial Mount Rushmore has become a completed project. It had been expected for a long time and he was finally completed after so much effort and time. Overall, the entire project costs $ 989,992.32. It was considerably less than the amount they would have to spend if they continued to supplement some of the original designs.

No death

A truly huge realization on the construction of this monument was that there was not a unique death of any worker participating in the construction of this project. The work to be completed this site was indeed risky and hard, but in the end, no one is dead. In 1966, Mount Rushmore rendered him on the list of the National Register of Historic Places and, in 1991, President H.W. Bush officially dedicated Mount Rushmore. After a few years, Gutzon Borglum's wish would finally be realized.

The room has finally been completed

Even though Gutzon Borglum's initial plans for the disk room seemed to disappear with him in 1941, his dream has not disappeared. So, on August 8, 1998, the tunnel was commemorated in a small archival room as expected. It was far from the amazing plans that Gutzon had, but at least it was not completely written. A records repository has also been retained in the entrance of the room. It has been maintained on a box of techwood inside a titanium vault and covered with a granite cloak.

The words of borglum

There was a quote from Gutzon inscribed on the keystone who says ".. put there, high carved, so close to the sky that we can, the words of our leaders, their faces, to show the posterity in what way of men they were. Then, breathe a prayer that these recordings will suffer the wind and rain alone to wear them. "
But do you know what has been kept inside the vault?

Gutzon Borglum has always had his disks

So, in the vault and the box, sixteen porcelain panels had been preserved. On the panels, the story of creating a Rushmore Mount has been written. There were also writings on the person who sculpts it and the reason each of the presidents there too. The panels also consist of a short history of the United States for anyone who discovers it, to know a little more about the past and achievements of the country. There is also a burning of the declaration of independence and the Constitution.

A time capsule

These days, the entrance to the room was covered behind a granite slab of 1,200 pounds to avoid unwanted entrances and keep it non-disturbed. This is done so that the tunnel is not for us to enter and go out, however we please. It is supposed to serve as a time capsule for the peoples of thousands of years in the future that have found themselves at the discovery of the historic site by chance.

Maintain Mount Rushmore

As you may have guessed, there is a lot of work to keep Mount Rushmore. This does not simply include the ground on which to walk around the tourists but the current monument itself. Due to the fact that the monument is sculpted in granite, there is a great chance that he begins to crack after a while. In 1989, the National Park Department and Mount Rushmore started to study and research the structural integrity of the monument and discovered the main points of weakness. The study also tests the sealant for the cracks created by Borglum. It has been made of linen oil, white lead and granite dust. However, it was quickly discovered that it could not keep the structure safe from moisture or water.

New sealer and constant monitoring

In order to keep the structure intact and in good condition, the staff of the national parks began to remove the whole old putty and started to replace them with modern silicone. This would help the monument to manipulate a wide range of temperatures that black hills are often faced with heavy rains. For the silicone to stay hidden, it was dusted again with granite powder. With the new silicone, an electric monitoring system has been installed. This allowed the guards to be alerted with even a slight movement, like a minute of 0.0001 inches. The granite temperature can also be recorded with this new installation. This could certainly prevent the damage that the monument could face in the coming years.

Rarely all cleaning occurs

It would be surprising to note that the monument does not require too much cleaning over the maintenance. The reason is that budget constraints had allowed cleaning should only take place at extremely crucial moments and do not occur often. But back in 2005, an urgent washing company named Kärcher made a huge favor. They did it by cleaning up for free with their own equipment that continued a few weeks using pressurized water at more than 200 degrees. It was probably the only time the monument had already received in-depth cleaning since its opening in 1927.

Mount Rushmore today

In the late 1980s, a project began to let people get all the experience of what the monument has to offer. This project has also resulted in the improvement of visitor facilities, sidewalks and other infrastructure in and around the monument. This included Mount Rushmore Visitors Plaza, Lincoln Borglum Museum and the presidential trail. The presidential trail gives visitors a chance to walk throughout the monument. All contributed to the manufacture of Mount Rushmore become the largest tourist attraction in South Dakota. He also made the site one of the most proud monuments of the nation. There are many activities that could be done on Mount Rushmore.

Activities at the monument

It's clear just looking at Mount Rushmore is a breathtaking place. You would be surprised to know that there is a ton of things you can do while visiting this monumental site. At the Visitor Center of Lincoln Borglum, you can see several exhibitions and a short film that explains the methods and reasoning that entered the construction of this benchmark. The presidential trail is 0.6 km long that allows you to have a detailed and detailed meeting with the monument. In addition, there is a Junior Forest Care Program for children of different ages. You will also hear local rangers, information about local tribes and evening lighting ceremony. There is also a self-guided audio tour for people who wish to listen to the history of the monument.