By Mount Rushmore is a monument in the Black Hills located in southwest South Dakota. This monument contains carvings of large faces carved into the side of the mountain. These faces are the faces of the four presidents of the United States, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. The statue and the surrounding area are known as Mount Rushmore National Monument. Check out the history below.
Mount Rushmore built on illegal land
The construction of Mount Rushmore for some communities, especially indigenous communities, Mount Rushmore does not represent positive history. The reason is, Mount Rushmore was built on land obtain illegal by the United States (US) government. In 1868 the US government signed a treaty with the Oceti Sakowin (Sioux). The treaty stated that the Black Hills, which is sacred land to the Oceti Sakowin Indian tribe, would be Oceti Sakowin land forever. Then, within 10 years, the US government took the land from them.
The Sioux and many others were disillusioned by the decision to build a monument in the Black Hills to the government leaders who had stolen their land.
Reporting from National Geographic
over the years, the monument has attractprotests over its location on tribal lands. Debate about whether other commanders-in-chief deserve a place on the mountain, and Hollywood controversy over an Alfred Hitchcock film that was partly film on the site. Before it known as Mount Rushmore, the Lakota call this granite formation Tunkasila Sakpe Paha, or Six Grandfather Mountain. It was a place of prayer and worship for the native people of the Great Plains, explained Donovin Sprague, head of the history department at Sheridan College in Wyoming The location of the mountain in the Black Hills is also important.
For the Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho communities
this area was not only spiritually important, but was also a place where the tribes gathered food and plants that they used for building and medicine. In the late 1800s, Euro-American settlers began entering the Black Hills, sparking war with the native population. The U.S. government signed the Treaty of Fort Laramie in 1868, giving the Lakota exclusive rights to utilize the Black Hills. However, within a decade, gold was discover in the region and, in 1877, the US broke the treaty and took over the region.
After that, settlers and miners came to the region. In 1884, New York lawyer Charles Rushmore visit to make a deal about a tin mine, and, in passing, the Six Grandfathers were rename. However, the land dispute was not resolve. government for theft in a legal battle that lasted decades.
Created by the famous sculptor, Gutzon Borglum The building where Mount Rushmore is located rises 5,725 feet (1,745 meters). Then, the statue was carve at the top of the southeast side of the mountain. The statue is carve from a solid granite rock surface. Each carving is about 60 feet (18 meters) high. American sculptor Gutzon Borglum designed the statue. Gutzon said the four presidents symbolized the first 150 years of the United States. Washington represents the nation’s founding. Jefferson favored its westward expansion. Roosevelt was a symbol of the country’s increasing power. Meanwhile, Lincoln represents its preservation through the American Civil War.
Work on the Mount Rushmore memorial began in 1927.
Hundreds of workers used dynamite, jackhammers, chisels, and drills to create large statues of the faces of United States presidents. Most of these stone were left in pile at the foot of the mountain. Over the next 16 years, Borglum clashed with the federal government over funding and control of Mount Rushmore that he technically never resolved. Borglum hopes to carve the president down to the waist and engrave a description of the memorial next to him. But when it became clear that there wasn’t enough room for the latter, he decided to build a room behind the faces to store US historical artifacts.
In 1938, Borglum began tunneling 70 feet into the mountain for his Hall of Records. However, concern about funding because of the impending war in Europe, the US government ultimately instruct Borglum to postpone the hall until all four side were complete. The statue was complete in 1941. Mount Rushmore National Memorial quickly became one of the best tourist attractions in the United States. Visitors are offer views of the Mount Rushmore monument from the Grand View Terrace, or along the Presidential Trail for a closer look. Apart from that, there is also a museum with an exhibition on the history of the memorial.
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