The heads of former U.S. presidents from left: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln

 

Mount Rushmore prior to construction

 



Mount Rushmore during construction

Gutzon Borglum

Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a sculpture that was carved into the
granite face of mount Rushmore near Keystone, South Dakota. It was sculpted
by Gutzon Borglum (above) and his son Lincoln. After federal funds were secured, construction on the memorial began in 1927, and the presidents’ 60-foot faces were completed between 1934 and 1939. Upon Gutzon Borglum’s death in March 1941,
his son Lincoln Borglum took over construction. Although the initial concept called
for each president to be depicted from head to waist,insufficient funding forced the
carving to end on October 31, 1941. The U.S. National Park Service took control of
Mount Rushmore in 1933 and manages the memorial today.

A model of the site depicting Mount Rushmore’s intended final design.