Mount Rushmore, completed in 1941, features four U.S. presidents carved into a cliff. The 14-year project used dynamite and left a massive rockfall as a historical relic.
Mount Rushmore completed in 1941
On October 31, 1941, the workers at Mount Rushmore left the mountain for the last time, and the monument was declared completed. The project, which began in 1927, took 14 years to finish and involved carving the faces of four U.S. presidents into the Black Hills in South Dakota.Monument's size and location
The monument features four faces approximately 18 meters high, those of Washington, Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Lincoln, carved into the cliff in the Black Hills near Keystone, South Dakota. Approximately 410,000 tons of granite lie just below the mountain, forming a rockfall that has remained in place for 85 years.Construction process and techniques
Dynamite provided approximately 90 percent of the sculpting work. The charges were used to blast the rock until only 3 to 6 inches remained before the final surface, after which the finishing was done by hand. The workers drilled very tight holes using the so-called beehive technique, which weakened the stone to detach it more easily.Work conditions and challenges
The face of Washington was the first to emerge from the cliff. Weather conditions and funding problems regularly slowed progress, and this explains why the construction lasted 14 years. Everything that was blasted fell at the base of the cliff, forming a rockfall that is now considered a cultural resource.Legacy and preservation
Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor of the project, recommended removing this pile, but it was left in place to show the scale of the work accomplished. Over time, this choice took on a heritage value: the rockfall is now considered a cultural resource, to be preserved on the same level as historical buildings, museum collections, and the sculpture itself. Removing rocks from this protected area is prohibited by law.Construction remnants and safety
Looking closely at the slope, one can still distinguish traces of tools on the granite, beehive blocks, and metal tool fragments. These are remnants of the construction site, but they tell the method better than any diagram. A visitor terrace overlooks the slope covered with debris. It is the closest point to the faces, and the only place where one can see both the sculpture and what it cost in rock.Completion and cost
Gutzon Borglum died in March 1941, a few months before the end of the work. His son, Lincoln Borglum, completed the work. October 31, 1941, was the last day spent on the mountain, and the monument was then declared completed. The original project would have included figures more extensive than just heads, which were never realized.Human and financial records
The total cost was $989,992.32, slightly less than a million dollars for 14 years of construction. During this period, nearly 400 people received a salary. No deaths in 14 years of construction. This human record is due to very controlled actions, because the method relied on explosives handled on a cliff.
