Monday, February 19, 2007

Mount Rushmore & President's Day

Mount Rushmore is often used as a symbol for President's Day, the third Monday in February. This real photo postcard of Mount Rushmore shows the monument during construction. This postcard was mailed in 1940.

Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota is a monumental granite sculpture with 60-foot (18 m) sculptures of the heads of four former U.S. Presidents. Between 1927 and 1941, Gutzon Borglum and 400 workers sculpted the huge carvings of Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln to represent the first 150 years of American history. These presidents were selected by Borglum because of their role in preserving the Republic and expanding its territory.

Washington's face was completed and dedicated in 1934. The face of Thomas Jefferson was dedicated in 1936, and the face of Abraham Lincoln was dedicated in 1937.In 1939, the face of Theodore Roosevelt was dedicated.

Mount Rushmore represents the largest work of art on earth. For more information on the presidential portraits and construction process, see the American Park Network page on The Making of Rushmore.




Detail View:




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