After 14 years of work, Mount Rushmore is completed.

Mount Rushmore is one of the most famous landmarks in the United States, located in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The enormous sculpture features the faces of four American presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. The idea for the monument originated in 1923 with South Dakota historian Doane Robinson, who hoped to attract tourists to the region by creating a spectacular mountain sculpture. Robinson initially proposed carving famous figures from the American West, but sculptor Gutzon Borglum, who was recruited to lead the project, suggested portraying presidents who represented important stages in the nation’s history. Mount Rushmore was selected because of its suitable granite surface and its exposure to sunlight. The mountain had been named in 1885 after New York lawyer Charles E. Rushmore, although it had long been part of the sacred landscape of the Lakota Sioux.

Construction of Mount Rushmore began on October 4, 1927, under the direction of Gutzon Borglum. The ambitious project required workers to remove enormous quantities of granite from the mountainside, primarily using dynamite, followed by drilling and careful finishing techniques. Around 400 workers participated in the construction over the following 14 years, often working in dangerous conditions while suspended high above the ground. Remarkably, no workers died during the carving process. Each presidential face was designed to measure approximately 60 feet (18 metres) from chin to forehead. Washington’s face was dedicated in 1930, followed by Jefferson’s in 1936, Lincoln’s in 1937, and Roosevelt’s in 1939. The project encountered numerous challenges, including financial difficulties, harsh weather, and problems with the mountain’s rock formations. Jefferson’s face was originally started to Washington’s right but had to be abandoned because of unsuitable rock and was subsequently carved on the opposite side.

The monument was intended to celebrate 150 years of American history, with each president representing a particular achievement. George Washington symbolised the nation’s founding, Thomas Jefferson represented territorial expansion through the Louisiana Purchase, Theodore Roosevelt reflected economic development and America’s emergence as a world power, and Abraham Lincoln represented the preservation of the Union during the Civil War. Borglum originally envisioned much larger sculptures extending down to the presidents’ waists, along with a grand Hall of Records containing important documents from American history. However, limited funding prevented these plans from being fully realised. Borglum died in March 1941, leaving his son Lincoln Borglum to supervise the final stages of construction. Work officially ended on October 31, 1941, shortly before the United States entered the Second World War. The completed monument cost approximately $990,000, with much of the funding provided by the federal government.

Although Mount Rushmore became a powerful symbol of American patriotism and national identity, its history has also been marked by controversy. The Black Hills are sacred to the Lakota Sioux, and the United States had recognised their ownership of the region under the Treaty of Fort Laramie in 1868. However, the discovery of gold led to increasing white settlement, and the federal government seized the territory in 1877. Many Native Americans therefore regard Mount Rushmore as a symbol of dispossession and the violation of treaty rights. In 1980, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the seizure of the Black Hills had been unlawful and awarded financial compensation, which the Sioux have continued to reject in favour of the return of their ancestral lands. Despite these controversies, Mount Rushmore remains one of America’s most recognisable monuments, attracting millions of visitors annually. Today, the memorial is managed by the National Park Service and serves as both a celebration of American history and a reminder of the country’s complex relationship with its Indigenous peoples.