Mt. Rushmore

On Tuesday, we visited Mount Rushmore.

The road up to Mount Rushmore was beautiful. I enjoyed it more than the Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway.

Once we were at Mount Rushmore, we wandered down the Avenue of Flags, where I learned that Pennsylvania was the second colony to become a state. Who knew?

Next, we watched the informational video in the visitor center, which told the story of how Mount Rushmore came to be, and why Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln were the presidents chosen to be represented.

Then we checked out the Sculptor’s Studio, where we learned that the presidents’ profiles were originally supposed to include the entire upper torso, but lack of funds and problems with the mountain prevented that.

We also learned that Thomas Jefferson was originally on the far left side of the memorial, but the sculptor had to move him due to incompatibilities between the sculpture’s design and the rock face.

Greg decided that he wanted to do the audio tour of the Presidential Trail, so we went back to the visitor center, picked up the equipment, and headed out.

Almost the first thing we came to was an exhibit about the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota Native Americans.

A member of the Lakota tribe was giving a presentation. He talked about the struggles that Native Americans have in the US today. They have lost their land. They struggle to hold on to their culture, and they are treated like second-class citizens in their own country. No wonder they struggle with addictions and poor health!

Along the way, we took photos of the presidents. Lots and lots of photos!

Honestly, looking at the sculptures on the face of the mountain made me sad at first. Why do humans have to leave their mark on everything good and beautiful in the world? That lovely mountain is defaced for all time.

But then I learned about the sculptor, Gutzon Borglum. He was very patriotic, and he chose which presidents to memorialize with great thought and care.

It made me remember America’s potential. I felt connected to all the Americans who came before me who believe in freedom and the promise of what America can be when she’s at her best.

We didn’t get to finish the audio tour along the Presidential Trail because Greg wanted to get back in time to hear Abraham Lincoln talk about the Civil War and recite the Gettysburg Address.

Lincoln made an interesting point about freedom. He said that some people might ask why Lincoln didn’t give the Confederacy the freedom to leave the Union, since America was founded on the principle of freedom (particularly freedom from a tyrannical government).

He said that even freedom has limits. The Confederate states had agreed to be part of the United States and to follow the Constitution. They couldn’t simply break that contract when things didn’t go their way.

We ate lunch at the cafe at Mount Rushmore. (I didn’t realize we would be there so long, or I would have packed a lunch. Instead, I had some really lousy pot roast in the cafe.) Then we headed to Crazy Horse.

Crazy Horse Memorial

The Crazy Horse Memorial was a revelation to me. I didn’t realize it wasn’t already complete. In fact, it has a long way to go!

This is what the final statue will look like.

Right now, just the head and the pointing hand are complete. It may take 30 to 50 more years to finish the sculpture, which means I will never get to see it completed. Hopefully, my kids will make the effort to go.

I think the entire memorial site will be well worth a visit. In addition to the museum, they have cultural events, and they even have a university for Native American students there.

When we arrived at the visitor center, we purchased tickets for the bus tour down to the memorial site. Our bus driver was very informative.

Once we got back to the visitor center, we watched the informational video about how the sculpture was conceived and learned about the family that is ensuring its completion. (Another family affair, just like Mt. Rushmore.)

It is a fascinating story. I have great admiration for the sculptor who started it all, Korczak Kiolkowski, his wife, his children, and his grandchildren.

We also toured the Indian Museum of North America, which contains an enormous collection of Native American art. It was beautiful, but there was so much to absorb! My attention span wasn’t up to the challenge.

And we listened to a presentation about Native American musical instruments.

Mt. Rushmore Lighting Ceremony

After dinner at the campground, we headed back to Mount Rushmore for the evening lighting ceremony. (Thankfully, it was only 15 minutes away.)

First, there was a talk by a park ranger about the meaning of patriotism. It was excellent.

Next, we watched a movie about the lives and significance of each of the presidents represented on Mount Rushmore.

Then they lit the faces of the presidents, and we all sang The Star-Spangled Banner together.

And finally, they invited all veterans and gold star families to come onto the stage to be recognized. Afterwards, the veterans helped lower the flag.

The entire experience was very moving and capped a truly phenomenal day.